It's A Magical Life

Applejack looked all around her for a sign of somepony to help. Nopony was around except the two of them. Not even Rainbow Dash’s earsplitting screams were attracting anypony; the snow had muffled most of the noise.

Applejack had overestimated Rainbow Dash’s physical strength, but she had grossly underestimated her own. All she wanted to do was teach Rainbow Dash a lesson to never bother her again, but this…this wasn’t anything like she had intended. Instead of feeling satisfaction, all she could feel was terror. Her breaths became panicky and erratic as she paced around in circles, thinking of a solution.

An idea clicked. Applejack sprinted to the door of Ponyville Elementary. Miss Cherilee had a phone on her desk inside that she would use to phone for help. But the door was locked! Applejack desperately tried to force the door open just like she had done at Ponyville Hospital, but once again, the door stood as solid as a rock.

Too scared to care, Applejack turned around and kicked the door with her legs’ brute strength. The door busted off its hinges, and the doorknob tore completely off. Splinters of wood littered the floor as Applejack raced inside to reach the phone. She picked up the receiver and dialed the number for emergency.

Right away, the voice of a mare picked up on the other line.

“Please state your emergency,” she said calmly.

Applejack tried to slow her breathing, but there was no time.

“A p-pony has been hurt! P-please, she’s b-bleedin’! Ah-ah-ah can’t—can’t—”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. She grasped her head with her other hoof and started to cry in exasperation.

“State the location,” the voice responded. Applejack took a deep breath.

“Ponyv-ville Elementary school ma’am—please—h-hur-hurry—” sobbed Applejack.

“An ambulance will be arriving shortly. Everything is going to be alright, sweetie,” assured the mare. “Just try to remain calm—”

Applejack slammed the receiver back down and hung up, not wanting to speak any further. She groaned at the sight of the destroyed schoolhouse door, knowing if she wasn’t dead meat for injuring Rainbow Dash, she definitely would be for vandalizing public property.

Rainbow Dash had stopped screaming, and was trying to crawl out of the snow, towards the entrance to the school. She moved tenderly, taking care not to upset her dislocated wing, but it was slow work. Applejack went to assist her, her stomach wrenching at the trail of blood leading from her open wounds.

“Please, let me help you,” said Applejack, trying to grab a hold of Rainbow Dash and pick her up. But Rainbow Dash smacked her helping hoof away, glaring at her through swimming eyes of tears.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she roared, continuing to crawl towards the school.

“Please! I’m not goin' to hurt you anymore! Please, Rainbow Dash,” she pleaded.

But Rainbow Dash ignored her and with incredible determination, continued to slowly move in the direction of the school, desperate to get out of the cold. Applejack felt sheer pity for her, and attempted to grab her from behind, but Rainbow Dash kicked and swung with all the energy she could muster, stubbornly resisting any sort of assistance.

A siren in the distance could finally be heard, growing louder. Applejack panicked, imagining the astonishment on the rescue ponies’ faces when they realized Applejack had caused all of this. But she couldn’t run away and leave Rainbow Dash here. Applejack couldn’t think of a more low-life solution.

Rainbow Dash, miraculously, made it up the steps of the school and inside. Applejack followed behind her, hearing the sirens growing louder by the second. But just as she was trying to attempt to put the door back in the doorway to shield the cold air, she heard a soft thump from behind her.

Rainbow Dash had passed out.

Applejack stood for a few moments in dumbstruck, heart-thumping silence as the sirens finally reached Ponyville Elementary. She then took her seat in the front row of the classroom for what she knew would be the final time of her life.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Throughout her short life, Applejack had always been the one who was bullied. Applejack never understood why either; she always tried to steer her nose out of other ponies’ business. The last thing she wanted was to give fuel to another fire to further burn her self-confidence to the ground. But now, as she waited there in the emergency hall with her face in her hooves, the tables had turned; it was Applejack’s turn to be the monster. She was the one who had done the damage.

“We’ll never stoop to her level,” echoed the once-wise voice of Applejack through her ears. How could she contradict herself like that? If Rarity and Pinkie Pie ever found out about this, which she knew was inevitably going to happen, what would that say about her? That she was a hypocrite? Applejack could just see Pinkie Pie’s confused expression, her bottom lip held high and her pupils dilating in sadness. Rarity’s pretty face would paint an ugly look of disgust, like Applejack was as revolting as a diamond dog. Would they ever be able to forgive her?

As she mulled this over, Applejack wiped the tears from her eye and sniffed, pulling her hat down an inch or two in attempt to hide her expression.

On top of that, what would Granny Smith say? Big Macintosh? Rainbow Dash’s parents? Soarin’? Cruise? Everypony else?

Applejack choked especially on the thought of Soarin’. He was one of the ponies who she admired the most. What would he say—think—feel—when he and his father gained wind that she had done worse damage than Rainbow Dash? She could very well kiss Cruise’s invitation goodbye—and her friendship with Soarin’. Though there weren’t many, the fun times they had spent together were just a dream now. A dream she finally had to wake up from to face cold, hard reality all over again.

