Love Conquers All

Chapters

It Begins...
Applejack, Private Investigator
One Final Thing
Getting To The Heart Of It All

It Begins...

Applejack bucked her back legs against the tree trunk. She backed up a little, allowing the apples to fall neatly into her saddle baskets. The orange pony trotted away from the tree, heading instead, towards a small cart. She got herself into position, just in front of the cart. She then reared up, so she was now standing on her back legs. The apples fell in an orderly fashion, without any of them going astray. Applejack gave the orchard a quick scan, once the apples were piled into the cart. Upon seeing that there was bit a single apple left, she let out a little 'yeehaw' to show she was done. Her celebratory hollering caught the attention of Big Macintosh. Who had been taking a sly nap in the barn, when he should have been apple bucking like his sister. He rose from his slumber and exited the barn.
"What's all the commotion about?!"
"Ah did it! Ah finished mah half of the apple buckin'!"
Big Macintosh was visibly surprised.
"What!? We've only been at this for an hour!"
"Somethin' wrong with you brother? We've been at this since the crow o' th' rooster this mornin' "
Big Macintosh guessed he had been asleep longer than a few minutes.

Applejack trotted past him, heading towards the Apple family homestead, although she simply couldn't leave without a sly dig at her brother.
"If ya didn't sleep on the job, you'd be done too y'know."
Big Macintosh gulped nervously. How did she know he had been napping? Nevertheless, standing there was only delaying his workload even more. He took one last look at the mix of orange, yellow and brown trotting off into the distance, before he got to work. Applejack was pleased that she had finished her workload; he happiness was only amplified when she what time it was. The hands of the clock in the kitchen of her home said it was six o' clock. Applejack wasted no time in getting to her bedroom. Once there, she opened the window, and stuck her head out as far as she could.

Her eyes first settled upon Big Macintosh working on his own. She let out a devious chuckle, and turned her attention skyward. The sun was beginning to set in the sky, casting an orangey hue across the horizon, beams of yellow and red blended together, spreading outwards from the enormous star that was the sun. Applejack always thought the sunsets looked beautiful, but she knew something far more beautiful came next. She counted down the seconds under her breath.
Three.
Two.
One.
Suddenly Applejack was treated to what she was waiting for. In the distance were a multitude of colours surging her way. The colours ranged through vibrant reds, all the way to a captivating violet. The colours streaked across the sky, their very presence shimmering against the sunset. Of course this rainbow streak of colour belonged to a particular pony, a certain pony that Applejack felt strong feelings of love for. Applejack sighed blissfully and rested her head on the windowsill.
"Right on time Dashy, right on time."
Applejack began to sway her tail lazily back and forth, as she slipped into a daydream. The rainbow started to dissipate, giving a final shimmer, before it completely disappeared.

Applejack had never told Rainbow Dash that she loved her. She had always suffered at the merciless hands of nerves when it came to tell Dash of such things. She always seemed to suffer from one of two things, or sometimes both at once. She sometimes seized up, causing her to feel completely unresponsive. Being frozen to the spot wasn't that big of a problem, as she only needed to speak. However even that was a trial in itself. The moment she opened her mouth to say 'I love you', her vocabulary always descended into gibberish. She only managed to speak words like 'wuh' and 'buh' which really aren't even words. Of course as convention dictates, once Rainbow Dash left the scene, Applejack gained full control again. It was quite the predicament to get past, but she was certain that she could sort it. At the present moment, the effects of getting up at the crack of dawn were starting to take their toll. Applejack's eyes felt heavier and her body felt weaker. Now would probably be the best time for some sleep. She made her way to her bed, climbed into it, and laid her head on her pillow. Slowly her drowsiness began to take full effect. She soon drifted off to sleep, her dreams filled with wonderful images of Rainbow Dash.

Upon the arrival of the next morning, Applejack was given a rude awakening. This wasn't due to the rooster crowing, but more due to invading sunlight. It streamed through her still open window. Her battle to remain in a state of lazy bliss, by her actually opening her eyes. The sunlight swarmed her vision, increasing her focus on the objects around her. This was the final straw, she had to get up now, and there was no way she could get back to sleep. She sat up and yawned, before crossing to the window and shutting it. She then made her way downstairs for some breakfast. As she made her way to the kitchen she caught a distinct smell of apples. This wasn't anything new; there was always an apple scent. Usually it was from the orchard, or somepony's cooking. She entered the kitchen and found a plate of apple pancakes sat on the table. A quick look around showed that no-one else was present, apart from herself. So she took it upon herself to clear away these pancakes. Clear away being the operant words for eat. Within five minutes, the pancakes had been devoured and not a morsel remained. With her belly full and her appetite satisfied, she headed outside. She decided to head into town, maybe she'd meet some of her friends there, and so off she went at a fair pace.

Upon entering the town she was ambushed by a bouncing, pink pony.
"Hey Applejack! Have you heard the news? Have ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Slow down there Pinkie Pah. What news?"
Pinkie Pie let out a long, drawn out gasp. Applejack sighed, and waited for her to explain the news.
"Oh it's some of the most beautiful, amazing, fantastic news ever!"
"Well would you mind fillin' me in sugarcube?"
Pinkie Pie put her hooves over her muzzle, as if she had said something she shouldn't. Applejack was about to ask if something was wrong, but she was cut off by Pinkie's verbal explosion.
"Rainbow Dash has a girlfriend!"
Applejack felt her heart sink, like a stone to a riverbed.
"T-that's great news Pinkie Pah…"
"I know right? Isn't it just some of the best news you've ever heard?"
"Yup…"
Of course it wasn't good news at all; Applejack had lost her chance with Dash. Pinkie Pie continued on, ignoring Applejack's obvious pain.
"Oh! I have to throw them a party! Seeya AJ!"
With that said Pinkie Pie was gone, leaving Applejack all by herself.

Applejack resorted that she wasn't going to be bitter of upset about the news. Instead she was going to find Dash and congratulate her. So she set of looking for a sky blue pony, with a rainbow mane and tail. However she was sidetracked by a crowd of ponies circled around somepony. She thought that the somepony might possibly be Rainbow Dash, so Applejack joined the crowd. The mass of ponies let out a collective 'awww' as a sign that something sweet had happened. Once the collective happy sigh had died down, voices could be heard from the crowd centre. Applejack identified one of the voices as Rainbow Dash's assertive and tomboyish tone. However the other was a complete mystery to her. She nudged fillies and colts alike aside until she reached the centre. Rainbow Dash was stood with another Pegasus. The Pegasus in question was a beautiful mint green, her mane a silvery version of the same colour. She had one hoof around Dash's neck causing her to blush. Applejack hadn't been listening to what they had been saying; she had been busy getting a better view. So now she just sat up and soaked up the conversation, even though she knew it wasn't going to help her mood.

