Day Thirty Seven In Equestria

“Could you take this out to the northern orchard to Applejack?” Big Mac asks as he loads the wagon full of empty baskets for you to take to the field. It's been a busy day and you've barely started. The early morning sun shines through the barn doorway, giving the place a rather serene golden glow to it. Big Mac taps on the side of the wagon twice for emphasis, turning and walking away to resume whatever it is he needs to do.

“Sure, I'll be quick.” You say happily as you grab the specially designed handle of the wagon and drag it out of the barn, earning an absent minded nod from the red stallion.

“Eeyup.” That's all he says before you leave.

Since you've started working here, Sweet Apple Acres has become your favorite place in Equestria
so far. It's quiet, it's warm and the smell is always fresh. The wagon wheels churn through the grass, making your journey a little bit difficult, but not too bad. You've been working here for about nine weeks now and you have to say, you've gotten used to life here. In fact, you'd probably say it's better here. You've always felt welcome, you've had everything practically handed to you and you have the greatest company a man can ask for. Your life is unique, but pleasant. If you died now, you'd die happy...well, for the most part.

So you pull on the cart and drag it down the 'path' through the trees and keep pulling. The gentle breeze of the summer wind is just what you need. The calm sounds of birds nestled in the trees, tweeting away at each other fills your ears makes the journey that bit more pleasant. There's nothing that can disturb this atmosphere...

Until you hear the dull thwack of hoof on wood. You can see Birds that were unfortunate enough to be perched nearby flee for the heavens at the sound of the cracking of wood. From there, all you have to do is follow the sound right up to the orange mare herself.

You find her, bucking away at a sturdy looking apple tree. Full baskets of apples surrounding her. The tree itself, being about three times as wide as yourself, but Applejack gives one swift kick to the trunk and every single apple falls. It never ceases to amaze you, the sheer strength of this mare. You'd hate to be on the wrong side of her.

“Hey AJ!” You call, tearing her away from her job as she stops to address you. “I've got some more baskets for ya.” You inform, pulling the first couple from the cart. Applejack moves to your side to help unload the containers.

“That's great Anon, just put 'em over by that there tree.” She orders, pointing to the tree she'd just bucked clean. You nod your compliance and start to unload the stacks of baskets, followed by piling them up in neat little rows and as soon as you are done with that, you move to place the full baskets that are lazily scattered around the field onto the cart.

“So how are ya'll settling in?” Applejack asks, sitting down for a little break.

“I've already told you, I'm fine.” You say happily as you pass her, hulking over another particularly heavy basket of apples onto the cart with a rather relieving *Clunk* “Phew!...I have to say though, this place has grown on me.” You don't see Applejack's warm smile in your direction as you move to grab another basket.

“You like it, huh?” Applejack says as she delivers a swift kick to another tree, allowing for a single apple to fall into her outstretched hoof. She's just showing off now. Applejack takes a crisp bite out of her apple, a happy hum vibrating from her throat.

“Yeah, it really is beautiful.” You sigh reminiscent of the place you'll happily call home for an unspecified amount of time.

“Yah ever miss home?” Another question, another bite. It would appear that she has decided to take a break, resting her back against the trunk of a currently un-bucked tree. You scoff playfully, sitting beside the orange cowpony at the first hint of a break.

“Of course I do! Every day, I miss my home, my family and my friends...” You don't see Applejack deflate at your words. “...but if Twilight's said that Princess Celestia is working on it, and I'll be home as soon as possible.” You pinch one of that apples from the tree above you, taking a bite and sighing at the fresh taste.

“So ya'll can't wait ta go back?” Applejack asks, looking at you expectantly, preparing to hang on your every word.

You stare at your apple pondering your answer.

Eh, what the hell. “No. I can wait.”

Applejack looks to you, confused. “But ah thought ya'll said-”

“I said I miss my home, but that doesn't mean I dislike it here. The place is beautiful, there's little to no mass conflict and the peopl- er ponies are some of the kindest...uh... beings, I know. I mean who else would offer to house me while they try to figure out a way for me to get back?” Your question causes Applejack to grow red across her cheek.

“Ya'll still have ta earn yer keep.”

“Still better than what some people I know might do.” She doesn't argue it, so you continue. “And on top it all off, I get to meet Aliens! I mean, how cool is that?!” You shout joyously, earning a chuckle from Applejack.