Applejack couldn’t help herself; she began to cry. The last remaining river of her emotions that had been dammed up finally ran free. They spilled out down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor like a miniature waterfall. The buzz of the overhead white lights and the unsettling feel a hospital always gave her was no source of comfort. Who would be able to build up the dam this time?

Applejack rose from a chair, which was a part of a set of seats in a waiting area for those who were being tending to in intensive care, and fled out the sliding doors. When she emerged, she inhaled a sharp breath of air when the cold air met her face.

It wasn’t for a few minutes until she realized the wintry air was beginning to wrap itself around the base of her legs. Looking down, Applejack finally noticed her pretty orange boots were no longer on her hooves. She had most likely lost them sometime in the fight, but that didn’t matter now. Even if they were ruined and she had to pay back every bit they were worth to Rarity herself, Applejack considered this matter to be under the bridge.

Applejack heaved a great sigh. She was a bad apple, just like her mother had said in the letter the night Applebloom had arrived. She had fallen. Mac must have inherited Granny’s goodness, for she knew he didn’t have the heart to lay waste to another pony. Applejack had seen Mac raise his voice and stand his ground when he felt threatened, but he was a big softie. Butterflies and bluebirds alike would swoop down and take up vacancy on his head while he was plowing in the summertime. A rare giggle burst from her mouth at the funny thought. Good ol’ Big Macintosh. His place was most certainly high on the apple tree.

The double doors opened suddenly.

“Applejack?” said an adult unicorn’s voice. Applejack turned to see a nurse standing in the doorway, looking at her with expectation.

“Ahm Applejack, sir.”

“Follow me, hun. Your friend is awake and asked to see you,” he said, beckoning.

“My friend? Ah—oh ah mean, yeah, ‘course!” said Applejack. Her heart leaped, relieved that at least she hadn’t killed off Rainbow Dash. She followed the unicorn back inside Ponyville Hospital. After entering a few doors, they were in an intensive care room where Rainbow Dash lay on a bed, propped up against a mountain of pillows. Resting on the pillows were both of her wings; the dislocated wing had apparently been popped back into place and put into a splint. Her face was hidden by a magazine.

“Did you want me to give you two some alone time?” the nurse asked.

Applejack nodded to the unicorn and he closed the door behind him. A silence reigned.

“So…how you feelin’, Rainbow Dash?” asked Applejack, taking the initiative. She took off her hat and hung it on the ear of a nearby chair.

Rainbow Dash did not answer. She continued to flip through the pages of the magazine titled WONDERBOLT. On the cover splashed a whole cornucopia of color images and words. In the center of them all was a suggestive photo of Fleetfoot, her mane flared all around her like a dozen ponies were behind her blasting hair dryers at it. Her Wonderbolt costume was missing…

“That’s a purdy nifty magazine there,” said Applejack, enticed by the excitement of the magazine. To this, again, Rainbow Dash bore no answer.

“You don’t still hurt…do you?”

Rainbow Dash grumbled something that sounded along the lines of “I’m fine.”

The same florescent lights continued to buzz overhead, quiet as a hum, but loud enough to fill the silence between the two ponies.

“…Um…”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” said Rainbow Dash finally. “That pegasus who saved your friend back in September is in it too.”

“Soarin’?” asked Applejack. Her heart rose again. Applejack hadn’t seen head or hoof of him or his father since she had visited them last. Applejack heard of Cruise’s release weeks ago, but he still hadn’t gotten back to her on his invitation.

Rainbow Dash set down the magazine. A series of nasty bruises and medicine-glossed cuts were strewn across her face. Two black eyes were quickly forming under her rainbow bangs.

“Yeah,” she said rudely with a single nod. “Your boyfriend.”

Applejack’s pupils contracted and the blood in her veins came to a standstill, like ice trying to make its way through a straw.

“Ah…ah don’t know what you’re talkin’ about—”

Rainbow Dash’s snort rivaled a mule.

“Puh-lease. Everypony knows about that, squirt,” she sneered. “Tch, why do you think everypony’s been so on your case lately?”

Applejack, couldn’t doubt the truth in this. Every filly she knew seemed to be acting unusually annoyed by her presence for the past two months. Only Rainbow Dash had been personally picking on her for the past while. All the other fillies mostly left her alone and gave her glares when they passed by her, like she had deeply insulted all their families. But still, the whole situation sounded ridiculous.

“THAT’s why you’ve been pickin’ on me so nastily lately?!” she exclaimed, annoyed.

“Kinda…,” Rainbow Dash said innocently, rolling her eyes.

Applejack wanted to give her a bonus slug, but she refrained.

“Why does it worry your air-filled head who he likes?” said Applejack through gritted teeth. It was so stupid!

“He’s a pegasus and you’re an earth pony, for one,” said Rainbow Dash, hitting her right foreleg with her left, counting off reason number one. “He’s a future Wonderbolt, number two, and you’re…well, you—”

“Just a pony who landed the fastest pegasus in Cloudsdale in a hospital bed,” she smirked. Physical or argumental, the fight was still going to be hers.

“You caught me off guard!” she said, pounding her forelegs into the bed.

