Friendship is Magic

I watched as the two powerful fighters squared off, dodging and delivering blows.  I had to do something to stop them before somebody got hurt.  Applejack had sworn to use any means at her disposal to stop Rainbow and I had a fairly good idea of what that meant.  If the blonde managed to get her hands on the tiny athlete, she would crush the girl.

Thinking hard, I realized that a kind girl like Fluttershy would never associate with Rainbow if she was truly a bully.  I remembered seeing how Rainbow's aura was depressed by the necklace.  If I could get the necklace away from Rainbow, she would likely quit the fight before things got out of hand.  I was too small and slow to slip between the two combatants without risking serious injury.  Staring down at the unicorn horn hair-band in my hands, I decided to use Telekinesis to try and snatch the pendant from afar.  However, I wasn't so precise that I could do it while they were moving about.  Rainbow would have to be restrained first.

I was about to call out this advice to Applejack when my world suddenly went dark as a pile of clothes was dumped onto my head.  I reached up and yanked the garments away, noticing that they were Applejack's.

“Stop throwing your clothes on me!” I bellowed. “I'm not a coat rack.”

“Just hang on to them for me 'til Ah'm done here.”  Applejack turned to Rainbow and widened her stance.  “Alright, pipsqueak.  Let's see what you're made of.”

“You'll regret pissing me off, Hick!”  Rainbow threatened.

“Ya gonna stand there and call names all day or are we gonna finish this?  Go all out, monkey girl. Ah can take ya.”

Rainbow charged, leaping up and swinging a leg out in a powerful arc.  “I'll show you 'all out'!”

x----x

Fluttershy glanced at the girls on either side of her. “Uhm...Is it just me or do you feel like Twilight needs our help?”

Rarity sighed and tucked her book away in her bag. “I'm glad you said something. I was beginning to think I was the only one.  But, where could she be?”

Pinkie leaped to her feet and pointed to her left.  “She's that way!”

Rarity blinked, “Forgive me if I meet your directions with a bit of skepticism.  How do you know?”

Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno.  It's just a gut feeling I get sometimes.  I call it my 'Pinkie Sense' and it's usually right.”

Rarity nodded. “Let's go, Fluttershy.”  She took the girl's hand and they both began running to the right.

“Hey!  Didn't you hear me?  I said Twilight is this way!”

“Indeed, you did,” Rarity called over her shoulder, “But, as a general rule, I'm going to do the exact opposite of whatever you tell me to.”

Pinkie crossed her arms and snorted. “Alright, Miss Smarty McSmartypants,” she muttered to their retreating backs before sprinting after them. “Wait for me!”

x----x

Nightingale's head suddenly snapped up and her eyes scanned the sky. “Something's wrong.  Rainbow's aura has suddenly turned dark.  Was that supposed to happen?”

Descent shook his head. “The pendant was only supposed to increase her negative emotions, not completely change her aura.”

She let out a snarl as she realized that something, or someone, was tampering with the pendant. “Change in plans, Descent.” She said as she pulled her hood up and settled her goggles over her eyes. “We're going to go get Rainbow now.”

With a snap, a pair of massive black wings spread from between her shoulders.  Descent's pair was nearly identical, but slightly larger.  Both Shadow Bolts shot into the sky.

x----x

The battle raged on between the two girls.  Rainbow sprinted at Applejack, who lifted her leg in preparation for a powerful kick.  As the blonde lashed out, Rainbow ducked and slid beneath the limb, planting a hand and using it to pivot around and deliver her own devastating kick to Applejack's waist.  Applejack grabbed the leg and, with a twist, sent the smaller girl flying.

I watched in awe as Rainbow recovered with incredible speed, tumbling across the ground to put her feet back beneath her.  While Applejack, despite her strength, seemed to be wearing out, Rainbow showed no signs of slowing down and was quickly gaining the upper hand, despite the beating she had already received.

“You can't see me!”  Rainbow yelled. “I may not be as big as you, or as strong.  But I'm faster and my reflexes are better.  All thanks to my years of Parkour.  I know what move you're going to make before you do!”