The green Pegasus was the one talking when Applejack focused in.
"I shall always protect my little Rainbow Dash, that is, unless she doesn't need it."
Rainbow Dash blushed deeper, the crimson clashing with her normal sky blue colour. This time Rainbow Dash spoke.
"You're such a softie, and it's one of the reasons I love you!"
The two pegasi hugged, as Applejack watched on.
The two lovers stopped with their embrace so they could prepare for a takeoff. They stepped apart, making sure not to bump anypony else. They then started beating their wings and took off into the sky. They gave the crowd a little wave before they bolted off towards the horizon. Applejack felt as though she was mere inches away from crying, but she fought with herself to stay strong. Now that the main attractions had left, the crowd started to fan out, as people went back to their previous activities. Applejack was then noticed by her friends.
"Hey, AJ!"
Applejack turned around to witness Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie heading her way.
"Compose yerself girl. Keep it together."
Applejack regained her composure and trotted over to meet them.

"Hi Applejack!"
Her friends chorused their welcoming speech.
"Hi guys."
Twilight spoke out first before her other friends.
"What do you think of the news about Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack wanted to tell them how she really felt about the news. How unfair it was that she had tried to tell Dash her feelings for ages, and now her hopes had been dashed. Instead she chose to lie and bury her true feelings deep inside.
"Ah think its great news Twilight."
Behind her Twilight was a bouncing Pinkie Pie, who waited for her chance to speak.
"Ah don' mean t' be rude but ah think Pinkie Pah is gonna explode."
Twilight turned around with a questioning 'hmm' to find Pinkie Pie filling her vision, grinning from ear to ear.
"What is it Pinkie Pie?"
"I just wanted to tell you, that you're all invited to a party tonight at Sugarcube corner!"
Twilight looked to Applejack and Fluttershy, who all stared back, before she answered.
"What's the occasion Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side, her wide smile still plastered on her face.
"It's to celebrate Rainbow Dash and her new Pegasus friend!"
The remaining trio of ponies all replied with 'oooh'.
"Well you can be certain that I'll be there" replied Twilight.
"I'll be sure to turn up" squeaked Fluttershy.
"Ah'm not sure if ah can make it…" confessed Applejack.
"Well I'll see you all there guys!"
Acting as if she ignored Applejack's dysphemistic attitude, Pinkie Pie bounded away. Twilight decided that she should go get ready now, leaving her some time to study later. Fluttershy also decided now was a good time to leave, mainly because she had some work to do. Fluttershy's departure from the group meant that the once four strong group, was reduced to one, lonely, pony. Applejack sighed, she wasn't going to attend Pinkie Pie's party, it was probably not going to help brighten her day, no matter how cheerful they always seemed to be. Instead she was going to go home and watch the sky. Even though Dash had a girlfriend it shouldn't stop her creating her nightly sunset masterpiece. Applejack perked up at the realisation of this and set off for Sweet Apple Acres.

Back home Big Macintosh had finally finished apple bucking his side half of the orchard. Applejack bid him fleeting congratulations as she disappeared inside. Big Macintosh followed her inside, but got sidetracked in the kitchen. Applejack meanwhile scurried upstairs and into her bedroom. She shut the door and crossed to the window. The sun was still fairly high in the sky so Applejack was going to have to wait a fair few hours. To pass the time she started to daydream. She thought of what life would be like if she had been with Rainbow Dash. She imagined all the fun that they would've had. She sighed again her thoughts momentarily interrupted. Time seemed to creep by slowly, almost teasing Applejack as she waited for her private spectacle. At regular intervals of what she thought were long periods of time, she would leave her room and venture downstairs. This was only to look at the clock, to actually see how much time had passed. Time and time again she was disappointed at how much real-time had actually gone by. She only seemed to be experiencing three or five minute lapses. She wasn't the sort of pony to get impatient easy, but when time wasn't playing fair, anything was possible.

Eventually it grew close to the time she was waiting for. In preparation for the moment, she opened her window and stuck her head out. Sure enough the sunset had begun, and now it was only a few seconds until the show. A few seconds turned into a few minutes. Those minutes soon turned into hours and Applejack grew sadder and sadder. The moment she had been waiting for had not arrived. She just couldn't take it anymore; today had just been one big disappointment after another. She looked out on Ponyville in the distance. All lights had been extinguished, telling Applejack that Pinkie's party had finished. Yet still no rainbow in the sky. Applejack broke down, letting her emotions take full control. Tears welled up in her eyes, and rolled down her cheek. She sniffed, as the tears flowed faster, pooling on the windowsill. She took one last look at the picturesque landscape, before getting ready for bed. She was still crying, and on this night, her dreams weren't going to be as pleasant as previous nights. There would be no dreaming of Rainbow Dash tonight, only dreams of loneliness, and sadness.

The next morning came quickly but neither the rooster, nor the sunlight, could rouse Applejack. She just wanted to be left alone, a trait that was most unlike Applejack. If her brother hadn't been constantly shouting to her from downstairs, she probably would've stayed in bed all day. She hurried downstairs to see Big Macintosh, who was coincidentally waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.
"Your friends are here sis."
He stepped aside to reveal Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight. All of which looked worried, except for Pinkie Pie, who looked a combination of worried and happiness.
"What're y'all doin' here at this time?
The ponies were obviously distressed about something, and it showed in their speech. Each of them spoke a part of a full sentence, before another member of the little group cut them off and continued.
"Applejack." murmured Fluttershy.
"It's Rainbow Dash…" explained Twilight.
"She's…" said Rarity softly.
"Missing!" screeched Pinkie Pie in more enthusiastic tone than the rest.
Applejack just stood there, mouth agape. All she could think of was how bad things were, and how much worse it could get…

Applejack, Private Investigator

The five ponies sat there in silence, while Big Macintosh headed into the kitchen. Minutes past and Applejack still retained her mouth open stance. Big Macintosh returned with a glass of water clamped tightly in his jaw. The other ponies just sat there, their attention focused on the glass. Each of them took a varying amount of time, but they all realised what was coming next. This new revelation prompted them to take a step backwards, or as best they could do in the cramped hallway. Big Macintosh proceeded to take centre stage and poised himself. In one quick swoop, he swung his head back and forth. He kept the glass steady, allowing the water to complete the energy change from potential energy to kinetic. This new burst of kinetic energy propelled the water forward, setting it on a direct course for Applejack's face. For the orange pony, the water was the least of her worries. Rainbow Dash was gone, all Applejack could think about was what she might be going through. Luckily there was a small amount of water flying towards her that would ease her mind.

The cold tap water made contact with Applejack's face, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"What'd ya do that for!?"
Applejack was practically seething; all that was missing was some steam billowing out of her ears. Her brother slipped back into the kitchen, before heading outside. His aim was to put a bit of distance between himself and his sister. He wasn't being cowardly; he just knew when it was time to get out of his sister's line of fire. The older pony took refuge in the barn, settling down in a pile of hay. Meanwhile back inside the house, Applejack was starting to calm down. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and suddenly the normal Applejack resurfaced.
"Sorry about that y'all ah need to get mah emotions in check."
Her friends looked at each other and then back to Applejack.
"Yes, you do."
Applejack rubbed a hoof against the back of her head, and then clapped her hooves together as she remembered something.
"Ah can't believe ah let mahself get distracted, please, continue with yer news."
Twilight assumed the role of pony newscaster, to inform Applejack of Rainbow Dash's disappearance. Applejack and the other ponies sat on their haunches, as Twilight began to narrate the story, throwing in a bit of acting where appropriate.