“Awh horse apples. You just can’t admit that ah’m stronger than you,” Applejack said with a smug grin.

“I could have knocked you flat!”

“Then why didn’t you?” Applejack asked, her eyes a squint. She had edged up near the foot of her hospital bed.

“Because—uh…,” Rainbow Dash failed in an attempt to confess an answer.

“Because you were too scared, ah reckon.”

“I was NOT scared!” said Rainbow Dash, sitting up suddenly so the covers on her body revealed her stomach and lower body. Her two deepest wounds were wrapped by a series of bandages that wrapper around her body from her chest all the way to her flank. She winced in pain and fell back to her pillows. She upturned her bottom lip, her forelegs in a fold.

“I was just sizing you up,” she said grumpily. It was painfully obvious how frustrating and limiting her injuries were.

“For what?” Applejack said, throwing her forelegs to the ceiling. While doing this she bumped into a lever on Rainbow Dash’s bed and caused the back of the bed to flatten out. Rainbow Dash yelped in pain as the back of the bed sprang back into its original position, sending her magazine flying off onto the floor. A few pillows cascaded over the sides of the bed, leaving Rainbow Dash lying lopsided. Applejack stared wide-eyed at her, freezing so she didn’t do any more damage.

“Get out,” she said, trying to straighten the pillows again.

“Rainbow Dash, ah’m sorry—ah didn’t mean to—” she picked up the magazine off the ground and motioned to help her with her pillows.

“Whatever,” she said, pushed Applejack’s hoof away.

“We’re even now. Just…go away.” She growled, snatching the magazine from Applejack and buried her face in its colorful depths once more.

Applejack exhaled a defeated breath, not wanting to be caught by the nurse harassing a patient. She grabbed her hat and walked to the door. She turned the doorknob to exit.

“We’ll never be even.”

Applejack opened the door and flung her mane out her face in a very Rarity-like fashion, then covered her blond head once more with her cowboy hat. Before shutting the door behind her, if her reinforced anger would have not been present, her ears would have took notice of a tiny sob that emitted behind Rainbow Dash’s paperbound mask.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Just two days later, Rainbow Dash was back in school. When Applejack saw her enter the classroom on Friday morning (Applejack, fortunately, hadn’t been expelled yet), bruised and all, her mouth hung open just as wide as the rest of her classmates.

Applejack had received a good yelling by Granny when she had spilled the beans to her the night following the fight. Incredibly, Granny wasn’t angry she had wailed upon Rainbow Dash.

“Ah don’t agree with violence, Applejack, but sometimes a good ol’ lickin’ is the only thing that’ll get through to some ponies,” she had said.

But what she was angry about was the fact Applejack had made Mac keep the whole bullying ordeal a secret behind her back. She brought up the issue with Applejack escaping to Manehattan without her say-so, and couldn’t believe she had disobeyed her so severely twice. Applejack was forced to go to bed without any supper that night, and her privilege of allowing Applebloom to sleep in her room had been revoked until spring.

Too rustled by the fight, Applejack hadn’t visited Rarity or Pinkie on the snow day, so she made a point to confess to them the very next day outside the schoolhouse before school (the blood from the fight had been removed by the nurses upon the post-fight emergency call; there was no telling how much the crimson-stained snow banks would have disturbed the students returning to school the next day).

Rarity and Pinkie, although sickened by Applejack’s grisly details, sided with Granny’s viewpoint on the matter.

“A pony who lives in a glass house mustn’t throw rocks,” recited Rarity.

All this aside, what had really made Applejack’s jaw hit the floor was what Rainbow Dash was telling the whole schoolhouse, including Miss Cherilee, all day long:

“It was the worst flying accident I have ever been in,” Applejack overheard her saying dramatically to her friends at recess. She was wearing a spiffy periwinkle jacket that went down all the way past her cutie mark, cleverly hiding her bandages. A thunderbolt ran down the side, not too different from a Wonderbolt costume.

“Wow…,” said a minty-colored unicorn named Lyra.

“Could ya…could ya show us?” asked Vinyl Scratch, who was wearing earmuffs that looked suspiciously like earphones.

“Ooh, yes!” the small crowd said excitedly. Rainbow Dash gave them a smug grin and shook her head.

The circle of ponies begged her to show them the gashes but Rainbow Dash refused playfully, insisting they were too graphic. Applejack knew she was only making this up so they didn’t notice the fact the gashes were shaped exactly like a hoof—Applejack’s hoof.

“Awwwww,” they all said in disappointment.

“—It’s probably not that bad anyway—”

“—Yeah right! Can you imagine hitting the roof like that—?”

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie were off to the side a ways, crafting items out of the snow, which was packing especially well today.

“I don’t get it. Why is she covering for you?” said Rarity, carefully shaping a series of snowballs to create a miniature snow-pony sculpture of herself. The clouds had dumped a great deal more snow since the other day, leaving all them with an additional ten inches on top of the snow that had already fallen. Since the city only allowed a snow day for the first snow of the season, school was still in session. But Applejack didn’t mind this; after the chaos on the recent snow day, she wasn’t too quick to get excited over another.

