Applejack woke slowly, her head pounding. She opened her bleary eyes and rubbed them with her hooves, her mind in a haze.The early morning light coming through her window made her flinch, and suddenly, her heart stopped and she drew in a painful gasp. Within moments, the memories of her sleep rushed forth, one making her jump straight out of her bed.

"Big Macintosh!" she gasped worriedly, bounding out of her bedroom and down the hallway towards her brother's bedroom. She paused when she reached the door, and nervously pushed it open. Through the doorway she could see a large, quiet mass in the bed, snoring softly. Applejack sighed in relief, and quietly shut the door as to not wake the sleeping stallion. She leaned against the wall next to the door, wiping her brow with the back of her hoof and slumped to the floor. She was both relieved and confused as to why her brother had been hurt so badly, but was in his bed as if the previous night had never happened.

"That couldn't have been a dream,,, could it?" she muttered, looking up towards the ceiling. "I coulda sworn that weird unicorn had killed Mac fer sure." She stood up slowly, and made her way downstairs to confirm that the mysterious stallion had been there. As she walked in, she first noticed the knife block sitting on the counter, all of its inhabitants accounted for. She pulled the largest out and looked at it curiously. No blood, wet or dry, and not a single nick in the blade. She scanned the floor for any stains, but there were none to be found. Her cup remained in the sink, and she stared at her reflection in it while she thought. The unicorn... Mortal Coil... She shuddered at the sound of his name. It felt out chilling, unnatural, and she could only agree that it fit the stallion perfectly. For a moment, she considered the last words she remembered hearing in his voice.

"I... I can't tell anypony? Why not? If that really happened to Rainbow Dash... shouldn't somepony know about it?" Applejack smacked herself across the face mentally. "No! You know Pinkie wouldn't do anything like that! It ain't like her, and she seemed so upset back in Canterlot." She shook her head, unsure of what to think next. Sure, Applejack thought the pink party pony was a couple apples short of a cider barrel, but she was an Element holder, trusted by Celestia herself. There was one thing she did know: keeping quiet about this was her only option right now. Even if she said something to the pink mare, she probably wouldn't say anything.

"I hate keeping secrets, but it looks like there ain't much I can do," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Mortal Coil, whoever you are, I really hope you're lying to me..."

*****************

Later that afternoon, Applejack relished the strong breeze as she strolled through Ponyville. Applebloom had been kind enough to help fix the shed in the morning, only because Granny Smith had guilted her into it. Applejack had shown great hesitance in letting the little filly work with such large tools, but Applebloom demonstrated well enough that she knew what she was doing. Spike had dropped by just as she was hammering the last nail into the roof, with an invitation to Pinkie Pie's shop for Applejack. The pink mare had apparently created a new dessert, one that she was certain her friends needed to try. Applejack pondered whether she had the time, but she was reminded by Applebloom that Big Macintosh was already taking care of her work. Applejack guiltily accepted the invitation, and had taken a quick shower in order to better present herself. Now, she was just a few paces away from her dessert-like destination, partially curious and partially nervous at what this party pony had created. She knocked on the door, and was immediately knocked back by a blur. A large. pink blur.

"OmigoshApplejackit'sgreattoseeyouIhavesomethingyouneedtotry-mmMMMmmm" Applejack stuffed her hoof into the chattering mouth above her, rubbing her now aching head. She stared up at Pinkie Pie, but instead of returning the pink mare's wide grin, she panicked and rushed to back away from her, accidentally smacking Pinkie in the face in her retreat. Pinkie recoiled harshly, and stared at the hyperventilating cowpony.

"What's the matter? I was just happy to see you..." she whined, rubbing her sore cheek. Applejack froze, realizing she had failed to keep face. Forcing a nervous grin, she sat up on her haunches and laughed.

"I-I'm sorry, I just remembered something. A bad dream I had last night, is all." she stammered. The pink pony's ears perked up, and a curious look appeared on her face.

"Really? What was it like? Was I in it?" Pinkie questioned, drawing closer to Applejack.

"Erm... yeah, you were in it." What am I doing? Applejack thought, struggling to change the topic.

"Oh really? What was it about?"

"Uhhh.... I was... I was afraid... one of our friends might not get to eat your desserts ever again! That's it!" Applejack sputtered, knowing that she would be able to keep from lying and blowing her cover. The pink mare deflated visibly, and her sad frown drooped slightly.

"That is sad! But..." she said, instantly changing back to her happy mood and patting Applejack on the back. "We're here now, and everypony else is already inside! You don't have to worry anymore!"

Applejack let out a relieved-sounding sigh, and brought herself to her hooves. Satisfied, the party pony bounced happily back through the door to the shop, followed by Applejack. She saw the rest of her friends chatting quietly near the far corner of the shop, and trotted over to them happily. They all exchanged greetings, pulling up a fourth chair to the table while Pinkie disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve their treats. Several minutes later, the pink mare exited with a tray of six small cakes on her back, each coated in a vibrant icing.