Around the time Pinkie Pie's celebratory party had finished, which was approximately 7:30pm. Rainbow Dash and her new girlfriend (who had been named as Volo) had left for Volo's house. Contradictory to her Pegasus roots and nature, Volo had a house on the ground. There was nothing to go against this, as Fluttershy had done the exact same thing. Everypony else went straight home, or at least that's what the witnesses were claiming. Other witness's namely neighbours of Volo claimed that they heard shouting and breaking objects. Naturally they were attributed to an argument, but in a case such as this, they were being treated as suspicious. Twilight told of how several groups of ponies had been dispatched to search the area for Rainbow Dash, as soon as she was found to be missing. Everypony had been told to report suspicious behavior to them, and they would follow it up. By this point Applejack was close to tears again, but was soon comforted by Twilight.
"It's ok AJ, let it all out. We've all done our fair share of crying today."
Applejack sniffed back the tears, drying her eyes in the process.
"No. No more cryin'. Ahm gonna go find Rainbow Dash and bring her back safe!"
Applejack trotted towards the door, but a voice from behind stopped her.

The voice belonged to Rarity, and she didn't sound pleased.
"I think you mean WE'RE going to get her back safely!" she bellowed.
Applejack craned her neck round so that she could face the disgruntled pony.
"Ah'm mighty sorry Rarity, ah got a lil headstrong there. Of course ah meant t' say we're gonna go get her."
Rarity smiled, a little embarrassed by her sudden outburst.
"Well come on everypony! We've got ourselves a friend t' find!"
Applejack and her friends galloped outside. The sound of hooves against the dirt covered ground outside, reminded Applejack of a stampede. The stampede of friends made its way into town, Everypony that saw them charging through made sure to keep well out of the way. The small group came to a stop just outside the town centre. They took this pause as a chance to rest and think of a place to search first. Each of the ponies had their own ideas about where to start. So each idea was taken into account and a vote was held.

The location that received the most votes was Volo's home. The location that received the least votes was Sugar cube corner. The owner of this idea was Pinkie Pie, who, when quizzed about why she picked it replied with 'I'm hungry' almost as if she was oblivious to anything outside her own thoughts. Now that the band of friends had decided on their location, they were stuck trying to pick what sort of interrogative method to use. They were torn between using the good cop method, the bad cop method, or just simply winging it. They were about to take another vote, when a strange suggestion arose from an unlikely source.
"I say we let her have it!" growled Fluttershy.
The other ponies slowly turned their heads towards her, their eyes wide with shock and surprise. Had Fluttershy really just suggested they use violence against Volo? The piercing stares of her peers were enough to turn Fluttershy back to her timid self.
"Uhm, y'know, if you want to..."
The ponies shook their heads, they must have misheard her, and there was no way someone like Fluttershy would suggest violence. Of course Fluttershy did have her out of character moments, but this certainly seemed a little to far beyond even something like that. The girls eventually settled on winging it, and doing just what the situation called for. Now that they had their game plan ready, they set a course for Volo's residence, making a little stop at Sugar cube Corner for Pinkie. Applejack made use of this little stop to grab a bite to eat; after all, she had skipped breakfast.

The Friendship Detectives (a name coined by Pinkie) soon arrived at their first destination. They left Pinkie Pie outside to scout around for any suspicious behavior. Although she infused this task with another: making the groups' theme song. The rest of the group went inside the house and were promptly shown around by Volo.
"This is the living room. It doubles as Rainbow's room, at least until her bed arrives."
Applejack wasn't entirely focused on Volo's speech; she was too busy scouring the room. Cabinets lined the walls of this room, each one filled with trophies and medals. It appeared the Volo had competed in many a competition and appeared to be quite the athlete, no wonder Dash had taken a fancy to her. The room also contained a three-seater couch, which Applejack promptly sat upon. The couch itself seemed to be covered in a silky smooth fabric, which made it feel simply divine. The couch was placed in front of a large marble fireplace, which had a decorated mantelpiece on top of it. The mantelpiece was also decorated with trophies and other racing trinkets. The fireplace itself had been used recently, as there was a collection of ash underneath the grating. Acting like a true detective, Applejack treated this as something suspicious and moved in for a closer look. Applejack lowered herself to the ground and inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly. Her warm breath assaulted the ash, sending a large black plume into the air. Applejack spluttered a little as she inhaled tiny particles of burnt material. She held her breath and batted away the remaining ash.

Once the ash was gone, she peered into the fireplace. This was where something caught her eye, this happened to be a partially combusted photograph. Applejack nipped the edges of the photo with her teeth and liberated it from the fireplace. She dropped the photo into her hooves and stared at it. There wasn't a lot to see, but Applejack managed to make out something useful. The photo was of Rainbow Dash, looking absolutely terrified. Applejack shed a single tear at the sight of her, realising just how much she missed her. Regaining her composure, Applejack scoured the tiny fragment for anything else that might be useful. In the background there was another pony peeking in through the window. Their features were a little charred but Applejack managed to make out a few details. He had a brown mane, possibly black, his coat was a sandy coffee colour and he was wearing square framed glasses. Applejack picked up the fragment in her teeth again and rushed off to tell her friends of her discovery. Applejack burst into the kitchen, where her friends where comforting Volo, who appeared to have suffered an emotional breakdown. Everypony turned to face Applejack, who trotted over to them and dropped the photo fragment onto the table. Everypony looked at the scrap and back at Applejack, waiting for her to explain how this was important. Applejack was about to do just that, but Volo intervened.
"Before you start accusing me of anything, you should see the other photos that go with that one."

Applejack hadn't been planning on accusing Volo of anything, but she noticed that the photo did make her look like a suspect. Volo left the group, went upstairs, and then came back with more photos. She flicked them onto the table, sending them in every possible direction. Applejack stared at the photos; she now understood a little bit more about where they had come from. Rainbow Dash and Volo had been hosting some sort of ridiculous photo shoot for themselves. The object of this had clearly been to see who could pull the best faces of a certain category. For example, in the photo that Applejack had found, Rainbow had probably been told to look terrified. Applejack checked over each of the photos in turn, and came to the shocking conclusion that they all had one striking feature, the mysterious background pony.
"Hey, ah think y'all should see this."
Applejack pointed her hoof at a specific spot in each of the pictures. There, at the window, was the mystery pony, staring inwards. Each of the ponies gasped at looked at each other. No matter which picture they looked at, the results were always the same. A sudden knock at the door caught them all off guard, with Fluttershy actually ducking for cover. The ponies casually walked through to the next room, then onwards to the front door. Volo picked up some books from the shelf and pushed to the front of the group. She opened the door to reveal a pony, similar in looks barring a lack of squares framed glasses stood there. Volo handed over the books and slammed the door shut. Twilight had managed to read the spines of the books and felt a question forming in her mind.
"Volo?"
"Yes?"
Twilight had now formed the question and decided to ask it.
"Why do you have spell books? Powerful spell books at that."
"I like to read them. I enjoy a bit of heavy reading now and again."
Twilight wasn't satisfied, there was something strange here, but she wasn't sure what. Applejack took her turn to ask a question.
"Volo?"
"Yes, is there something I can help you with?"
"Why was that there photograph on the fire?"
Volo took a seat on the couch and began a story.
"Rainbow Dash and I had an argument."