“Beats the hay outta me,” said Applejack, scooping a mound of snow out of a tunnel she was making in the ground and glancing over at Rainbow Dash. Unlike Rainbow Dash, who still had two black eyes from the fight, Applejack’s face was bruise free; Rainbow Dash’s punch hadn’t hit hard enough to break blood vessels under her skin. The shallow cut above her head from the snowball was easily hidden by the bangs of her mane. Luckily Rainbow Dash had aimed so ‘well’.

What was she playing at? Did she think this made up for all that she had put Applejack through since the beginning of school? If so, she was sorely mistaken. But still…it was brave of Rainbow Dash. Applejack couldn’t deny the fact. She may have been lackluster in the punching department, but Applejack could no longer call her a coward.

Applejack sighed confusedly and looked down into her work in progress. She still had a long ways to go until she was able to reach the base of Pinkie’s snow fort. She flicked a small amount of snow down the incline in mild frustration.

Applejack craned her neck towards Pinkie’s snow fort, an enormous cylinder eight feet high and with walls as thick as Applejack’s whole body. She was planning on giving her a surprise visit by digging all the way under her base and popping out to attack her with a barrage of snowballs. She caught Pinkie’s eye.

“Day two. 1407 hours. The enemy grows suspicious of the sniping posts of Fort Pinkie,” Applejack heard Pinkie mutter to herself behind a tiny window she dug in the fort. She was peering out at her, talking into a voice recorder in one hoof, a snowball in the other.

Applejack averted her gaze and glanced up at a tree, which sat directly over Pinkie’s fort. Piles of fresh powder were upon its large branches, melting slowly in the sun of mid-afternoon. A new idea hatched.

“1408 hours. Enemy is no longer suspicious. Units stand by.”

Applejack abandoned the snow tunnel she was making and walked on past Pinkie’s fort, still studying the tree.

“1410 hours,” said Pinkie, appearing behind another window. “Enemy is on the move. East units are keeping watch.”

Applejack nodded to herself, then backed up against the tree, returning her gaze once again upon Pinkie. A mischievous grin formed on her face.

“1412 hours,” Pinkie said, shifting the snowball in her hoof, “Enemy has gained attention of our east guard. Units unsheathe their weapons—”

“Launching airstrike!” exclaimed Applejack. She reared her legs and kicked the tree with the same ample force she used to harvest apples. The tree vibrated on the spot, sending all the piles of snow on its protruding branches earthward. Applejack heard the startled squeal of Pinkie from inside the fort as the cascade of powder plummeted pell-mell into her topless structure.

Pinkie emerged from her fort covered from head to hoof, staggering like she had been just been shot.

“Pony…d-down!” she yelled dramatically and fell to the ground. Applejack dropped to the ground as well, but from fits of laughter. Her hat toppled from her head and rolled aside, the powdery mist still falling from the tree sprinkling its brim.

Applejack retrieved her hat after a minute or so and cantered on over to Pinkie, who was still lying in her convincing demise; her eyes shut tightly and her tongue stuck out. Rarity joined the two of them, congratulating Applejack on a job well done.

“Pinkie, get off the ground before you catch a cold,” said Rarity.

“Heh heh, yeah Pinkie quit piddlin’ around.”

But Pinkie remained on the ground. After a few minutes passed, they started to become worried.

“Pinkie?” she said, nudging her seemingly unconscious body with her foreleg. Rarity glanced over her shoulder to see if anypony had noticed. Then she put her head close to Applejack’s, and whispered uneasily:

“Goodness—do you think she fainted from surp—”

“AH—HA!!” screamed Pinkie suddenly from the ground, spraying both of them with snow. Rarity collapsed backward in surprise, sending herself headfirst into Applejack’s snow tunnel.

“Pinkie!” said Applejack, annoyed at Pinkie’s rather mean but well delivered prank. After what Applejack had done to Rainbow Dash, playing possum still had a while before it became funny again. Pinkie, however, was laying on the ground in stitches, kicking herself around in a snow circle.

Rarity was throwing a muffled tantrum inside Applejack’s tunnel, unable to free herself. Her hind legs were flailing about, her frilly boots like wrecking balls.

“Hold on Rarity, Ah’ma comin’—”

“Chill a sec—I got this!” said Rainbow Dash out of thin air, who had beat her to the mouth of the tunnel. She pushed out a hoof toward Applejack to signal for her to stop.

“Aw no you don’t,” Applejack said angrily, pushing her hoof aside. Rainbow Dash’s group of ponies was watching the scene with interest.

“Yes—I do—,” said Rainbow Dash, returning the hoof push.

“NoooO. You don’t. You’re just gonna cause a whole heap o’ trouble—”

“Oh yeah?”

“Purdy sure.”

“Filly, you don’t even know me—” said Rainbow Dash. She and Applejack were arguing with each other, their heads pushing against each other in a battle of attrition.

“Ah don’t give a dang feather who you are—just leave her alone—”

“I’m just trying to help, Jackapple—”

“What did you call me?!”

“ENOUGH!” yelled Miss Cherilee suddenly, who was hurrying towards them. The other ponies had already gone inside; afternoon recess had come to an end. They disbanded at once.

