From All Fronts

“Applejack, you idiot.”

The city of Canterlot was bustling with activity, as it was every day. The wealthy ponies were carrying out their daily schedules; they wouldn’t let themselves get distracted by anything that didn’t concern them. The nobles were so enthralled by their own routines that they didn’t even seem slightly fazed by the royal guards patrolling the city.

The mountainside castle stood watch over the noble city, and protected the pony refugees who occupied its own halls. The corridors were filled with anxious chatter, and were haunted by mournful cries. Twilight and her friends were among those wandering the halls, talking anxiously about their missing companion.

Rainbow Dash was making herself quite comfortable on one of the puffy cumulus clouds hanging above the city. Her rose eyes were staring aimlessly at the open, cerulean sky, and she had her hooves wrapped around the back of her head. Her prismatic mane was messily strewn around her head, and was becoming plastered to the puffy surface underneath her. She sighed heavily, and continued her idle search of the sky.

“How could she just run off by herself like that?” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. “Not saying anything to anypony. Doesn’t she know how worried everyone else is about her?” She sighed a second time. “Pinkie is sitting by herself in the courtyard, Twilight’s pacing like a nervous wreck, Rarity’s crying with her sister, and Fluttershy won’t even talk to me.”

Rainbow Dash removed her hooves from the back of her head, and laid them across her chest. Then she reclined against the cloud, and took a deep breath. “You better have come to your senses, Applejack. You’d better be on that train. I’m gonna beat some sense into you when you decide to show up.” She ranted wistfully. “ …Don’t you dare not come back.”

With that declaration, she shut her eyes, and let the slight breeze blow over her sky-blue fur. The cool wind, accompanied by the sun’s warm rays, lulled her into a tranquility that she hadn’t felt for the past two days. The chirping of birds returning from their migration calmed her, and helped her shut out all of the stress she had just been stewing in.

“I wonder what everypony’s thinking right now…” She whispered to the breeze. “As soon as that train shows up, we’ll find out what’s up with AJ.” She sighed heavily. “If she’s even there…”

Rainbow Dash leaned even further into her cloud-pillow, and let the serene atmosphere take her in once again. The calm sky lulled her, and soon enough, sleep captured the blue pegasus.

*******

Rainbow Dash’s nap was brought to an abrupt end by the faint noise of a train whistle. She drearily blinked her eyes open, and stretched out her leg muscles. She extended her wings as well, and then scanned the ground below her. She wiped her blurry eyes, and made out the sight of the multi-colored train rapidly approaching the castle.

“It’s here…” She whispered, almost sadly. I should be excited, but she might not be… She sighed dejectedly. “I… should go get everypony else. They've waited long enough.”

Rainbow Dash stood up, stretched her wings a second time, and then leapt off of her cloud-bed. She spread her wings to their full span, and caught a strong air current. She pointed herself toward the castle, and began flapping her wings vigorously. She took off like a rocket, and began soaring towards her destination.

As Rainbow Dash shot towards the castle, she looked above her, and noticed that the sun had moved a few feet to the west. Guess I was out for a while. She surmised. Within only a few seconds, she had arrived in the castle’s grassy courtyard. She kept up a constant flapping with her wings, allowing her to hover a few meters above the ground.

While hovering above the courtyard, Rainbow Dash searched the area for anypony she knew. Unfortunately, a pony she knew found her first. “HI RAINBOW DASH!” A voice screamed in her ear.

“GAH!” Rainbow Dash cried out in shock, before collapsing onto her back. She heard a snicker from beside her, and then outright laughter.

“Pfft… HAHAHAHAHA!”

Rainbow Dash returned to her hooves, and took note of the pony standing above her. Ugh, who else would it be? She thought scornfully. “Pinkie!” She shouted disdainfully. “Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“HAHAHA! You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Pinkie Pie continued to cackle.

Rainbow Dash glared at her pink friend, and then cracked a small smile. Well, at least she’s ok. She thought thankfully.

“So, where you been, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie inquired, after she finished her wave of laughter.