The ponies circled around Volo and listened to her short story.
"We got into a little fight over a trivial thing. We both lost out tempers and started throwing things, and hurling abuse at one another. Some of the photos were burned by Dash, as she claimed that I didn't care about her. However, we managed to make up at some point during the night, but it was too late for the pictures."
The group of ponies decided to stay around to hear more stories, some of which filled them in on how the two had come together. Hours passed and by the end, the event was more like a social get together than an investigation. Time started to wane and the ponies all agreed that it seemed like a suitable time to finish for the day. They bid farewell to Volo, and split up, each pony heading to their respective homes. Applejack made her way to the path leading to Sweet Apple Acres. As she ventured along the path, she started to feel a strange sensation in her stomach. It felt like she was nervous, yet she just couldn't think why she would feel like that. She did a full sweep around her, and noted two things. Fluttershy was hovering over her head, and somepony was following behind Applejack, making sure to keep their distance. She didn't know why Fluttershy was watching from above, but she was friends with Applejack so it wasn't too strange. She was probably just checking to make sure each of the ponies got home safely, after all she was the type for such thing. It was the pony behind her that was making her feel uneasy. Applejack pretended that she hadn't noticed her follower and continued walking. Suddenly a bright flash winked behind her, causing Applejack to spin round. There she caught the mystery pony, clutching a camera. The pony straightened his square framed glasses and maintained a stare down.
"Hey! Ah wanna word with you!"
The unnamed pony turned away and sprinted away from Applejack.
"Hey!" screamed Applejack as she raced after him. Applejack admired this pony's speed and stamina. She assumed her follower to be a colt, as his stamina seemed well above any filly she knew, not to mention Applejack was quite the athlete. The colt realised that he couldn't outrun Applejack, but he was certain he could outwit her.

He realised that his first priority was to increase the distance between Applejack and himself. He checked both sides, seeing that the fence that ran alongside the path opened up as a gate. He glanced behind him, to see Applejack sneaking up just next to his rump. She didn't seem to have noticed the gate, but the colt was no mind reader, he just had to hope that she wasn't wise to his plan. The colt readying himself, and without warning swung himself to the left, giving Applejack a face full on pony backside, causing her to stagger. The gap between the two ponies widened considerably, bringing the colt closer to escape. Once more the colt took note of his surroundings, and formulated a plan that would secure his escape. In the distance there were two sales ponies dragging along their carts. Just a little past them he could see a gap leading into a side street of Ponyville. If he picked up the pace, he could make it past the ponies, leaving no room for Applejack, which should make her stop in her tracks. He pushed himself to the absolute max, pushing his limbs to their utmost limits. Applejack was more determined than ever, she closed the gap within a matter of seconds, now standing just behind his tail.

The colt looked back, and then forward again. He appeared to have misjudged the initial distance, and now the carts were beginning to pass each other. They came closer exceptionally fast; his mind became all of a flutter. Thinking on his feet, he leapt into the air, hoping for a miracle. Applejack dug her hooves into the ground, causing her to skid to a halt. The colt soared over the sales carts, drawing a gasp of awe from the sales ponies. She was only able to watch as the colt got away, becoming harder and harder to see. She stomped her hoof into the ground as a sign of her frustration. Their biggest lead in the search for Rainbow Dash had gotten away, and it was all her fault. This was not acceptable for someone who had once been called the most dependable of ponies, albeit, she was the one who called her that. She was saddened a little, but unfortunately that was life, you win some, you lose some. Except recently, she felt like she was just losing, more and more. Applejack turned away and continued back to her original destination. It took her longer than normal, mostly in part to her slightly sour mood, but she made it their nonetheless. She entered her home through the kitchen, and was surprised to find Twilight sat at the table.
"Applejack! You're finally here!"
"What're ya doin' here Twi?"

The purple pony cleared her throat, and Applejack knew she was in for a lecture. So Applejack made herself comfy at the kitchen table and let her begin her speech.
"Well when I got back to library, I started to do some research based on what we learnt from today's sleuthing."
Applejack didn't want to cause offense to Twilight, but she really wasn't in the mood to listen to a speech. Applejack just stared at Twilight's mouth as she continued to speak, her words lulling Applejack dull stupor.
"Applejack? Are you listening to me?"
"Ah'm sorry Twilight, ah'm just a lil bit tired. Ah can't keep on listenin' to you, or else ah'm gonna fall asleep."
"Oh. Well that's ok Applejack; I'll speak with you tomorrow."
"Oh don't leave Twilight, I'll try t' stay awake!"
"No. This is important stuff, and I'd prefer it if you were perfectly rested to hear it."
"Ya sure?"
"Of course! See you in the morning, bright and early!"
Twilight made her way past Applejack and left for home, making sure to say goodbye to her friend. Applejack retreated upstairs and got into bed. She was still suffering the effects of her little chase earlier (mainly the adrenaline rush) which would probably keep her awake until a more suited time for sleep. She too began to think about the days events, although it didn't make her feel any closer to Rainbow Dash.

Tomorrow came quickly for Applejack, almost too quickly. She couldn't remember trying to go to sleep, but evidently she had drifted off at some point. She hadn't forgotten about her promise to meet Twilight at the library. She decided to make haste and sped up her routine, allowing her more time to spend at the library. Applejack soon arrived at the library within a suitable time and knocked on the door. The door swung open to reveal a very downtrodden looking Spike.
"Spike! Is Twilight in?"
"Did you hit your head or something Applejack?"
Applejack was visibly confused.
"What're you talkin' about?"
Spike lead Applejack into the library, shutting the door behind them, but Applejack kept her gaze fixated on Spike.
"You mind tellin' me what you're talkin' about, sugar cube?"
"Applejack, Twilight's gone missing as well."
Applejack gasped and reared back. As she broke her fixated gaze with the baby dragon, she saw, for the first time, the state of the library.