"Uh, Pinkie? Haven't you made these cakes before?" Twilight said, a confused smile on her face. "I thought we were getting something new today."

The pink pony beamed. "It's what's IN them that's new! Watch!" she said as she bucked her hips and tossed an orange cake into the air. She caught it in her mouth and bit down hard, sending a dark red jam spewing out of the back and making everypony at the table flinch. Rarity dodged the projectile sweet by millimeters, and looked at the party pony hesitantly, who was grinning wide with the pastry in her mouth dripping more jam onto the floor.

"Can we at least get some napkins to keep ourselves tidy?" she asked. Fluttershy nodded from her hiding place behind her chair.

"Sure! One sec!" Pinkie chirped, setting the tray down on the table and heading into the kitchen again. Each of the ponies took their own cake from the remaining five, Applejack's wearing a coat of robin's egg blue. Rarity was busy trying not to get the red icing of her own cake in her mane or coat as she lifted hers with her magic, and Fluttershy gently lifted her green one with her hooves. Twilight levitated a pink cake to herself and sat patiently, watching the kitchen doors for the pink mare to return. Within moments, she stepped out of the doors, carrying a comically large stack of napkins atop her head, looking up at them as she balanced them with every step. Leaning her head forward at the edge of the table, she let the stack slide gracefully onto it, and each pony took their own as they began to taste the cakes. Twilight was the first to try hers, and as she chewed the morsel she closed her eyes and moaned blissfully, earning a curious stare from the other seated mares.

"Pinkie, these are absolutely WONDERFUL! Such a great combination of sweet, sour, tart... what's in these?" she asked, slowly savoring each bite of the dark red filling.

"Ah-ah, can't tell you!" Pinkie giggled, placing her hoof in front of her mouth. Rarity daintily nibbled at her cake, a smile spreading across her face as she ate. Fluttershy only blushed silently as she begain to peck away at her treat, stopping between bites to mumble her thanks. Applejack, satisfied that her friends had enjoyed the desserts, took a hearty bite out of her own, but slowed to a stop while she was chewing. Something was odd about the filling. It was mildly sweet, but tasted strangely bitter and as if there were traces of metal in it. She swallowed the bite quickly, and tapped pink mare's shoulder to get her attention.

"Uh, Pinkie? Mind tastin' this? Tastes kinda... funny. I was wonderin' if you might've given me the wrong one?"

Pinkie Pie trotted over happily and took a curious bite out of the cake. She froze mid-chew, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. In a single movement, she swiped the cake away from Applejack and rushed back into the kitchen. The other 3 ponies stopped eating to watch the panicked mare dash off, and exchanged glances with a confused Applejack once Pinkie Pie was out of sight. Just before Applejack was about to say something, Pinkie Pie burst back into the room, carrying a white-iced cake and a nervous grin.

"Here you go, AJ! I'm sorry you got one of the bad ones. You know, 'baked bads', not baked goods, right?" she chuckled awkwardly, almost slamming the pastry in front of the cowpony. Applejack looked at the cake dumbfoundedly, and then to Pinkie for a few moments. Pinkie returned her stare, plunging the empty shop into an awkward silence. Slowly, Applejack returned to her treat, and the remaining ponies begain to return to their own, shrugging off the pink mare's "strange-but-not-strange" behavior.

*****************

Applejack continued to ponder Pinkie Pie's antics as she trotted towards home later that evening. She wasn't so worried about the way Pinkie acted; it was the fact that she tasted the cake and then reacted odd that concerned Applejack. Pinkie Pie never worried about her treats that much. She even recalled a story Twilight had told her about the pink mare trying to teach Applebloom how to bake, and how she had eaten several of Applebloom's charred desserts without so much as a complaint.

"What was it about that darned cake that tasted so familiar?" Applejack wondered aloud. She couldn't quite place the taste, trying to bring it forth in her memory. She could remember the metallic sweetness of it, and how disappointing it was to have been served the wrong one. Sighing in defeat, she pushed the thought out of her mind as she turned another corner, down the long road towards Sweet Apple Acres. She increased her pace as she saw storm clouds begin to move in. As she travelled along the worn path, she could see a figure sitting underneath a tree halfway between her and the farmhouse. It looked like Big Macintosh, but was too small and too idle to be her brother. A surge of both panic and anger welled up inside of Applejack as she realized it was the unicorn from her dream again, appearing to be asleep under the small tree. Rather than rush towards him like her white-hot rage willed her to, she approached him slowly and cautiously. She saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye and froze, but calmed down as a rumble of thunder echoed through the hills, and continued to step towards him. Their last encounter showed that he had a decent reaction time and minute senses, but his sleep appeared to be much deeper than it did at first. Smiling evilly, she turned away from him and planted her rear hooves between his eyes.

"Wake up!" she yelled angrily, inwardly hoping that he actually never woke up again. Silence.