“Ah, ya know me. I was napping on a cloud above the city.” Rainbow Dash replied apathetically.

“Ok!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Ya know, you could’ve hung out here!” She continued accusingly.

“Oh, well, hehe.” Rainbow Dash answered sheepishly. “I kinda… wanted to be by myself.”

“Oh, well that’s all right!” Pinkie Pie instantly perked up. “That’s what Twilight said too!”

“Oh, really? Where is she, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“She’s in the ballroom!” Pinkie Pie pointed towards the castle. Then she turned back to Rainbow Dash, and tilted her head to the side curiously. “So… If you’re here, does that mean…”

Rainbow Dash looked into her eyes, and then nodded deeply. “Yeah. The train’s almost here.”

Pinkie Pie beamed and sprang into the air. “Oh goodie!” She exclaimed. Then she whirled around, and called out, “Hey! You hear that, Fluttershy? It’s almost here!”

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash questioned. She looked behind Pinkie Pie, and saw the aforementioned pegasus strutting towards them. How long was she sitting over there…?

“Did ya hear, Fluttershy? Did ya? Did ya?” Pinkie Pie continued to hassle.

“…Yes. I heard you.” Fluttershy whispered.

“Are you EXCITED?!” Pinkie Pie shouted at her, while still baring her incredibly wide grin. “Applejack will finally be back with us!”

Or she could not be there at all… Rainbow Dash thought negatively.

Fluttershy didn’t answer her, and she just looked at the ground. “Hey, Fluttershy, you doin’ all right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy didn’t react to her question, and just stared off into space. “Fluuuuutershyyyyyy!” Pinkie Pie called out to her. Fluttershy snapped her head upright, and looked like she had just woken up out of a trance.

“You feeling ok, Flutters?” Rainbow Dash queried in a concerned tone.

“Um, yes! I am…” Fluttershy replied quickly.

Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to look into Fluttershy’s eyes. They were red and swollen, and her eyelids were struggling to stay open. Fluttershy… She thought worriedly. “Well, glad to hear it.” Rainbow Dash answered her smugly, hiding how she felt. “I’m gonna get Twilight and Rarity. Just stay with Pinkie. Got it, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy simply nodded in response. “Yay! Let’s go Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie chirped, and then began bouncing closer to the train station. Fluttershy hung her head, and followed the pink pony.

Rainbow Dash watched her walk away, and then sighed dejectedly. Applejack, I swear… She extended her wings, and glided over to the castle doors. She pushed open the ballroom door, and walked onto its red carpet. She surveyed the room for Twilight, or anypony else she knew. Luckily, both Twilight and Rarity were in plain sight, at the top of the ballroom’s stairs.

“Twilight! Rarity!” Rainbow Dash called out, as she zipped through the air towards them.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight responded in an anxious voice.

“Hello, dear.” Rarity replied calmly.

Rainbow Dash landed a few paces in front of the two mares, and attempted to speak. “Are yo-”

“Is the train here?!” Twilight interrupted frantically.

Rainbow Dash was taken aback at her tone, and then answered, “Oh, yeah. It’s on its way right now.”

Rarity looked forlorn, and murmured, “So, it’s already time…”

“Come on!” Twilight beckoned towards the ballroom door. “I don’t want to miss her this time!”

The moment of truth. Rainbow Dash thought nervously, as she began flapping her wings again.

“Applejack…” Rarity whispered, and then began trotting to the courtyard. The three mares all moved quickly and silently, and soon joined their friends at the train station. They had only stood for a few seconds when the train’s whistle blew, signifying its arrival.

The colorful train screeched to a halt in front of the five ponies, and quickly opened its front door. Here we go…  Rainbow Dash thought apprehensively.

Much to the group’s surprise, the first ponies to leave the train were royal guards. They were forming a tight semicircle, as if they were escorting somepony. There seemed to be about four ponies taking up the back, though they couldn't tell for sure. Then, seeming to not pay any heed to the five mares, the guards began moving forward, very slowly.