“Rarity, dear! Just calm yourself, darling. Use your horn,” called Miss Cherilee over Rarity’s muffled yelling.

Rarity slowly stopped swinging her legs and took a sulky breath. Her body suddenly glowed in a yellowish light and she slipped out of the hole like butter, landing on her hooves. She scowled at Pinkie, who had just barely overcome her mirth and joined the group.

“Heehee, your hair’s all messed up, Rarity!” she said, still trying to suppress her giggles. Rarity’s mane was frizzy from the scramble.

“Go on inside, girls,” said Miss Cherilee, pointing towards the schoolhouse. Pinkie and Rarity left the scene as their teacher instructed. When they were out of sight and earshot, Miss Cherilee finally spoke to Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“What’s with all the drama between you two out here?” she asked, her eyes darting between the two of them.

Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack, daring her to make her seem like the bad pony first. Applejack met her eyes and didn’t break her gaze.

“It’s nothin’, ma’am,” she said. “We’re fine,” she lied, looking directly into Rainbow Dash’s blackened eyes.

If Rainbow Dash wanted to play games, it was on.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

The heated rivalry between Applejack and Rainbow Dash continued all the way through winter, until the first signs of spring began to arrive.

Rainbow Dash had more or less accepted the fact she had been plowed into the ground as a sign that Applejack was no longer able to be bullied like the days of old. Instead of just leaving her alone and calling a truce, she responded more aggressively than ever to Applejack’s advancing challenges. Anywhere from beating each other to school in the morning to being the first to leave at the end of the day to getting the highest scores on their spelling tests, flames erupted.

Applejack, for the first time all year, was excited each and every day to return to school, to show up Rainbow Dash and prove once and for all that just because she had a pair of wings, she could be a better pony than her.

Mac had started to notice this one afternoon after school when Applejack was having a one-sided conversation with Applebloom, her forelegs resting on the top rail. Applebloom had just awoken from her daily nap.

“And then would you believe it? Ah still sang louder than her at the play, even though ah barely had a wink o’ sleep last night! Heh-heh!” she said to Applebloom, who was standing up in her crib and smiling at her, entertained by the story.

“Ah can’t wait to see the look on Rainbow Dash’s face when ah—” she yawned widely, her eyelids heavy.

“Is that filly still buggin’ you, AJ?” asked Mac, frowning. Applejack jumped. He had been eavesdropping outside the doorway of Applebloom’s new room. What had once been a guest bedroom for family members was now completely redecorated to the tastes of a baby filly.

“No, Mac,” said Applejack, rolling her eyes in affection for her protective brother. “Ah’m fine, honest.”

“Are y’all friends now or sommin’?”

“Rainbow Dash will never be my friend,” said Applejack, rather insulted Mac could think something of the sort.

Mac laughed at her sister’s sudden change in tone.

“Sorry ah asked.”

Applejack snorted to herself as Mac left the room. Applebloom tugged at her hat while a thought yanked at her brain. Being friends with Rainbow Dash? How could that be possible? There was a time way back at the beginning where she would have loved to have a pegasus as cool as Rainbow Dash to be as close to her as Pinkie and Rarity, but now…she had blew it. But Applejack was content with the two amazing friends she already had. Rainbow Dash could keep her stupid gang of pegasus friends. They were all rude and ignorant anyway, pegasi; every single one.

Applebloom tugged at Applejack’s hat and pulled it off. She attempted clumsily to adorn her head with it.

“Hang on there a spell, Applebloom,” she giggled, assisting her. The hat plopped down and covered Applebloom’s entire head. Applejack continued to giggle as Applebloom made a sort of bubbling noise inside the hat, confused where all the lights had disappeared to.

“Just like her big sister,” chuckled the voice of Granny.

Applejack jumped again as Granny intruded into the bedroom. How were a large colt and a clumsy old mare able to move so silently?

“Ah can’t wait until she can say my name,” said Applejack, as Applebloom as she pulled the hat off her head and sent it over the edge of the crib in attempt to deliver it back to Applejack.

“She will be in the comin’ months, ah reckon,” sighed Granny. Applebloom had already grown twice as big since they discovered her in the blanketed basket. Applejack couldn’t wait until she could start teaching Applebloom to say her name! Oh how fortunate she was to not only have a couple true friends, but a blood-sister! She turned to Granny, who didn’t mirror her smile; her wrinkles bore a look of sadness instead.

“You okay, Grammy?” asked Applejack, the smile falling.

“Eh?” said Granny, who was staring out the curtained window on the opposite end of Applebloom’s room. “Oh—oh o’ course—now ah remember why ah came in here—”

She handed her an envelope, addressed to Applejack. Applejack took the letter, her smile rising again. The penmanship of the ink was sharp and pointy, like lightning bolts.

She ripped open the letter. Her smile rose even higher as her eyes went down the lines:

Dear Applejack:

Dad and I have been real busy since he’s been out of the hospital. Sorry we didn’t get back to you sooner! But guess what?! Dad totally thinks I will be ready for the Wonderbolt academy in a few years!!!! I’m a few years older than you, but I would still be one of the youngest pegasi in there…crazy!!!!! Oh man I can’t wait. Maybe I will be flying with all eleven of the Wonderbolts someday!!! Mudflap is going to eat his words one of these days!! And it’s all thanks to you for t—

Part of the letter was smudged from a splotch of blue. Was that…blueberry?