“How'd we ever think ya'll were dangerous?” She replies jokingly, taking another sizable chunk out of her apple.

“You'd have to ask the mayor.” You say with a sigh, watching as the wind manipulates the leaves of the trees to blow calmly in the wind. The soothing sound of the rustling calming you further.

“I really owe you one, AJ” You say offhandedly. Applejack shifts in her place, snapping out of whatever thought process she was having.

“What for, Sugarcube?”

You look right at her, straight into her large emerald eyes. “For looking out for me. You and your friends. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, you know... I'd be lost if it weren't for you guys...or worse.” Your praise causes her to look at her hooves bashfully, a deep blush rising on her cheeks.

“Well shucks, Anon. Ah think ya give me too much credit. We was jus' doin' what we thought was right.”

You shrug, examining your apple in the breeze. “Maybe, but you still helped me when I needed it, so I'm saying I owe you one.” You smile and raise your apple towards her. “To friends?”

Applejack just stares at you quizzically, but her expression soon turns deadpan. “Are ya seriously toasting with an apple?” She asks, trying not to laugh at your antics.

You examine your apple once more. “No, I'm toasting with a half eaten apple.” You say with as much innocence as you can muster. And there goes Applejack's defenses, as she starts to giggle freely, punching your arm playfully.

“Yer something else, Anon.” She giggles, tapping her half eaten apple to your half eaten apple.

“I know.” You state arrogantly, taking another bite and resting your free hand behind your head. “It's because I'm awesome.”

Applejack laughs wholeheartedly, causing you to deflate slightly. “Ya'll have been hanging around Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah actually. Ah've been hangin' around all y'all.” You say, mimicking her speech, which causes her to playfully stare daggers at you.

“Oh, so ah'm just another pony to ya?” She questions playfully, discarding her apple and standing to her hooves.

“Well, you're not just any pony.” You say happily. There goes Applejack's blush again. “Definitely top sixty.” And at that comment, you found yourself having an orange mare being launched at you at high speed.

“Yer gonna get it now!” She laughs, but you quickly roll out of the way, dodging her attack. She lands with her hooves on the trunk of the tree. Just a small clunk from the tree, so you can tell she's just playing. You stand to your feet, watching as her gaze turns to you with a determined look, she launches again.

You decide that it would be best to run. So you do. Running through the orchard with a giggling Applejack in pursuit, all the while laughing your ass off. But the constant expulsion of air and exercise causes you to quickly find yourself exhausted, causing you to loose speed.

“Get back here... ya two legged... varmint!” She calls.

“No... You're gonna yell at me!” You call back, happily.

You run for a few more seconds, before you find yourself too tired to continue. You spin on your heel, ready to face your pursuer, arms outstretched to catch her. She barrels into you at full speed, sending both of you laughing into a tumble, rolling down a slop until you find her on top of you pinning you to the ground.

You remain like that for a moment, laughing at the silliness of the situation, but eventually it breaks down into heavy breathing as you both remain transfixed on each other, too tired to say anything. She seems too busy, looking over your face, searching for... something.

You don't know how long you've been here, but the situation seems to be getting more and more awkward, so you decide to end it quickly.

“You gonna let me up?” Your question seems to break through to her, snapping her out of her daze, another deep blush breaking out across her cheeks for some reason. Must just be tired.

“Uh...sure, we'd better get back to work, before Big Mac comes looking fer us.” She says happily, looking back the way you came.

“Yeah...we'd better.” You say, standing to your feet. “RACE YA!” You shout suddenly, taking off towards the cart.

“Anon! ya cheatin' mother-buckin'.”

Present day.

You run at a brisk pace through the orchard, hoping to find the location of Rainbow Dash. If she's here, then something's wrong. Very, very wrong.

The apple trees are bare now, each one of them stripped of their apples. You could have sworn you saw them there yesterday, but that's at the back of your mind right now.

Rainbow Dash wasn't in the state to be pulling off sonic Rainbooms for leisure, so she's flying fast for a reason. And given how Rainbow and Applejack were almost at each others throats yesterday, you don't even want to know what's going on here, but you kind of have to. The rainbow trail seems to have dissipated, leaving you to guess where she is, but that doesn't stop you from sprinting as fast as you can for as long as you can go.

“You gonna calm down!?” Grim calls from behind you.

“I'll calm down when I'm dead!” You shout back, your voice ragged, but determined.