Annoyed by her lack of vision, Rainbow Dash flew slightly higher to get a better viewpoint. When she did, she noticed that one pony was wearing a Stetson with a pink ribbon tied around it. Applejack is here! She came back! Rainbow Dash exclaimed in her mind.

Rainbow Dash’s added efforts were made pointless though, as the circle of guards soon stopped next to the group of mares. The guards who were previously obstructing their view moved forward, and gave them a clear view of Applejack. Every one of their mouths gaped when they saw the horrible condition their friend was in.

Applejack could barely stand, and was leaning on the closest guard for support. She was looking right at her friends, and was breathing heavily. Her body was liberally coated with cuts and dried blood, and her hooves were especially soaked. The swords at her sides as well as her saddlebag were completely gore-spattered. All the while, looking straight at her friends, Applejack was grinning triumphantly.

Wha… Wha… What the… Applejack?! Rainbow Dash thought dumbfoundedly as her mind shut down.

Applejack continued to stare, and none of the other mares could form any coherent words. After standing silently for a few more seconds, Applejack chuckled. “Howdy, everypony.”

After another period of uncomfortable silence, Applejack shrugged. “Don’t worry girls, we’ll all catch up later. Right now, I gotta go chat with Princess Celestia.” On that note, the guards encircled Applejack, and escorted her into the castle. Every guard except for one. One young guard stopped walking, and turned to the group of mares.

“Um… Princess Twilight. We found her.” The stallion reported.

Upon hearing his voice, Rainbow Dash swooped down onto the ground a few paces in front of him. “What’s going on?” She demanded. “Tell us everything! Why is Applejack covered in… blood?!”

The guard jumped when she approached him, but then he saluted and answered. “M-ma’am. As I previously told the Princess, the engineer was going back to Ponyville to search for that mare. A few other guards and I went with him as well. When we arrived at the station though…” The guard dropped his salute, and cast his gaze to Twilight. “…That mare was waiting for us, much to our surprise. And well, you saw how she looked.”

Twilight stepped forward towards the guard. “So, she didn’t tell you where the blood came from?”

The stallion shook his head and then took on a grave tone. “No, she was barely conscious on the trip back here. But… we found out where it came from ourselves.” The stallion shivered and removed his helmet. He looked at the ground, and his short gray mane fell around his head. “We were… curious. About what happened to her. So, against our better judgment, we returned to the land where the griffons were.”

The gray-maned stallion shuddered once again. “We expected to find them circling the fields… But… they were all dead.”

The five mares jumped at his statement. “They were all dead?” Pinkie Pie asked, uncharacteristically seriously. “What happened to them?”

I have an idea… Rainbow Dash determined. But there’s no way…

The guard shuffled in place nervously, and then addressed Twilight. “Uh, Princess Twilight, does your friend have a… violent streak of any kind?”

“D-d-does he mean…?” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Out with it already!” Rainbow Dash ordered.

The stallion looked her in the eyes, and then flatly stated, “Well, it appears that your orange friend killed them. All of them.”

The six ponies all went dead silent, and all seemed confused. The news wasn’t sinking in; their minds couldn’t accept the information. “Excuse me?” Twilight murmured disbelievingly.

The royal guard looked down to the floor, and started quivering in place. “Well, she had swords with her… And the griffons…” The guard whimpered.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Oh brother… How did this guy become a royal guard?

The guard shook his head, and then went on, “The griffons… were horribly brutalized. They were either cut to pieces, skewered, or beaten to a pulp. And I mean that literally.” The guard took a deep breath, and the group started to realize the truth of his report. “When we found your friend, she was coated with blood, as you saw. Especially her hooves. The griffons that I mentioned earlier were clearly smashed with an earth pony’s hooves, and your friend was the only pony who could’ve gone to that farm…” The stallion regained his stone-face, and finished, “I’m sorry everypony, but the only logical conclusion is that your orange friend did it.”

As the stallion finished his report, the ponies were forced to accept reality. Rarity held her front hoof to her forehead. “I feel light-headed…” She whispered in a far-off voice.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy squeaked while holding a hoof over her mouth.

“Whoa…” Rainbow Dash gaped.