“Yer ass is mine, midget!”  Applejack wound up for another kick as Rainbow lunged forward.  As the leg swung out, aimed for the athlete's head, Rainbow ducked beneath it, tumbling across the ground.

“Stupid Redneck!  You just don't get it, do you?”

Rainbow straightened and swung a fist as Applejack suddenly ducked into a crouch and planted both of her hands.

“Taste mah boot heels!”  The blonde roared, rotating up as she straightened both of her legs.  The blow would have been powerful enough to smash Rainbow's torso.

If it had landed.

In a flash of speed, Rainbow gripped both of Applejack's ankles and swung her legs up.  The change in balance proved too much for the robust farm girl.  Rainbow flipped her over and slammed her back into the dirt.  Without so much as a breath, Rainbow leaped back into the air, spinning and flipping, to bring both of her knees crashing into Applejack's stomach.

The girl's breath left her in a cry as Rainbow leaned down and seized a strap of her undershirt.

“Well, ain't ya somthin'.” Applejack grunted.

The blows came with unmatched speed and fury.  Rainbow aimed fists at every accessible point of Applejack's head.  I didn't know how long the blonde could withstand such abuse.  She made no move to defend herself, but lifted a hand to grip Rainbow's thigh.

Surprised, Rainbow paused for a moment.

That moment was all Applejack needed to bring both of her knees into Rainbow's back, catapulting the smaller girl off of her.

While both girls recovered, I saw my chance.  I concentrated on the evil pendant, seeing it snap from around Rainbow's neck.

Nothing happened.  I concentrated harder, putting every ounce of energy I had into yanking that demonic jewel from around Rainbow's neck, but I got nothing more than a powerful headache for my efforts.  Something was blocking my aura.

Applejack forced herself to her feet. “Mah turn!”

She charged as Rainbow tucked her legs beneath her, planted her hands, and rotated upwards.  Applejack had just enough warning to turn her face away before both feet slammed into her head, throwing her back a few meters.

The blonde sat up, grinning hugely while she rubbed at the cheek that was already starting to swell.  “Ah gotta hand it to ya, monkey girl.  Yer a lot tougher than ya look.  Ah thought Ah had ya with that last one.  But yer the only one, in a month of Sundays, who could match me in a fight.  Apart from mah brother, that is.  I had to do what was necessary to win.”

I blinked, thinking that last blow had done more damage than either of us assumed.  I hadn't seen Applejack grab a weapon.  In fact, I had only seen her take a beating.  Apparently, Rainbow was confused, as well.

“What are you talking about?  Have you gone soft in the head?”

“Y'know, Ah always got a Plan B ready.  Just in case somethin' doesn't go mah way.”

Rainbow tried to stand, but, the moment her legs took her weight, they began to shake and spasm and she fell back to the ground. “What's happening?  What did you do?  My legs are cramping.”

Applejack chuckled. “Almost thought Ah had missed, but Ah got ya.”

“What?  What are you talking about?!”  Rainbow squeaked as she massaged her legs.

“Ya said so yerself.  Yer faster than me.  Ah couldn't hope to beat yah in brute force so I let ya hit me.  Ya study that Parkour, meanin' ya use yer legs a lot.  Ah was countin' on that.  Even if ya pride yerself on yer speed, Ah pride mahself on mah physical condition.  A lifetime of farm labor will toughen ya up, ain't no mistakin' that.  Some of yer shots put a hurtin' on me, 'specially those ones on the face.  So, Ah had to use every opportunity ta immobilize ya.  And the only way ta do that was ta hurt yer legs.”

I remembered how Applejack had gripped Rainbow's thigh.  She must have struck a pressure point there, which caused Rainbow's muscles to tense up prematurely.  When Rainbow performed that last kick, she must have overextended the already injured muscles.  The injury was painful, but temporary.  The blonde could have easily crushed the smaller girl, but had allowed herself to be hurt so that she would gain the opportunity to attack Rainbow's legs directly.  I had assumed Applejack was some dumb brute, but the girl displayed a considerable bit of cunning.