“You are dead!” Grim shouts irritably. You shake it off, deciding to ignore her for the time being. They will have to be around here somewhere. You just need to look for the sound of bucking or screaming.

“They're probably fine!” Grim tries once again to reason with you, but it's pointless. You're dead set on finding them.

“Where is he!?”

...You stop in your tracks as the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice echos through the orchard. It's coming from your right and that's the direction you sprint off in. You're so close now.

“Ah don' know what ya are talkin' about!” Applejack's voice graces your ears. It would appear that you were correct in your assumptions. You find a small clearing in the trees. A single red cart filled with apple baskets is the first thing to grab your attention. The second thing being Applejack pinned to the back of the cart by Rainbow Dash, her blue hooves squarely on Applejack's chest. Rainbow's eyes were bloodshot and soaked, but that didn't drown out the rage that was boiling into Applejack's skull.

“Don't bullshit me, you fucking rapist!”

“What did ya call me!?” Rainbow Dash clearly hit a nerve as Applejack starts to blindly throw her hooves at Rainbow Dash, but her attempts are futile as her hooves are just swatted away.

“You heard me! Now, where is Anon's body!”

“You really have a fan club don't you.” Grim says snidely, sitting on the grass with her foreleg folded over the other as she watches the scene unfold. You look back with halfhearted shock. Grim just shrugs you off. “I'm not giving you my scythe, if that's what you're going to ask.”

You huff angrily, turning back to the two mares that are, quite literally, at each others throats.

“... oh I don't know! Maybe it's the fact that you're the one who strikes me as most likely to do something like this! You know, one last fuck you to his wishes!” Rainbow screams, but applejack finally gets a grip and manages to push Rainbow Dash back, stunning her.

Applejack uses her time to get into a defensive stance, he forelegs spread wide and ready to strike. “Ah LOVED him!” She shouts back in defense. The whole thing feeling empty to you now as they both just shout at each other.

“You wanted sex! Nothing more!”

“An' you didn't!?”

“I spent every waking moment with him that he was too afraid to spend alone, because he was too afraid of you!”

You can't watch this. There has to be something you can do.
You can't touch anything.
Nobody can hear you.
The only tool you can use is in the possession of some evil death horse.
And you've got absolutely no way of convincing her to give it to you.
And there are two pissed off mares trying to kill or at least seriously injure each other.
Not a lot of options...

“Yeah, an ah'm sure ya didn't have any ulterior motive!” Applejack retorts, her anger, obvious.

“Fuck you!” Rainbow Dash retorts, her anger boiling over, more and more.

“Oh yeah... Ah, bet ya tried to abuse his trust, once or twice too?” Applejack begins to advance towards Rainbow threateningly. “Ah bet when he was good and comfy on the sofa, ya tried to get 'im a little more comfy?”

“I'd never do that! I'm not like you!”

“Well this is escalating quickly!” Grim says offhandedly, lying on her back and looking to the sky as if nothing was happening. You move to stand over her, making sure that your most threatening expression is present.

“Ya sure about that! Ya still haven't proven you didn't kill him!” Applejack says accusingly, her hooves digging into the ground, ready to deal with the inevitable.

“You're just going to let this happen!?” You shout gesturing to the scene beside you both.

Grim waves her hoof in the air dismissively. “Meh, they'll be fine.”

“But-”

“What do you expect me to do about it?” She interrupts, but you are quick to respond.

“Stop them from killing each other.”

“Anon, if they die, then they di-”

“Please...” You whimper. All of your pain breaking through as you fall to your knees in a pleading gesture, breaking through her defenses rather quickly.

“I'd never kill him! I was his best friend!” Rainbow tries to defend, but Applejack just laughs condescendingly.

Rolling onto her front and climbing to her hooves, she looks into your begging eyes and then back to the two fighting ponies beside you. She sighs heavily in resignation.

“I'm sorry.” She whispers, turning around and walking away. You hang your head in defeat. You feel so helpless.

“Ya think that matters to him!? He didn't care about you! If he did, he woulda noticed you! That's why ya killed him! Because you saw that you mean nothing!”

“I DIDN'T KILL HIM!” Rainbow screams as she charges forward. Both Applejack's hoof and her own collide as she is blocked, but Rainbow's wings allow her to stay upright and throw her other hoof down, this blow connecting with Applejack's gut.

You look up in shock at the scene beside you. Shooting to your feet, you run to stop them.