—ttan. You’re awesome!!!

Did you know that Mudflap’s real name is actually Caliber?! I know, crazy, right??? He told me the day you guys came to visit my dad and I almost didn’t believe him for a second. But it makes sense, seeing as his dad owns the biggest and only cannon factory chain in Equestria. I think the word caliber has something to do with the barrels. But I guess I can’t make that joke about the eating dust thing anymore…darn…

Anyways, guess what else? I’m going to the Wonderbolt show in Canterlot next Friday and you should come with me! My dad wants you to come too, so he can finally tell his story and all that. If you can come, bring Pinkie Pie with you. After all, she was there when it all happened!!

I sure hope you can come, because I kind of miss you. Here is my address:

12943 Tumbleweed Avenue

Manehattan, Equestria 10000

Don’t forget it this time!

Soarin’

Applejack was so excited she could hardly stand it. She started dancing around Applebloom’s room, waving the letter, while Applebloom laughed at her silliness. A feeling she couldn’t even fully fathom at the moment was roaring inside her like a manticore. The manticore was taking flight—escaping into the sunset—

“You’re not goin’,” said Granny sternly. Applejack’s prelude halted at once—wait, what did she say?!?!

“Not goin’? Why?!” screamed Applejack incredulously.

“Don’t you raise your voice at me like that, young lady,” said Granny. “Ah’ve got an Apple conference in Saddlebrook next week and ah think it’s time you started comin’ along with me—”

“Aw come on, Granny—”

“Let me talk, Applejack. Ah’ve already arranged a baby sitter to take care of Applebloom that day. You’re just gonna hafta see Soarin’ when we get back—”

“NO!” screamed Applejack.

Applejack glared at her grandmother, unable to believe her dramatic change in luck, and fled from the room, tears flying off sideways from her cheeks. She ran through her bedroom door at the top of the stairs and flung herself on her bed. The angry tears flew freely, staining one of her pillows.

The only time she would ever be able to have some real fun for once, and she’s stuck doing work with her dumb family?!  Okay, maybe they weren’t dumb, because she loved them dearly, but this was certainly the most unfair turn of events since Rainbow Dash had gotten away with tearing up Pinkie’s drawing in school.

Applejack punched her pillow with her forelegs at the thought of Rainbow Dash, as though she was the cause of all this. She had been boasting about going to the Wonderbolt show for weeks, and how she had never missed a single one since she could fly. Applejack could just imagine bragging about the experience in school next week. At this thought, she picked up her pillow and threw it over her body, kicking it out of the air with her hind legs. The pillow smashed into the far side of the room and landed in Applebloom’s old basket. She fell back into her pillows, face down.

Applejack heard a floorboard creak a short while later. She turned to see Granny standing in the doorway. Granny came in and sat down on Applejack’s bed.

“Ah want you to have fun with your friends, Applejack. It smacks this rusty old mare a good un’ when she has to be the bad pony. But you’re growin’ up, and ah need you to do this for me. Alright?”

Applejack raised her head and looked at Granny.

“Ah don’t wanna go to that dusty old town, Grammy. Ah'm not ready.”

She sobbed into the bedspread. She felt Granny run her hoof through her mane.

“Aw, fiddlesticks. We’ve all gotta put our best hoof forward and step out of our comfort zone sometime.”

Applejack raised her head again.

“But ah haven’t seen my friend Soarin’ in months…” she sniffed. “Can’t you just let me have what ah want for once?”

Granny sighed. “It may not be what you want, dear, but I can’t always let you have what you want. Part of being a nana is makin’ sure her grandkids give ‘em what they need. And you need this.”

Disallowing Applejack to respond, Applebloom started crying in the other room, giving Granny the cue to leave Applejack to her thoughts.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Agitated all through the evening, Applejack went to sleep that night in the guest bedroom, keeping Applebloom company in her brand new environment. As Applebloom snored soundly in her crib, a dream cloud once again formed inside Applejack’s subconscious.

Applejack was walking down a cobblestone path in the midst of a desert. The desert was infinite; the sand stretched for miles and miles on either side of the path. No dunes or land formations of any kind rose up in the distance; as far as she knew, everything was flat in an indefinite radius. Into the horizon, no structures lay; the path simply went on forever, the horizon invisible.

As she continued on down the path, not knowing exactly why she was there or where she as going, she came across a bench. The bench was empty, but Applejack couldn’t help but feel as though it had a purpose. The planks of wood that made up the bench were exceedingly standard, the metal holding it all together equally uninteresting. She stuck out a hoof, expecting some invisible pony to appear, but all she could feel was stiff, hot, dreamy air. She rejected the bench and continued on her way.

She blinked.