"I said, WAKE UP!" she kicked again, this time connecting with the tree. She turned around to see him slumped over on the ground, staring up at her passively. Blood was trickling down his forehead and one of his eyes was slowly swelling up.

"I was hoping to finish my meditation before you got home, Applejack," he muttered, slowly pulling himself to a sitting position. It took every ounce of will Applejack had not to kick him again, but she knew he would simply teleport away again. Instead, she drew closer to him, failing to keep her voice lowered.

"What the name of Celestia is wrong with you?! What kinda trick are you trying to pull, messing with somepony's head?" she barked at him. He recoiled a bit, but sighed and looked away from her.

"I told you before. I needed your help."

"Help? Help!? You're the one who's gonna need some help when I get done with you!" Applejack's head started to ache as her patience with him began to wear thin. She just couldn't stand his neutral attitude, like she wasn't even worth his attention. For a moment, he stared her in the eyes, making her flinch. His eyes no longer had a feeling of dread in them, though. Now, they seemed... hurt. Guilty, even. The unicorn remained silent, and his eyes remained locked with hers.

"I'm...I'm..." he muttered quietly, hanging his head. "I'm so sorry... I never wanted any of this, really I didn't." Applejack's anger almost faded into concern, but something in her head told her to keep being mad at him. He doesn't deserve your forgiveness, she thought.

"What exactly is going on, then? How am I supposed to believe that stuff you told me before, about my friends?" she spat, the malice in her tone subsiding. "How do I know that what you're saying is true at all?"

The unicorn kept his head down. "I really don't think I can prove anything. All I can tell you is that you're in danger." He lifted his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "Celestia is in danger as well." Applejack's mind lurched into gear, pushing aside her anger and focusing on what this strange unicorn had to say.

"Danger? What kinda danger? Does it have to do with these disappearances that keep happenin'?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what's going to happen to her. All I can find out is that the people closest to her are going to turn on her-"

"You mean my friends, don'tcha?" Applejack yelled, jumping up to her hooves. She walked over to him and slapped him across the face, half-surprised he didn't evade the swing. She narrowed her eyes and drew closer to his face. "You quit talking about them. We're talking about me and you, right now. And I want answers."

Unfazed, the stallion shook his head. "You're not getting it, Applejack. Your friends are the problem. Something's not right with them, but you're perfectly fine."

"What do you mean, 'I'm fine'?"

"I mean that your behavior has followed normal patterns. I've studied you and the other Element holders for several weeks now, and your friends have not been acting themselves when they are alone." Applejack stared at him for a moment, befuddled.

"You've... been watching us?" she stammered.

"Yes, and for your own good. I had a vision a long time ago that Celestia was going to be betrayed, much like the vision I had of each of your friends being responsible for the recent murders." Applejack shivered at the last word, and looked at the stallion with concern.

"Listen, Mortal... Coil?" she started, earning a nod from him. "I don't know why you showed me any of that... stuff.... before, but I'd certainly like to know what it has to do with Rainbow Dash. Why did I see Pinkie do those things to her?"

"I showed you exactly what I saw myself so long ago," Mortal Coil's face lowered, his eyes closing solemnly. "I'm so sorry your friend got mixed up in this. But, with your help, we can set things right. You can warn her of what's been going on. All I need is for you to see the evidence." Applejack looked at her hooves, unsure of what to say next.

"So, you mean to tell me..." she whispered.

"Yes. It really happened that way. Like you, I am a terrible liar, and have no need to keep the truth from the only pony who will believe me."

Applejack sat still, her body shaking slightly. She pressed her chin to her chest and fought to withhold her tears. Large, fat drops of rain begain to fall erratically, ending in a soft *plunk* as they bounced off of her stetson.

"I...I-I can't..." she mouthed, barely any sound escaping her throat. "You want me to see..." Mortal Coil's eyes widened slightly as he saw her lift her head and glare at him, tears streaming down her face. "You really want me to see my friends do...these things?" He remained silent.

"Well, I can't! I can't see anything like that again!" she roared. "I'm not going to help you! I don't care what kind of danger you say I'm in! I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE!"

Applejack screamed at Mortal Coil again and again, the rain now becoming stronger and wind winding its way through the trees. She screamed until her throat was raw, and then screamed even more. What made her the angriest of all was the look of pity on his face. He felt sorry for her for reacting this way, when it was his fault in the first place. She could have forgotten Rainbow Dash eventually, but he reopened her wounds without so much as a second thought. As she stopped to regain her breath, he reached out to her slowly, earning another slap from Applejack. She backed away from him, and then turned away. Her trotting turned into galloping and finally a full canter as she rushed through the rain that blinded her, running off the road and away from her home, from Ponyville, from him. He made no sound as she ran away. At least, she didn't want to hear him to. She didn't want to hear from him ever again.

Author's Note

Again, sorry for the wait. Hope you guys enjoy.
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