Pinkie Pie and Twilight were both caught in a bewildered silence, and then a loud thud resounded throughout the courtyard. The group whirled around, and saw Rarity lying unconscious on the grass. “Rarity!” Twilight called out, and then all the ponies ran to her side. Fluttershy and Twilight attempted to wake her.

“Unnngh…”

“Oh dear, are you all right, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked frantically, as she helped her half-conscious friend to her hooves.

“Oooh… I’m alright, darling.” Rarity assured her. “I… must have fainted.”

“It’s ok, Rarity.” Twilight whispered soothingly. “Everything’s fine, just take deep breaths…”

“Yeah, except the fact that Applejack is a genocidal maniac!” Rainbow Dash blurted out.

Rarity’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body went limp a second time. Fluttershy supported the white unicorn’s weight this time, and Twilight scowled at Rainbow Dash. “Are ya sure you’re all right, Rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked as she skipped over to Rarity and Fluttershy.

“Y-yes, I said I’m fine.” Rarity replied as she regained her composure.

“Ma’am, please allow me to escort you to the infirmary.” The royal guard offered.

“No! I’m fine!” Rarity insisted. “It’s just a tendency of mine, I’ll be ok.” She let go of Fluttershy, and held herself up on her own hooves. “We need to go talk to Applejack.”

“Our apparently psychotic friend…” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“Rainbow Dash…” Twilight hissed.

“Stop being silly, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I’m sure that Applejack has an explanation!”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure she does.” Rainbow Dash retorted sardonically.

“Either way, I’d like to hear Applejack’s story. If that’s ok with you, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight growled.

“What did I do?!” Rainbow Dash shot back.

“Hey! Bastion!” A new voice called from across the courtyard. The gray-maned royal guard next to Twilight raised up his head, and locked eyes with the source of the sound, a lunar guard.

“You need me, Overcast?” The first stallion asked.

The lunar guard playfully wrapped his foreleg around the solar guard. “Well, Bastion, I was gonna treat you to an early lunch since you missed breakfast…” Overcast smirked at the group of mares. “But I see you’re having a pleasant time flirting with some ladies.”

“Gimme a break…” Rainbow Dash groaned as she face-hoofed.

“I wasn’t flirting!” Bastion quickly shot back, and then cleared his throat. “Besides, shouldn’t you show a liiittle more respect to Princess Twilight?”

Overcast raised an eyebrow at him, and then turned back to the five other ponies. “Princess… Twilight?” His eyes grew wide, and he instantly saluted. “P-Princess Twilight! Private Overcast reporting!”

Twilight face-hoofed, and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. You know, we all saved Equestria with her…

“Um… pleased to meet you.” Twilight greeted awkwardly.

“Ahem.” Bastion cleared his throat. “So you were saying about an early lunch?”

Overcast cautiously dropped his salute, and then turned to Bastion. “Oh, yeah. C’mon, let’s get going. I’m treating Flash Sentry as well.”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “You know Flash Sentry?” She inquired.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. Here we go…

“Um, yes. We were put in the same unit.” Bastion answered. “Do you know him?”

“Me? Yes. Uh… kind of. Not really, no.” Twilight stammered.

“Oh.” Overcast replied in a confused tone. “Then why…”

“Twilight has a crush on him!” Pinkie Pie chanted giddily.

“She does?” Overcast asked, and then Twilight’s face erupted.

“No I do not!” Twilight hastily shouted.

Overcast groaned and put a hoof over his face. “Maaaan. Flash always gets the good stuff.”

“Well, he does outrank you.” Bastion stated smugly.

“Don’t ignore me!” Twilight shouted at the two guards.

Overcast quickly spun around and stood at attention, but then he noticed Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash struggling not to laugh behind her. He gave them a confused stare, and then he smirked and turned away. “C’mon Bastion. Let’s go get lunch.”

“Huh?” Bastion responded. “Oh, um, sure.”

“Hey! Pay attention to me!” Twilight ordered the two guards, but they had already turned around.