Applejack curls over slightly in pain, allowing Rainbow Dash to slam her full weight into her, her shoulder connecting with Applejack's head, throwing her backwards and into the rear of the Apple cart. A solid thunk resonating through the area, but she's not done. Rainbow jumps to the air and ascends so high that you can't see her.

You'd hoped she was retreating, now that Applejack's immobilized, but she has other ideas. You see Rainbow's silhouette reappear as she rapidly descends, her foreleg held out straight, prepared to strike.

“Rainbow Stop!” You shout, but your pleas, once again, fall on deaf ears as the rainbow maned pegasus continues to fall.

Applejack looks up just in time, rolling out of the impact zone just before Rainbow lands with enough force to send the cart into a nearby tree, shattering on impact. You're surprised that anyone survived it, but Equestria's laws of physics can still surprise you. Even when dead.

Rainbow stands at the center of the crater, her foreleg firmly pressed to the ground, but upon seeing a strange lack of Applejack beneath her hoof, she begins to search for her target. But the minor dust cloud that was stirred up from the impact acted as the perfect smoke screen as Applejack barrels into her from outside of her sight line.

They roll over each other a couple of times, their hooves at each others throats. When they do stop rolling, Applejack finds herself on top. Seeing her shot, she slams her hoof into Rainbow's face, causing her to reflexively retrieve her hooves, giving Applejack a clear shot as she wraps her hooves tightly around Rainbow's throat.

You stop moving in panic at what you see as Rainbow's eyes widen in panic as she realizes what's happening, her own hooves go to remove the threat, but she find's Applejack's earth pony strength too much to counter as she tries in vein to remove the hooves from her throat. Applejack just glares down at the pegasus below her with unadulterated rage, tightening her grip slowly.

“Applejack, Stop!” You try desperately to pull her off. Your hand constantly phasing through her shoulder doesn't seem to register with you as you keep trying.

“How dare ya! How dare ya accuse me of that!” She screams down at her victim as Rainbow slowly starts to loose consciousness.

“I'm not worth this!” Tears start to stream down your face as you watch your friend kill Rainbow Dash.

“Ah loved him! With all mah heart! A'd never do anything ta hurt him!” Rainbow's hooves beating against Applejack's was beginning to weaken, loosing the strength to keep it up.

“Please! I'll do anything!”

“Do ya think he loved you!?” Applejack taunts, her hooves tightening further. “He didn't! He didn't love you! He never did!”

“Please! I'm begging you! Stop this!”

Tears have been running down Rainbow's face, from emotion or trauma, you don't know. “Ya don't believe me? Then ya can ask him when ya se-”

“STOP!” Applejack is cut off when the massive hulk of red that is Big Macintosh smashes into her, knocking her off of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow instinctively clutches her throat as she takes in as many desperate hacks of breath that she can, choking and stuttering violently.

Applejack finds herself pinned beneath her older brother. She tries to struggle, but even her strength isn't enough to break free of the behemoth above her. He rapidly exhales through his nostrils, glaring angrily at his sister, who refuses to break.

You stare on in shock. Applejack was about to... No. She'd never...

“You okay?” A voice calls out sympathetically. You turn to see Grim watching you with concerned eyes. You feel an all too familiar sense of anger boiling up inside of you as you look at this mare. You shouldn't be surprised. It's literally the same thing, over and over again. You find friends. Friends tear into each other. You beg grim to help. She doesn't. You get angry at her and then forget about it soon after.

Same song and dance. It's not worth the bother anymore.

“You... fucking... psychopath!” Rainbow screams when she gets her voice back, gaining the attention of the other two living beings present. Applejack responds with a stone cold death glare, her eyes narrowing dangerously. You have no doubts that she'd attack if she wasn't restrained.

Big Mac on the other hand responds rather understandably. By switching his death stare to Rainbow Dash and growling like a mutt.

You'd think it'd sound silly, but to be honest, you felt like you were about to piss yourself, and you're already dead.

“What's goin' on here?” He asks in a scarily low tone. Rainbow Dash backs up slightly in fright, but she remains strong all the same.

“A-Anon's gone missing...” her answer managed to get Big Mac's brows to furrow in confusion before switching back to pissed.

“Ah thought he wus dead...?” He asks accusingly. Rainbow immediately forgets about the danger of Big Mac and focuses her attention to Applejack. Answering with an equally accusing tone.

“He is. Somepony stole it...” She didn't have to say it. The implication was all it took.