“And, so, Ah had ta follow the three basic rules of combat.”  She plucked a large clod of dirt from the ground. “One: Analyze yer opponent.  Two: Take things carefully, step-by-step, so that it fits mah game.  And three, mah personal favorite, crush 'em!”  Her forearm muscles stood out in sharp relief as she crushed the clod in her hand.

She charged forward and snatched Rainbow up, holding the girl off of the ground with one hand. “Game over, midget.  I win. You lose.”

“No!  Applejack, don't hurt her!” I cried.

Applejack's hand wrapped around the pendant and snapped it from around Rainbow's neck. “Ah'm gonna crush this demon trinket!”  Her fist tightened around the pendant, which snapped in half.

Immediately, Rainbow began to shriek as a black aura left her body, dissipating into the air around her.  Surprised, Applejack released her and she fell to the ground.

I breathed a sigh of relief.  I was thoroughly convinced that Applejack would smash Rainbow's skull, rather than the pendant.

“Twilight!”

I turned to see Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy running up behind me.

“Are you okay?”  Pinkie squealed, grabbing me in a bone-crushing hug. “We were all worried 'cause we knew you were in trouble, but we didn't know where you were, so Rarity and Fluttershy tried to come to you, but they wouldn't listen to my directions and we got lost and we were so worried that you'd be hurt or sick.”

“Pi...Pinkie Pie...I can't...breathe.”  I gasped out, sucking air greedily when she released me.

“Oh, Twilight, where did you get such an awful hat?  It looks just like the one that brute wears to school every day.  I swear that girl has absolutely no fashion sense.” Rarity asked, plucking Applejack's stetson from my head.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blonde tense.

“I'm fine, girls.  Really.”

Fluttershy looked around and spotted the unconscious girl. “Rainbow!”  Immediately, she dashed to her friend's side and knelt over her, glaring daggers at Applejack.  “You bully!  What did you do to her?”

Two shadows swept over us as a woman and a man in dark clothing descended from the sky on black wings.

Wings exactly like Luna's.

“Who are they?!” Rarity cried.

The man dropped to the ground and shoved Fluttershy away from Rainbow before stooping to pick up the athlete.  Then, without a word, they spread their wings and disappeared into the sky.

“Rainbow!  No!  Bring her back!”  Fluttershy screamed, sprinting after them.

“Twilight, we can't let them do this!”  Pinkie cried, pulling at my arm.

“Yeah, just a second.”  I quickly gathered up Applejack's clothes and brought them to her. “Thanks for all of your help.”

The blonde shook her head, clearly confused. “Ah can't, for the life of me, wrap mah head around any of this.  But, ya better go after that girl.  Ya seem to know what's goin' on better than me.”

“I'm sure you have a lot of questions and, when I get back, I'll be happy to answer all of them, with my friends.”

Applejack looked away and tucked her golden crown back beneath the brown leather hat. “Nothin' personal, sugar, but Ah don't give a squat about ya or yer friends.  Ah only helped 'cause y'all were gettin' strangled in the street.  Ah don't have the least bit of interest in meetin' any of y’all.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Twilight, we need to go before Fluttershy gets too far ahead.”  Rarity called.

I stared at Applejack a moment longer while the blonde refused to meet my gaze. “Yeah, let's go after Rainbow.”  Rejoining the group, we all took off in the direction we had seen Luna's minions disappear in.  I spared a glance over my shoulder at Applejack, who looked so small and fragile.  It had to be tough, being an island.

x----x

“Ain't Ah a mess.”  Applejack muttered, beating her uniform blouse against her leg in an effort to get the dust off. “Ah can't go ta school lookin' like this.  Granny'll have mah hide if she finds out Ah've been in another fight.”  She looked up into the sky, wondering where the bird-people had taken that Rainbow girl.

“This day's been one fer the books.  Ah still can't figure it out.”

“Then perhaps I can enlighten you.” A low voice rumbled from behind.

Applejack spun to see a massive dark-skinned man who wore the same kind of clothes the bird-people wore.

“It's an honor to meet another Bearer of Harmony.”