“Don’t worry, I’ll put in a good word for you, Princess!” Overcast taunted, and then trotted away. Twilight hung her head in embarrassment, and then Bastion shook his head at Overcast, and began calmly walking away.

“Wait.” Fluttershy stopped him. He turned around and met her teal eyes. “Your name is Bastion, right?”

“Yes, it was. Er, is. Ma’am.” He fumbled with his words.

Fluttershy smiled warmly at him. “You’ve been very helpful to us, so thank you, Bastion.”

The royal guard’s face flushed at her praise. “No-no, I was just doing my job.” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie began giggling again. “Uh, haha, I don’t wanna keep Overcast waiting. It was my pleasure, all of you.”

As soon as he was done talking, the royal guard spun around and sprinted into the castle. Rainbow Dash looked over at the still blushing Twilight, and began laughing out loud. She was soon joined by Pinkie Pie, and the two mares laughed heartily together.

“I’m gonna have you all executed…” Twilight murmured, causing the mares to laugh even harder.

“Ahem.” Rarity cleared her throat. “Pardon me, everypony, but isn’t there something we should be doing right now?”

Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash pulled themselves to their hooves, and they regained their serious composures. “Right.” Rainbow Dash declared. “Let’s go find Applejack.”

*******

“Rainbow Dash! Rarity!” The group was ambushed as they entered the ballroom by the two fillies, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, kid.” Rainbow Dash greeted Scootaloo. They don’t look any better than they did yesterday… She thought pitifully. Actually, Sweetie Belle looks worse.

“Where were you?” Sweetie Belle demanded from Rarity.

“We were all out in the courtyard, Sweetie.” Rarity answered calmly. “Waiting for Applejack.”

Suddenly, Spike appeared behind Twilight. “So is she here?”

“GAH!” Twilight screamed as she jumped in place. “Stars above, Spike! Where did you come from?!” She scolded her assistant.

“I’ve been looking for you with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” He quickly explained. “But enough of that, is Applejack here?”

Twilight gave him an unsure look, and eventually nodded.  “Yeah, she arrived a little while ago.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “Whew, that’s a relief. So, where is she?”

The five mares all grew guilty expressions, and avoided eye contact. “Yeah.” Sweetie Belle said accusingly. “Where is she?”

“You saw her, didn’t you?” Spike questioned a second time.

Twilight pawed at the ground, and didn’t meet Spike’s eyes. “Well… Yes, we did see her.”

“Well why didn’t you bring her with you?” Sweetie Belle accused.

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity interrupted, “Why don’t we-”

“Stop. Treating. Me. Like. A. Foal!” Sweetie Belle blew up at her sister, her voice cracking in the process. “Twilight! What are you hiding from me? Why didn’t you bring Applejack with you? Is she even here, or are you lying to me?” She fumed. “Isn’t she your friend?!”

Twilight flinched at the filly’s words, and then looked into her eyes. She took a deep breath, and calmly began, “Well… You see…”

At that moment, the ballroom went completely silent around them. Confused, Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked around themselves, and saw that all of the ponies around them were gaping in the direction of the ballroom stairs. Following their eyes, Rainbow Dash looked at the stairs, and at the mare who was now standing atop them. Applejack was standing proudly, and had obviously not washed herself off since she had last encountered the group.

Spike, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had looked in her direction as well, and their mouths hung open at the sight of the bloody mare. Well, I guess there’s no better way to explain than this. Rainbow Dash thought.

“Ponies of Equestria!” Applejack spoke to her dumbfound audience. “Ponyville is once again safe to go home to. Ya’ll can go home as soon as ya want to. I’m not orderin’ ya to, but when ya feel homesick, ya can go on back. As for the rest o’ ya’ll, yer towns ‘ll be safe to return to soon.” After she finished speaking, Applejack ginned, and stated, “That’ll be all.” Then she turned, and walked back up the stairs to the castle’s hallways.

The ballroom exploded into questions and nervous chatter after she left the room.

“She said we could go home!”

“But what if it isn’t safe?”

“Did you see the blood on that mare?”

“Mommy, can we go home now?”