The sprawling wasteland of sand had vanished; trees took the place on either side of the path, which was now dirt. Far ahead of her, unlike before, she could actually make out objects. There appeared to be six of them, and they all seemed to be shifted among each other. Upon cantering towards the objects, Applejack made them out to be ponies. Three of them were flying, and two of them appeared to have horns. They all radiated a bright light, like the rays of the sun.

She blinked again.

Suddenly, the whole scene went up in flames. Fire danced upon the branches, licking the edges of the dirt path. Applejack, blinded by the flames, still carried on towards the objects, not allowing the deadly heat from the inferno slow her down. She felt heavy, like she was carrying a bushel of apples over her back, but still, she pressed on.

Just when the flames were about to swallow her up, and as quickly as they appeared, they had vanished. A rain followed the bizarre chain of events, soaking Applejack’s body. But the rain was warm, like a giant shower head high above had been turned on.

As Applejack neared the six ponies, they fled. The bright light radiated from their bodies grew dimmer and dimmer. She blinked again, and they were no more.

The rain stopped. The running stopped. Everything…it was slipping away…

Applejack opened her eyes into reality. She blinked a few more times, trying to grasp reality. Quickly, as her eyes darted around the darkness, everything was real again.

She breathed quickly, for the dream had frightened her. She was no new pony to nightmares, but this…this was different. The dream had chilled her spine, and left her with a cool sweat. What was worst was the fact she simply didn’t know why.

Attempting to calm herself, Applejack’s nerves finally returned and she felt warmth beside her. Applejack turned her head to the right.

The flicker of Applebloom’s nightlight candle on the nearby desk showed Applebloom, who was sleeping soundly right beside Applejack. She was turned toward her, her head poking out of Applejack’s comforter. How Applebloom had managed to escape from her crib and crawl up into her bed was extraordinary. But how this came to be, Applejack did not ponder. Her breath rate plummeted back to normal; her mind lulled to a stop. Just like the dream, as quickly as the fear had started, it had all left her.

The magic of sisterhood coursing through her veins, Applejack wrapped a loving foreleg around her baby sister.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

“All aboard!”

Too quick for Applejack’s liking, the time had come for Granny, Big Macintosh and for the first time in her life, Applejack, to board the Ponyville Express to Saddlebrook. The sun was barely beginning to peak itself over the eastern hills beyond Canterlot. Ponyville Train Station had a light amount of hoof traffic, mostly comprised of middle aged mares and stallions. The pleasant coolness of early morning hugged Applejack’s body, but she didn’t return the feeling. Applejack had always enjoyed being outside before sunrise, but the current circumstance didn’t allow for much enjoyment. Maybe if she made a break for it and started running towards Manehattan as fast as she could, she would be able to get out of this stupid trip. Other wild thoughts of escape popped into her mind as she gazed hopefully to the direction of the north-east. She hated feeling like a caged bird.

“We should be in Saddlebrook by nightfall,” recited Granny, going over a piece of paper she had received in the train station. She was wearing a rather goofy looking orange sunhat and had a knapsack slunk over her back. The three of them boarded the train and made their way to their seats on one of the passenger cars.

“Nightfall?!” said Applejack, gaping as she sat down. That means they would be on this train for what? Twelve—

“Twelve hours may be a long time, but it’ll go by fast,” winked Granny. Mac snorted, seriously doubting this. He was no novice on riding trains.

“Eeenope.”

The train blew its long, drawn out and, for this time of morning, unethically loud whistle. Following the whistle, the whole car suddenly shifted forward. Applejack and Mac slammed into the back of their seats. Granny, who was sitting across from them, nearly flew into their laps.

“What on Celestia’s green earth—”

An equally loud crashing sound came from down the aisle ahead. Applejack poked her head out into the aisle to see a gray pegasus filly with a butter colored mane in a heap on the floor. A stallion, who had been carrying a load of ceramic plates, was grumpily telling off the parents of the filly who had knocked into him.

“Oh! Oh I’m sorry!” said the filly, who ran into a nearby seat while trying to get back to her hooves. She was a bit of a klutz.

“Nonsense! That was the train’s fault!” said the father. “Sit down, Derpy,” he added, instructing the clumsy filly.

“Sir, the conductor may have made a small mistake, but children shouldn’t be running about in the aisles—”

“I know how to raise my kids, thanks,” said the father irritably. The mother, however, had a hoof to her face, like this wasn’t the first time her husband acted like this. The stallion mumbled something about ‘overprotective parents’, then walked away to go find something to clean up the mess.

A wave of static sounded from a series of speakers on the ceiling of the coach. The voice of a wizened old stallion filled the car.

“Ehrm. Malfunction in the locomotive. My *hrm* apologies, e’rypony.”

Granny rolled her eyes and leaned forward.

“The only ‘malfunction’ is why that old coot is still runnin’ this train,” she said in an undertone. “He’s even older than ah am.”

Applejack’s eyed widened a bit, thinking unpleasantly of a skeletal pony with wrinkly skin.

A mare in a blue uniform appeared at the side of their seats.

“May I punch your tickets?”

Applejack stared at the mare for a second, wondering why on earth why she wanted to attack a piece of paper, but when she saw Granny and Big Mac hand the mare a slip of paper, her brain jumpstarted. Reaching out from under her Stetson, she forked over her ticket. The mare pulled out a weird metal contraption and cut a neat little heart in all their tickets. She sidestepped the pile of broken dishes and continued on her way.