There was paper strewn everywhere, books lay in ruins on the floor. Black patches covered the walls, obviously evidence of Twilight trying to defend herself. Parchment had been torn and sprinkled across the floor like confetti. Ink wells had been knocked to the floor, causing some of the books to be illegible. This was a scene of complete chaos.
Applejack turned back to Spike.
Spike, ah need you t' tell me, everything that happened after Twilight left mah home."
Spike sat on the floor and scratched his chin.
"Well…"
He went on to tell Applejack about the events of the previous afternoon. Apparently Twilight had come back from Volo's house with her mind working overtime. She had settled down and tried to work out some sort of correlation between the evidence they had collected. She had sifted through books on ancient languages, different types of spells, and ancient history, and had made tons of notes in the process. Applejack looked around at the tiny remnants of paper scattered about the room. These were all that remained of Twilights hard work. Applejack turned her attention back to Spike and he continued with his story. Twilight had eventually made the breakthrough that she was hoping for. Finishing up a few more trivial links, she rushed off to tell Applejack. Applejack of course, wasn't in the mood to hear such breakthroughs, and had turned her away. Upon returning to library, Twilight had made it clear to Spike that she felt like she was being watched. As a precaution she wrote down a clue to the mystery and put aside a book to help with the decoding. She had entrusted them to Spike, her number one assistant, for safe keeping. Obviously Twilight's suspicions about being followed were true, and the resulting battle for freedom had left the library in the state it was currently in.

Once he had finished his story he handed Applejack the book and note.
She saw a small spark in the corner of Spike's eye. Something that was amazingly unlike him. Spike was never one for a show of emotion, unless he was trying to make Rarity fall for him. Yet Applejack saw his true feelings, he was worried, worried for Twilight, most likely. Applejack took them both and turned to leave. Before she left, she asked Spike how he could possibly have slept, with all this action going on. His response was simple,
"I'm a heavy sleeper."
Applejack left the library, heading for a secluded place, making sure not to lose anything on the journey there. She arrived at her house, and headed upstairs. Around her the sun was setting, making way for the cold night air to blow in. This didn't bother Applejack; she was too fixated on the task at hand. The lights from the ceiling light would illuminate her enough, so she could read what Twilight had left her. First she picked up the note, storing its information in her brain. The note read 'Speed is the key'. Apart from sounding like an obvious statement, this was also the solution to the case. Applejack turned her attention to the book, which happened to be entitled 'The Language Dictionary: A guide to every word ever spoken in the land of Equestria'.

She opened the book and started to flick through the columns and columns of words. She was looking for something in particular, and that something resided in the section marked 'S'. She flipped the pages all the way through to the 'S' chapter, and looked up the word speed. Listed below the word speed were all the old language ways of saying speed. None of them were particularly interesting, and none of them made the clue any easier. Applejack soon got frustrated, tossing the book over her head. The book sailed past her, slamming into her shelf, knocking other books to the floor. Applejack went to pick them all up, but stopped at the first book that entered her gaze. There, printed in one of the books was a photo of a pony, with square framed glasses. Underneath the photo was a caption, which read,
The nickname 'Accelero' was given to this young colt because of his superior speed and stamina.
Applejack referred back to the language book and checked the words for speed. Sure enough, right at the top of the list was 'Accelero'. Applejack whooped, she now had enough evidence to confront the colt. Well she had a reason to confront him, not much to hold past that point. She just needed Twilight to explain the rest of the story to the authorities. She tidied up, and got ready for her confrontation. However little did she know that the colt she was looking for was closer than expected…

One Final Thing

Three months had past since the incident with Volo, and Rainbow Dash had spent each day under medical supervision. After Applejack had collapsed in the Everfree Forest from her fight with Volo, Twilight had carried both ponies to the Ponyville Urgent Response Centre. That had been the last time that Rainbow had seen Applejack, they were split up, and sent to separate wards. Time and time again, Rainbow requested to visit Applejack, but each time she had been given the same response.
No.
Today was going to be different however; today she was going to see her friend after all this time. At this moment she laid in a bed, on a ward which was empty, all but herself. Around her, various instruments checked her vital signs, storing information for the medics to use later. She was lying in wait for someone to come and discharge her. A nurse had claimed that someone would be there to meet her in ten minutes. That was over two hours ago, and Rainbow Dash was becoming impatient. To her relief, a stallion burst into the room, crossing to Rainbow's bed. He was dressed in a white lab coat, while his cutie mark, a needle over a cartoon heart, was just visible underneath. He looked incredibly flustered, as though he had simply ran all the way from one side of the centre to the other, just to meet her. He held a clipboard clenched between his teeth. Upon reaching Dash's bed, he laid the clipboard on the bed sheets.

"Good morning Miss Rainbow Dash…" The stallion smiled, a way of enforcing his positive bedside manner.
"It's the afternoon now…" huffed Rainbow Dash.
"Ah, yes, so it is. No matter! All your results seem to be pointing to an all clear. Your strength has returned, and you're still as athletic as before. So you're now officially discharged!" exclaimed the stallion.
Rainbow Dash's features lit up, hearing his words lifted her sour mood. Unfortunately this was short lived, as rain began to pour down outside. The stallion looked outside, and to Rainbow Dash, before looking back outside.
"Of course, you're free to wait around, if you'd rather…"
Then he hurried off, in the same manner he had arrived, returning shortly after departing to pick up his clipboard, before dashing off again. Rainbow Dash got up and out of bed, making her way to the centre of the ward. The weather didn't bother her; after all she wasn't planning on leaving just yet. She took a peek onto out onto the corridor, looking for some sign as to Applejack's location. Realising that something like that was never going to be so obvious, she ventured out into the corridor. She made her way along the numerous corridors, poking her head in and out of various wards, looking for an orange farm pony.

As she entered what seemed to be the umpteenth corridor, she made a discovery. A tall, red stallion with an orange mane, and a small yellow filly, sporting a pink bow, were making their way out of one of the wards. Realising the identities of these ponies led her to believe that she had located Applejack. The two ponies continued making their way down the corridor, before disappearing round a corner. Rainbow Dash wasted little time, and dashed into the ward. The ward itself was as scarce as the one she had stayed in, with the exception of a pony nurse, mulling about in the corner. Rainbow Dash scanned the empty beds, looking for Applejack. At the far end of the room, on the opposite side to the nurse, Rainbow Dash spotted a light brown Stetson hat on the end of the bed. Rainbow Dash made her way towards the bed, not sure what to expect. She inhaled a deep breath, and stood at the foot of the bed. There here gaze rested on the pony that had saved her from a terrible fate. Upon first glance she appeared to be sleeping, she looked so peaceful. Then Rainbow Dash noticed the cuts and bruises, those showed how far this one brave pony had gone to save those she cared about. Rainbow checked the doctor's notes at the foot of Applejack's bed, learning about her current condition.