Spike looked back to Twilight. “Was Applejack covered in… blood?” Twilight didn’t answer, and just slowly nodded.

“So that’s why you ignored her…” Sweetie Belle murmured.

“We didn’t ignore her!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “She just said hi to us and walked away!”

Twilight looked towards the stairs, and then towards her friends. “Well, she isn’t getting away this time. Come on, everypony.”

Before the group could start moving, Sweetie Belle clung to Rarity’s chest. “Rarity, I wanna go home.” She cried miserably.

“Me too…” Scootaloo whined.

Rainbow Dash sighed, and then pulled Scootaloo into an embrace. “C’mon kid. Let’s go find your folks.” She looked over at Twilight. “Guess I’ll catch up?”

Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, and then at Scootaloo, and then at Sweetie Belle. She sighed, and then declared, “No, no more splitting up. I’m not heartless, we’ll all just make a detour.”

The group began moving as one towards the other ponies in the castle. You better have a good alibi, Applejack… Rainbow Dash thought angrily.

********

Applejack strutted into the castle’s throne room with her head held high, and her long blonde mane flowing gracefully beside her. She still wore a confident grin, and she demanded the attention of everypony in the room.

“Sorry to make ya wait, Princess.” Applejack half-heartedly apologized. “But I needed to do that.”

Princess Celestia got out of her throne, and stood tall over Applejack. She looked down at her, and said in her neutral tone, “You have much to explain, Applejack.”

Applejack bowed respectfully, and replied, “O’ course, Princess.” She then unfastened the swords at her sides, and tossed them in front of Celestia. “I have a lot I wanna talk to you about too…”

*******

“You know where she is, Twilight?” Spike questioned. The group had long since found Scootaloo’s parents, and left the two fillies with them. Spike, however, had insisted on coming with the mares.

Twilight nodded at her assistant. “Before she left, Applejack said she was going to see Celestia. So she should be in the throne room, or at least nearby.” She explained.

The group was travelling down the castle’s hallways, nearing the hallway to the throne room. “I’m surprised you two know this castle so well.” Rarity complimented.

“Heh, well, we did grow up here.” Spike gloated.

“What was it like to live here?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Pretty much the same, I guess.” Spike answered apathetically. “Except Twilight was even bossier.” He added mischievously.

“Ha, that’s impossible!” Rainbow Dash butted in.

“Hey, I’m not bossy!” Twilight barked.

“Whatever you say, boss.” Spike added childishly.

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. The group entered the hallway to the throne room, and scanned it for the orange mare. It seemed as if the corridor was empty, but then the doors to the throne room opened. Out of the doors came Applejack, who gingerly shut the door behind her.

“Applejack!” Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all called out at once. Applejack whirled around when she heard her name, and smiled when she saw the familiar faces. She began sauntering towards them, and greeted them:

“Howdy, everypony.”

The group immediately sprinted over to where their friend was standing, and surrounded her. “There you are! Found you!” Pinkie Pie chanted.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Jeez, she really is covered in blood.” Spike thought out loud.

“Applejack…” Rarity whispered, lost in thought.

Applejack chuckled. “Calm down, ya’ll.” She said dismissively. “I’m happy to see all o’ you too. But, I think I should go tidy up a bit-”

“No!” The group barked at her. Applejack flinched, and Twilight continued,

“Do you know how long we’ve been waiting to talk to you?” She ranted. “You’re not going to just walk out on us again!”

“And you better have a damn good explanation for us!” Rainbow Dash yelled, losing her patience.

Even under her friends’ angry stares, Applejack stood her ground. “I’m just bein’ courteous. I figure ya’ll don’t wanna see me like this.” She justified. “’Sides, I haven’t been sleepin’ very well lately. I think I might go take a nap on one o’ those newfangled-”

*SMACK*

An incredibly loud smack resounded throughout the hallway, and was followed by an awed silence. The group stood with their eyes wide open, except for Rarity, who was now lowering her front hoof back down to the floor. Applejack was flabbergasted, and her head was cocked slightly to the left, and was now displaying a large red mark on her left cheek.