Within a few more minutes, the train lurched forward, much slower and gentler. The train whistle blew its full steam, and all the doors slid shut in the car.

Applejack pressed a hoof to the window and wiped away the fog so she could see. Somewhere, out towards the direction of the mocking sunrise, Soarin’ was about to have the time of his life. Applejack wished more than anything at this moment that the train would somehow break down, by losing a wheel or something. Granny would simply have to give up on the trip and stay here in Ponyville. But as the cozy rooftops of Ponyville sped past them, along with the haunted trees of Everfree forest, she had to put her false hopes to rest.

“Saddlebrook, here ah come,” sighed Applejack sadly.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Somewhere around late afternoon, Applejack had finally fallen asleep. She dreamed she and Applebloom were in a flowery meadow, looking at one of her favorite picture books. Bluebirds were flying overhead, singing blissfully to one another. Applebloom was talking to her, but Applejack couldn’t quite understand the words. The pages of the book were adorned with pictures, but Applejack wasn’t noticing them. All she could truly hear, clearer than all, were the bluebirds. It was peaceful…

“Time to get going,” said one of the bluebirds, who sounded an awful lot like Granny. The voice swam through Applejack’s ears, until…

“Applejack, wake up, honey,” said the real voice of Granny. Applejack reawakened to the smiling face of Granny, who had just woken up Mac as well.

“Uh, what? Are we there?” asked Applejack.

“Not quite, dear, but you’ve got to see this—look out your window—”

Applejack glanced out the window, which was now warm to the touch instead of cold. Waaaaay out, as far as the eye could see, a barren wasteland of sand lay, quite like Applejack’s dream. The only structure that could be made out was a tall radio tower, like a port in the storm. The late afternoon sun was slowly setting in the west.

“Now approaching the other tracks. Southbound. Saddlebrook,” said a stallion’s voice overhead.

But much unlike the dream, to Applejack’s relief, she could see a far off collection of mountains ahead. The mountains were red, exactly like Big Macintosh’s fur.

“Those are the Macintosh Hills, Applejack,” said Granny, smiling at Applejack’s expression. Applejack looked sideways at Mac, who sported a celebrity-smug grin.

Applejack unglued her eyes from the window and swiveled her head around the car. The three of them were the only remaining passengers. Applejack wasn’t surprised.

She returned to the window and stared at the approaching mountains. They were remarkably tall; some even still had ice caps from winter. It seemed silly to call them hills, seeing as normal hills would have been dwarfed by them. What peaked Applejack’s interest about them was the fact the train seemed to be heading directly into them, as if they were going to collide.

“Grammy, ah can’t see Saddlebrook. Where is it?” asked Applejack, not taking her face off the window.

“Just beyond those hills,” answered Granny. “You’ll see!”

Fifteen minutes later, the Macintosh Hills had grown dramatically.  Applejack had sat down back in her seat, fidgeting with the seat cushions impatiently.  She didn’t even have to look out the window to see the hills anymore; she could easily see then sitting down now.

Closer the Ponyville Express rocketed through the barren sand, like a lone camel traversing the sands of the desert, eager to find civilization. Faster, Applejack’s heart was beating, unknown where she was heading, and how on earth the train was going to plan on stopping if the track literally ran into the rock.

Without warning, everything around the outside of the train was black.

“What the hay?” said Applejack, fearful for her life.

“Relax, dearest, don’t be afraid. We’re goin’ through Bandit’s Tunnel!” said Granny, who seemed to be enjoying herself for some crazy reason.

“WOO WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” roared the train suddenly, making its presence known inside the tunnel.

Applejack put her hooves over her eyes, wishing for it all to be over. She didn’t like the fact she was flying through an unknown, pitch black tunnel named after scary ponies that broke into houses in the middle of the night.

The train then began to decrease swiftly in speed; the train chugged powerfully as the squeal from the brakes in the caboose sounded. Applejack took one hoof off of her face as she noticed a growing orange light up ahead. When the train became slower than ever, barely a crawl, Applejack took the other hoof off her face and braved to return to the window.

Applejack froze in shock at the sight before her: they were in the midst of the mightiest dropoff Applejack was precisely sure not to exist anywhere elsewhere in all of Equestria. An enormous bridge protruded from their side, connecting with the other. Orange lampposts lined the whole length of the bridge. Small service shacks near the ends of both bridges sat like turrets. The rock surrounding them arched impressively into a point, which was too high for Applejack to make out. But the point above them wasn’t even close to the depth of the ravine.

“2000 feet exactly, they say. Not an inch more,” said Granny, who was also peering out the window down into the dropoff as the train neared the bridge. Applejack wowed out loud, attempting even to imagine how much height that was. She wondered if a pegasus had ever touched the bottom, or even attempted to. Even Rainbow Dash would have backed away from such an eerie void of black.

“Mares and Gentlecolts of the Ponyville Express,” said the stallion speaking on the intercom, “Dead Pony’s Pass.”