She skimmed over the notes, only taking in the words that stood out the most.
Comatose.
Minimal chance of survival.
Rainbow Dash gasped as she read the words. She became overcome with sadness and grief for her lover. Tears welled up in her eyes, and were soon rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey Applejack." She smiled weakly. "Can you hear me? I guess it doesn't matter, I came here to talk, and that's what I'm going to do."
She reached out and stroked Applejack's cheek before resuming conversation.
"I felt kind of honoured that you cared so much about me, seeing as though we don't always see eye to eye."
She smiled a weak smile.
"I was so frightened when I was in the Everfree Forest with Volo and Twilight. I hate to admit that I was frightened; I mean it's not something you'd expect. But when you showed up, my spirits lifted, although that was short lived, mainly because Volo began her process on me… I knew the end was coming, but once again, you saved me, right at the last second. Although I don't remember much after that, I just remember feeling cold. Yet there was one thing, it was a warm sensation on my forehead. At first I wasn't sure what it was, but Twilight told me during one of her visits. She said you kissed me…"
Rainbow Dash blushed and buried her head in Applejack's neck.

"That's what you tried to tell me before you ended up like this wasn't it? You were trying to tell me that you loved me…"
Rainbow Dash gave Applejack's cheek a tentative nuzzle and continued speaking.
"Once I realised that's what you had tried to tell me, it was all I could think about. It got me wondering about how I feel about you. I mean I know we're good friends, but I think we can be so much more. I think…"
Rainbow Dash did her best to hug Applejack.
"I love you Applejack." She whispered into Applejack's ear. "And there's something I want to repay…"
Without another word, Rainbow Dash pressed her lips against Applejack's, locking the two in an embrace. For Rainbow Dash the moment felt so good, she closed her eyes and momentarily forgot about her current situation. As she held the kiss, the two ponies who had led her to Applejack returned to Applejack's bedside.
"Ahem…Excuse me Miss?"
Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open, and she slowly turned her head to face the ponies. There, stood behind her, were a rather confused looking, Big Macintosh and Applebloom. Rainbow Dash stopped herself crying, but at the same time she was terribly embarrassed as well.
"Oh…uhm…hi, I should….probably go…now."

Rainbow Dash turned to leave, but a sudden development made her turn back. Applejack's eyelids fluttered, and she muttered a single, broken word.
"Rain…bow?"
Rainbow Dash, Big Mac, and Applebloom's feature lit up with complete surprise. Rainbow Dash rushed back to her side, taking her hoof in hers.
"Applejack!"
Rainbow Dash felt her tears returning, but not from sadness, more so from joy. Applejack opened her eyes, treating Rainbow Dash to one more glimpse of those beautiful green eyes. Rainbow Dash hugged her, prompting Applejack's response.
"Hey sugar cube," she noticed Big Mac and Applebloom. "Hey, the family's here, speakin' of which, where is here?"
Rainbow Dash was too preoccupied to answer her question, so Applebloom took it upon herself.
"Yer at the medical centre sis. Yer've been here fer three months now, we've been worried sick.
As she finished, Applejack could see that she was tearing up, as well as her brother, but they both put on brave faces.
"I only just got discharged this morning…" said Rainbow Dash, as she looked up to Applejack's eyes again "So I went looking for you, just so I could speak to you. Speaking of which, did you hear any of it?"

Applejack rolled her eyes up to the ceiling as she tried to recall the one sided conversation that Rainbow Dash had with her.
"Ah'm not sure, was there somethin' important?"
"There was just one thing…"
Rainbow Dash whispered something into Applejack's ear, causing Applejack's face to change to one of pure glee. Without warning she grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash and pulled her into a loving embrace, locking lips with her as a bonus. Meanwhile Big Macintosh seemed to be a tad embarrassed at his sisters' behaviour, and quickly escorted Applebloom and himself, out of the room, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash in peace. Applejack broke the embrace, allowing Rainbow Dash freedom of movement once again.
"I should go, the medics will probably want some time with you, and I wouldn't want to get in the way."
Rainbow Dash took a few steps to leave, but Applejack's voice stopped her.
"Thank ya Rainbow…"
Rainbow Dash nodded, smiled, and exited the ward.
Applejack sighed and looked out of the window. It didn't bother her that she was stuck inside and couldn't go after Rainbow Dash. It was enough satisfaction that Dash loved her back. She continued to look out of the window, and was treated to one of her favourite things. A rainbow streaked its way across the sky; its colour twinkling like it was full of tiny stars. Applejack smiled; there was something about the rainbow, something calming. It made her feel like, despite everything that happened, love really can conquer all…

Getting To The Heart Of It All

Applejack glanced out of the window and made a shocking discovery. The colt she sought an audience with, was making his way towards her house. She ducked out of sight, her body beginning to tick with adrenaline. It was obvious why he was here; he had worked out what she was up to, and sought to put a stop to it. She resisted the urge to race downstairs and confront him, now wasn't the time. The colt rapped his hoof off the door, the sound of his knocking drifting lazily through the air. She ignored his efforts to draw her out of hiding, by thinking of her object of affection. This was of course, the sky blue Pegasus, Rainbow Dash. Applejack sighed a little, in her mind Rainbow Dash was so close, but in reality, she was so far away. She realised that the colt had stopped knocking, and risked a peek outside. This proved not to be the wisest of choices, as when she looked, the colt was staring right at her. She maintained his gaze, showing that she wasn't intimidated by him. He smirked at her, adjusted his glasses and turned tail to leave. Applejack just watched as he walked away, making no effort at all to get near her. Applejack treated it as suspicious, but continued to watch him. She toyed with the idea of following him, but she couldn't shake the suspicion that this was what he wanted. She understood that she could be walking into a trap, but she had to take a chance now and again. She made her way downstairs and out through the front door.

The colt was nearly a speck on the horizon by this time, but for an athlete like Applejack, it was no problem. She set off at a quick trot, keeping her eyes on the horizon, for any sign that she needed to drop back a bit. Within a matter of seconds she had reached her target, and began to silently tail him through the streets of Ponyville. The townsponies were curious as to why this orange pony was weaving in and out of bushes, and other parts of the scenery. Applejack paid no attention to the stares that she was getting and hoped that the colt didn't notice them either. Finally, the colt arrived at his destination, the house of Rainbow Dash's lover, Volo. Applejack didn't understand why he had come here; he wasn't after Volo, was he? The colt slipped inside, allowing Applejack to slip her hoof in the door, keeping it open, so she could enter as well. She followed him upstairs, but kept her distance as he disappeared into one of the rooms. She listened in to hear the rustling of paper, and the banging of something hard against what could've been a desk. She heard him speak in a soft tone, most likely to himself.
"Two will have to do for now…the rest will come later…"
Applejack had an idea which two he was referring to, but she had no idea who the rest were. She took a step forward hoping to learn more, however her hoof unfortunately landed on a loose floorboard. The resounding creak caused a wave of dread to wash over her, and her heartbeat to increase tenfold.