Big Mac has to take a moment to register what he just heard and you can see it. There are probably more emotions that cross his face than you've seen on him when you were alive.

Confusion as to whether he heard right.

Realization that he did hear right.

Disgust at the idea of what he heard.

Realization again of the fact the Rainbow is Accusing his sister.

Contemplation of the idea that Applejack might have.

Affirmation that she couldn't have.

and finally anger that Rainbow would even think such a thing.

“...So ya think AJ did it!?” He ask...his voice quiet as he looks over his sister. Rainbow doesn't respond, she just remains locked in the angry staring contest with Applejack. It's enough for him to get his answer.

“Yer wrong.” He says simply, deciding that now would be a good point to let his sister up. Applejack climbs to her hooves and dusts herself off, before resuming her death glare.

“Of course you'd say that! You never saw how she was with him!” Applejack steps forward but finds Big Mac's hoof come across her path. A single look is all it takes to stop her from doing something stupid.

“She wus workin' all night. Ah wouldn't even be able to contemplate how she'd manage to get to the hospital an back, without me noticin'.”

“How am I supposed to believe that!? For all I know, you could be in on it!” She screams. For Big Mac's credit, He doesn't even look offended. He just points to the trees behind Rainbow dash and says simply.

“If yud bothered to take a look around, you might have noticed that the trees are completely bare.” Now that you notice it, the orchard is looking a little less red today.

“AJ's been workin' all night, much to mah disapproval.” He says in a matter of fact way. Rainbow Dash seems to get it now, but she still doesn't seem satisfied.

“Then who!? Who would be so sick to do such a thing!?”

“Me, apparently.” Applejack comments, her voice dripping with malice and sarcasm. Her comment received a disapproving look from her brother, who returned his attention to Rainbow.

“How did ya hear about this, anyhow?” He asks.

“I heard about it when the guard burst through my door!” she says angrily. “I barely had time to get out of bed before they were in my house!”

Big Mac just shakes his head slowly in thought. Opting to kill this conversation in it's tracks, but first. “Look, ah don't know what's happened to Anon, but ah give you mah word that he's not here.” He reassures cautiously. “And ah know that he meant a lot to you two -heck, every mare in town seems to be down in the dumps!- but ya need to remember who yer friends are in times like this.”

You think this is the most he's ever talked. He's properly beaten his record of thirty straight words, but you're getting off track a bit. Rainbow hangs her head for a moment, before feeling her neck for the obvious bruises that are now showing clearly. For her credit, Applejack looks genuinely ashamed of herself for it, but before she can say anything, Rainbow dash huffs aggressively and takes to the air. The two siblings being left alone... as far as they know.

A silence dawns on the group, neither Applejack or Big Mac daring to speak. Grim doesn't say anything so neither do you. The silence is short lived however when Applejack lets out a regretful sigh.

“Ah'm sorry.” She says quietly, earning the wrath of her brother once again.

“Yer darn right yer sorry!” He says loudly, causing Applejack to flinch back in fear.

“Ah-”

“What were ya gonna do!? Kill her?!” He says, getting his face close to hers.

“Ah...ah...”

“Ah don't care what happened to Anon! You have no right to take another pony's life!”

“but ah wasn't gonna-”

“Ah heard you AJ!” He says finally, leaving Applejack to hang her head in shame. “Now get inside while ah figure out what to do with you!” He orders. Applejack, having no reason to disobey him, keeps her head held low and trots off in the direction of the barn house, Big Mac in tow.

You and grim just stand there, contemplating what just happened. You can still feel the dried tears on your cheeks. Your heart going strong. You can't believe what you just saw. Even Rainbow look as though she intended to kill, but how could they? They were friends before you came along. Why did this have to happen.

“Anon?” Grim's voice comes out once again. She slowly approaches you, but you hold your hand out, gesturing for her to stop.

“Don't. Just don't.” You say quietly before walking away, towards town.

“But...” her voice dies in her throat when she notices you're not listening.

Author's Note

Hey guys, have you stayed awesome? because I sure as hell haven't...

Sorry.

I got caught up in things, like college and work and I just lost my motivation to write. (hell, this chapter was half baked until about a week ago.)
I have no idea what I'll do, but I don't intend to stop writing. So if you were somehow worried about that, then don't be.
for now, tell me what you think, and where I screwed up, and I'll just focus on this.

Thanks, and Stay awesome!