“How dare you just run off like that?!” Rarity berated her. “What were you thinking?! You could’ve been killed!”

Rarity took a step towards Applejack, who instinctively took a step backwards. Applejack had a look of genuine fear on her face. “I-I, uh, I-” She stuttered.

Rarity was now standing right in front of Applejack, and was glaring into her emerald eyes. Then, the anger fled from Rarity’s sapphire eyes, and the anger was replaced with tears. “Do you have any idea how worried we all were about you?” Rarity chided her, no anger left in her voice. “How worried I was about you?”

Applejack’s face flashed from fear, to surprise, and then settled on an incredibly guilty frown. “…I…”

Rarity cut Applejack off once again by wrapping her forelegs around her, and hugging her tightly. “I thought you were dead…” Rarity blubbered. “Don’t ever do that again…” She buried her face on Applejack’s bloody shoulder, and began to cry.

Applejack was once again exasperated, but after a few seconds, she looked down at the white mare clinging to her. She closed her eyes, and returned the embrace. “I’m sorry if I made you worry ‘bout me, girls.” The stubborn mare finally apologized. Then, she looked at Twilight. “Alright, you win. Gather ‘round everypony. It’s story time.”

*******

“…And after I made that announcement, I went straight to Princess Celestia. Honest.” Applejack finished her tale.

Rainbow Dash whistled. “Whoa. Never knew you had it in ya.”

Applejack chuckled unenthusiastically. “To tell the truth, I didn’t either.”

“So you killed exactly thirty-four griffons? By yourself?” Twilight queried in disbelief. Applejack nodded once in response.

“And so that’s who’s… er, blood… you’re wearing?” Spike continued.

“…Yeah. It is.” Applejack replied wearily.

“So I guess you’ve practiced with swords and knives before, huh?” Rainbow Dash questioned sarcastically.

In response, Applejack sighed dejectedly. “I’ve never used a sword before. And I’ve never used a knife like that.” She looked down at her hooves, and continued in a distant voice, “I didn’t really think about what I was doin’. I just did whatever… worked.”

After her statement, the group went quiet. They all waited for somepony to break the silence, and eventually, Rarity did.

“...So, they all attacked as soon as they saw you?” She inquired from Applejack’s side, attempting to stir conversation again.

Applejack shook her head, and recalled, “No, they didn’t all attack me. One came at me when I walked onto the field. After he went down, about twenty or so flew down next. An’ after I killed those ones, I charged whoever was left.” Her friends all shivered at her serious composure. “Some of ‘em even had the nerve to fly away. I only managed to get one of ‘em, the rest got away.”

“You killed a fleeing soldier?!” Twilight shouted at her.

Applejack flipped her mane out of her eyes, and smiled evilly. “Yeah. I did.”

“Applejack!” Rarity cried in disbelief.

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy whimpered.

Applejack’s smile faded, and she replaced it with an icy glare. “I did the world a favor. Those griffons deserved to die. After what they did to my family…” She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t regret a single thing that I did.”

Silence overtook the group once more, and Applejack didn’t let up her cold gaze. After the mares stared at each other for a little while, Applejack shook her head, and smiled. “I wasn’t kiddin’ earlier though. I really could use a nap. And a bath.”

Pinkie Pie instantly cheered up. “Ponyville’s safe now, right? Why don’t we all head back home?”

“I second that!” Spike chimed in.

Applejack laughed nervously, and then answered, “Well, girls… I kinda look like a murderer right now. I’d prefer to clean up here instead.” She made a shooing motion with her front hoof. “But, ya’ll don’t need to wait up fer me.”

“Haha, you can’t ditch us that easily, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash said accusingly.

“I’m not tryin’ to.” Applejack calmly replied. “But all o’ ya’ll need to get back to Ponyville. Twi, you’re the Princess, so it’s a darn good idea fer ya to lead the first trip. Rarity, you need to bring yer sister home. Fluttershy has all o’ her animals, and I’m sure Gummy misses ya right now, Pinkie.”