"Who's there!?" exclaimed the colt.
Applejack didn't move, she thought that she might be able to make it seem like a random noise, as opposed to a pony made one. She heard what she recognised as a window sliding open. The colt cried out again, his words dripping with rage.
"Who's there?!"
The adrenaline was surging around Applejack's body; she was now ready to run. The only thing keeping her there were the sounds drifting from the room. She was certain that she could here the colt making his escape out the window. She heard a grunt, followed by a loud thud outside, then silence. Applejack took a shaky step forward and peeked into the room. Sure enough it was empty, save for a few pieces of furniture, a desk lamp and a lot of paper. She saw the window where she assumed the colt had left by. An eerie breeze drifted through the window, scooping up loose paper and sending it twirling along the floor. Applejack turned her attention to the desk lamp and what it was illuminating. The lamp itself had been twisted so that it shone on six pictures pinned to the wall. Applejack didn't get chance to fully study the pictures, as something hard and cold struck the back of her head. She crumpled onto the floor, in a state of paralysis. A voice drifted into her ears, it was cold and sarcastic.
"I knew you couldn't resist…"
These words swam in her head, and were all she could think about before she lost consciousness.

When Applejack came to, she found that she was still in Volo's house, still in the same room to be precise. The loose paper that had littered the floor had been tidied up and taken away. The window had been shut, cutting off the supply of fresh air, causing the room to become stuffy. All that remained before was the desk lamp, and the pictures pinned to the wall. She slowly got to her hooves, testing as much of her body as possible, just to make sure she didn't need medical assistance. Once she was certain she was alright, she began to study the pictures. Each of the pictures contained a shot of one of her friends with the fifth being herself. Rainbow Dash and Twilight's picture's both had an 'X' through them, which signalled either a successful capture or death. Applejack prayed that it wasn't the latter. As she stared at the pictures she caught sight of something scrawled on the wall. Obviously one of the pictures had been put up to hide it. Gently she lifted the picture out of the way and read the scrawl. Two words written in a disgraceful fashion, was all she could make out. The words were 'Everfree' and 'Forest'.

Now Applejack knew the next place to look. Sure it was a big place, too big for one pony to search, but it wasn't going to deter her. She nuzzled up to Rainbow Dash's picture and began to talk to herself.
"Ah'm comin' fer ya Rainbow, you too Twi. Ah'm not gonna rest until you're safe, especially you Dash…"
She felt a single tear roll down her cheek and drip to the floor. She sniffed and took a deep breath, to compose herself. She needed a clear head, and her wits about her. She turned away and ran out of the room and made her way out onto the street. She rushed towards the outskirts of town, and onward to the Everfree Forest, moving as fast as her legs would carry her. Once she arrived she took a quick breather and made her way inside, without even a second thought. Outside the forest the sun was shining high in the sky, shining it's light all across the land. This was everywhere except the Everfree Forest. The tree branches stretched out, each one carrying an abundance of leaves. It was these overlapping leaves that blocked out the sunlight, keeping the forest in darkness. After what seemed like an eternity of running, which was actually mere minutes, she noticed a light flickering in the distance. She made her way towards the light, being careful, in case anything nasty waited for her. She emerged into a clearing, lit by a ring of torches. At the far end of the clearing she saw two blobs, one sky blue, and one purple. Overcome with a sudden burst of emotion, she raced forward. As she neared, the blobs took the shape of ponies, a Pegasus and a unicorn. Applejack knelt down next to the sky blue pony, which was of course, Rainbow Dash. She found her to be bound and gagged by some sort of purple mist. She glanced over at Twilight to find she was in the same situation. Once they noticed Applejack they started to thrash about, as they tried to tell her something.

"And so the third place falls into place…" said a voice behind Applejack.
Applejack whirled around to find the colt standing behind her.
"What have ya done t' my friends!?" screamed Applejack.
"Me? I just did as I was told" replied the colt in a calm, collected tone.
"Told? By who?" replied Applejack.
"My boss. That was kind of obviously really…"
"Who's yer boss?!" said Applejack starting to lose her patience.
The colt fell silent, but kept a wry grin on his face.
"That would be me…" said a familiar voice.
The owner of the voice stepped out from behind the colt. The Pegasus was a mint green colour, and her mane and tail were a silvery version of the same colour.
"Volo?!" exclaimed a surprised Applejack. Even Rainbow Dash and Twilight gave a muffled 'what?'
"Yes, yes I understand your confusion, but it's true. I am the mastermind behind this" spoke Volo, her tone soothing and soft.
Volo strutted past Applejack and knelt down on the opposite side of Rainbow Dash.
"Have you worked out my plan yet?" I can assure you it's more than just a few simple kidnappings…"
"Ah know you need my friends, and mahself, but ah don't know why…" replied Applejack.
"This is true, but so far, as you can see, I only have you three. The rest are beyond my reach, for now. However things can still advance with just you three. Allow me to show you. Restrain her!"

Applejack felt a pair of hooves close around her as she was dragged back.
"It's a shame that none of you will survive the necessary process needed for this scheme. I was just starting to like you Rainbow Dash. Never mind, on with the show" said Volo.
Applejack could only watch in horror as Volo raised her fore hooves above Rainbow Dash. She began to chant something under her breath. Rainbow's body began to glow, every colour from her coat; mane and tail were exaggeratedly bright. The colours began to drift toward Volo and she sat with open arms, as she welcomed it. Rainbow Dash was not in the most comfortable of places right now. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body twisted spasmodically. Rainbow Dash screamed and cried but still Volo continued. All Applejack could do was watch helplessly as her friend, the one she loved, had the life drained from her. Rainbow Dash's movements and cries lessened with each passing second. The bright colours were almost gone; Applejack could see she was clinging to life.
"No…ah can't…Ah wont let you do this!" roared Applejack.
With a sudden burst of strength, she caught the colt off guard and freed herself from his grasp. Not wasting a second she charged at Volo. As she neared Volo she lowered her head, streamlining her body and quickening her pace. Volo remained adamant that she couldn't stop her and continued on. Applejack closed the final few metres, crashing head first into Volo. Applejack stumbled over Rainbow Dash, tumbling to the floor. Volo was knocked backwards, skittering across the grassy floor. Applejack turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. She held her in her hooves, she felt icy cold. She nuzzled up to the Pegasus, trying in vain to warm her up. She saw a slow, painfully slow, rise and fall of her chest. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, she was still alive. Just barely though. Applejack wasn't even sure if she was conscious.

Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, something she had only ever dreamt about. She took a deep breath and brushed Rainbow Dash's colourful mane aside. Then she leant in and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. A smile flickered across Rainbow Dash's forehead, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Content in knowing that Rainbow Dash was surviving, Applejack turned her attention back to Volo. Volo was being helped up by the colt. Her body was surrounded by a pulsing, purple energy. Her mane and tail fluttered in some sort of unknown window source. Applejack stared into Volo's eyes; they shone a burning, bright red. Volo spoke to Applejack, her voice twisted and full of malevolence.
"You still don't understand do you?"
"Ah think Ah'm gettin' there. Ya need somethin' that we all have somethin' unique to the six of us. Th' only thing that fits that bill would be th'…"
"The Elements of Harmony, yes" finished Volo "Once I possess all six, I'll have more power than anything in the land!" she cackled.
"But yer just a Pegasus, yer not supposed t' be doin' magic!" exclaimed Applejack.
"I am more than just a Pegasus, oh so much more…"
Applejack didn't get chance to think on what she said, before Volo demonstrated for her. Volo's body began to bubble, as though the flesh underneath had turned to molten metal. The energy that surrounded her body seared itself to her, giving her an eerie glow. Her wings sunk into her back, before rising back out, darkened, thinner, and jagged. Her legs dislocated with a sickening crack, and then grew longer. The makeup of her bones in her legs and spine, shifted to allow for bipedal movement, as opposed to quadrapedal. Her hooves changed, to form hands, well more like claws. Her snout flattened back to her head, whilst the entirety of her frame began to stretch higher.

Applejack watched on, mouth agape, as Volo towered over her, her head brushing against the leafy canopy. The eerie glow she had, dulled to a black, causing her to blend in with the darkness around them.
"What are you?" squeaked Applejack, her cock sure attitude, giving way to a more timid and afraid one.
"Your bookworm friend would know, why don't you ask her?" replied Volo.
With a flick of her claw, the mist around Twilight's muzzle disappeared, allowing for free speech.
"Applejack…" gulped Twilight "she's a creature of the shadows…commonly known as a shade. They have an exceptional amount of power, but what she says is true. If she gets the Elements, she will be extremely powerful…powerful, but not without a weakness, she's still vulnerable to…"
Before she could finish, Volo gagged her again.
"That's enough out of you…" cooed Volo "Y'know, instead of destroying your friends first…I'll start with you, I can see you being so much more…exciting."
Volo lunged at Applejack, catching her off guard and knocking her to the floor. Volo gripped Applejack by the head, digging her claws into her skull. She then shook Applejack's head back and forth slamming her head into the floor. Applejack winced with each slam, but retaliated, by kicking Volo in the stomach. Volo reared back, letting go of Applejack for a brief moment. It was in this brief moment that Applejack rolled out from under Volo and put a bit of distance between them. Then, without a second to spare, Applejack ran full pelt at Volo, hoping to get another head butt in. However her plan was scuppered, as Volo swung her claw at Applejack, smacking her into a tree, and scratching her cheek.

Applejack rubbed the blood from her cheek, and looked back to Volo.
"Alternatively, you could just give up, save me some energy, might even make your final moments more pleasant too…" smirked Volo.
"Never!" yelled Applejack.
"You're a stubborn one aren't you?" sighed Volo.
Applejack circled Volo, before running in for a second attempt, which once again proved unsuccessful. Volo grabbed her by the head, her palm covering her face, and threw her up into the air. As Applejack made her way down, Volo readied her fist, letting it pulse with energy. She then sent a powerful blast, straight into Applejack, sending her skittering across the ground. Applejack lay on the floor, her body shuddering, causing her to stutter.
"Oh come on, you can't be finished now! We were only getting started!" taunted Volo.
Applejack gritted her teeth as she stood up, her body still twitching a little. With a roar she charged at Volo, weaving around her defences. She scored a direct hit, carrying her off the ground, and slamming her against a nearby tree trunk. Applejack reared back, letting Volo sink to her knees.
"Y'know, there's still one thing ah can't understand…" pondered Applejack.
"What's…that…?" whispered a winded Volo.
"Why'd ya git all cosy with Rainbow Dash? Why not just have yer lil lackey capture her and bring her back here, like ah assume ya did with Dash an' Twi?"
Volo didn't give a response; instead she jumped up and tackled Applejack to the floor. The colt walked into the fray, with the intent of answering Applejack's question.
"I could never get close enough to Rainbow Dash," admitted the colt "She was always racing around. So I procured some spell books for Volo here, and using a powerful shape shift spell, she got closer to Rainbow Dash, than I ever could've."
Something clicked in Applejack's mind, there was more to this shape shift spell than just for getting close to Dash. Volo plunged her teeth into Applejack's neck, causing her to scream out in pain, and start to thrash about. She tried to focus on her thoughts, and ignore the pain Volo caused. Volo pulled back, and Applejack felt the blood gush from her open wound, making her feel a little faint. Her mind was so focused on her thoughts, that she was oblivious to Volo as she prepped her next move.

Volo kicked Applejack in the jaw, with such power that in sent her spiralling through the air. As soon as the pain, hit Applejack, she made a revelation. Volo couldn't survive in broad daylight! Volo had a perfect opportunity to capture them all, when they had visited her house. However if she had wanted to overpower them all, she would've had to have shifted forms. Something she didn't do, well, couldn't do. Twilight's library had been coated with scars from a battle of magic. The magic hadn't come from the colt, but Volo, in her altered form. Applejack's thoughts were interrupted as she made contact, first with the floor, and then bounced up to hit a tree. She heard something snap, although she wasn't sure if it was something in her body, or the tree. She slumped to the floor, as Volo casually made her way towards her. She struggled to get up, her energy fading fast. She had to find a way to bring sunlight into one of the darkest places in Equestria. She glanced upwards and looked at the leafy canopy, then she realised how easy it was going to be. Well, easy for an apple bucker. She took a stance, priming her back legs, so they could spring into action the moment they were needed. Volo continued towards her, and Applejack wished she would move faster, she was starting to tire. Finally Volo entered into the target area, pushing Applejack to buck her legs against the tree. The forces she exerted upon the woods' surface caused the tree to shake. The branches, being thinner than the trunk, shook harder, sending their leaves towards the floor. Sunlight streamed into the clearing, illuminating Applejack and Volo in glorious sunshine. Volo screeched and reared back, her body hissing as the sunlight burned her. Applejack smiled, this was actually working!

Volo thrashed about, roaring in apparent agony. Applejack felt a tiny bit of remorse for her adversary, but not enough for her to intervene. Volo hunched over, and with one final scream, her body exploded, in blast of white energy, which spread all through the forest. When everything settled, Applejack rubbed at her neck, to find she was still bleeding, quite profusely. She started to feel light headed, and started to swing to and fro, just a little.
"Applejack!"
Applejack turned to see Twilight, alongside a semi-conscious Rainbow Dash, heading towards her. Rainbow Dash had one hoof around Twilight's neck, using her for walking support. As they neared, Applejack's legs gave way, sending her toward the floor. Twilight and Rainbow Dash knelt down beside their injured friend.
"Rainbow Dash…Ah...Ah want t'…t' say somethin'…Somethin' I couldn't….say before…"said Applejack weakly.
"What is it AJ?" asked Rainbow Dash, with a brave face
"Rainbow…Ah…Ah…L…" stammered Applejack.
Applejack didn't get to finish speaking, her heart slowed to a dangerous pace, and her body began to slow down. Gradually her brain turned off, section by section. In her final moments of consciousness she heard Rainbow Dash and Twilight shouting her name, and then she slipped away.