“Oh no! I almost forgot!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Wait, what about me?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“I’m sure Scootaloo wants ya to come home with ‘er.” Applejack answered matter-of-factly. “So ya’ll can head home, and I’ll go get some much-needed shut-eye.”

“I don’t like this…” Twilight muttered.

“Come on Twi, I’m the Element o’ Honesty. Can’t ya trust me?” Applejack cheekily asked.

Rainbow Dash glided over to Applejack, and looked into her eyes. “So you swear you’ll come back to Ponyville?”

Applejack smiled. “I’ll be there.”

Rainbow Dash backed off, and then nodded. “All right then.”

“We’re trusting you, darling.” Rarity added.

“Ya don’t hafta worry so much about me, sugar-cube.”

“Group hug!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, and then tackled Applejack and Rarity. Applejack laughed heartily, and returned her embrace, which the rest of the group soon did as well.

After hugging for a few seconds, the ponies released each other, and exited the throne room hallway. They walked side-by-side to the courtyard, where Applejack split from the group to pursue her rest. Twilight and her remaining five friends gathered Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and anypony else who wished to return to their hometown. Finally, they gathered on the multi-colored train, and sped back to their home, Ponyville.

*******

Rainbow Dash was stirred by a sunbeam shining itself over her eyes. She pried open her crusty eyes, and lifted herself into a sitting position. Mornin’ already? She thought sleepily. She jumped out of her cloud-bed, and stretched herself out. “Sheesh, that might’ve been a new record for how long I’ve slept.” She commented to herself.

“All right, time to drop by Sweet Apple Acres.” She decided out loud. “Maybe I’ll help Applejack clean up the bodies.” She snickered. “Maybe.” She spread her wings, and flew out of her bedroom into the guest room, where her pet tortoise lived.

“I’m goin’ to my friend’s place. You gonna be all right without me?” Rainbow Dash asked her pet. After his inevitable silence, she smiled, and carried on, “What am I worried about? You can handle yourself, Tank.”

After she was done speaking to her tortoise, Rainbow Dash opened the nearest window, and soared into the open air over Ponyville. “Looks a little cloudy today.” She thought out loud. “Weather team was probably slacking off. I’ll fix that in a lil’ bit.”

Rainbow Dash did a loop-de-loop in midair, and then barreled toward Sweet Apple Acres. She corkscrewed, zigzagged, and put as much style into her flight as she could, even though nopony was watching her. Even with the added flair, she arrived in mere seconds. She hovered a few yards above the ground, and looked around her at the barren landscape.

Ugh, it smells like total death here. She cringed at the smell. And it’s really quiet… She sighed pitifully. So they really are dead, huh… She hung her head. “No, no tears, Dash. Your friends need you to be strong.” She took a deep breath, and began flying over the fields, looking for any familiar faces.

She hadn’t gone far when she spotted Big Macintosh, who was hard at work gathering the griffons’ corpses into a pile. Rainbow Dash calmed herself, and then rocketed down in front of him. “Hey, Big Macintosh!” She greeted him. He looked back at her, and simply nodded. “Uhm, so…” Rainbow Dash awkwardly responded. “You, uh, gathering bodies?”

“Eeyup.” He slowly replied.

“You need some help?” She offered sweetly.

“Nope.” He answered in his monotone.

“Oh! Well in that case…” She took the opportunity to ask, “Could ya tell me where Applejack’s at?”

Big Macintosh threw another body onto pile, and turned to her. “AJ’s not here.” He flatly stated.

Rainbow Dash’s forced grin changed into an annoyed glower. “Why not? Where is she?”

“Yer pink friend was here earlier. Didn’t she tell you?” He inquired.

“Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash pondered. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her for a while…” She gave her full attention to the red stallion in front of her. “Tell me what?”

Big Macintosh grabbed another body, and hurled it onto the pile. “AJ never left Canterlot.” He simply replied.

Rainbow Dash pounded her hooves on the ground angrily. “That idiot!” She raged. “What, did she oversleep or something?”

Big Macintosh turned to Rainbow Dash, and looked gravely at her. “Applejack’s joinin’ the army.”