The first thing Rainbow Dash felt was the dampness. It permeated the air with its icy fingers, weaving their way between her mane, under her skin, and into her bones. She shivered inadvertently, attempting to ward off the cold, wet air.
“Oh, look. She’s awake.”
Her eyelids were as heavy as boulders, but, with Hercuponian effort, Dash managed to force them open. A roaring headache thumped behind her eyes, making every little movement painful. She groaned quietly as she took in her surroundings.
She was in the middle of a dimly lit room. The rotting wood on the wall gave off a very musty scent, and Dash suspected that the wood was also the source of the piercingly cold and damp atmosphere. A lone light bulb hung suspended from the ceiling, bare of any accoutrements. It cast a harsh light upon the room, creating shadows where there should be none.
She was also bound tightly to a chair; a very uncomfortable, spindly, and unbalanced wooden chair that creaked and groaned with every movement. I never understood how Lyra sat like this, Dash thought idly.
Something, or somepony, grabbed her mane and wrenched her head backwards. She let out a yelp of pain and blinked furiously.
“Yeah, she’s awake alright.”
The two voices that Dash had heard so far were unfamiliar to her, causing a small amount of panic to well up inside of her.
“Doesn’t mean she can her us,” the first voice said lazily. It was the deep voice of a stallion, gravely and rough. It painted a picture of a construction zone in Dash’s mind, with loose rock and debris all over the place.
“There’s a quick way we can check,” snickered the second voice. This voice was a harsh juxtaposition to the first voice. It was still undoubtedly male, but it was high-pitched and seemed to dart about. Phrases seemed to come in short bursts, as opposed to the first voice’s deliberate and slow pacing.
Click.
Dash’s eyes widened. She didn’t need to look to know that a gun was just cocked, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was pointed right at her.
The gun landed on what sounded like a wooden table with a dull thump. “Yep,” the higher voice intoned, “I’d say our little filly can hear us just fine.”
“Well, that’s a good thing,” the deeper voice replied. “Can she talk? You hit her on the head pretty hard.”
Dash groaned again. No wonder she had a splitting headache; these idiots had blindsided her.
“Can you talk, sweetie?” the deeper voice inquired. “We have a couple of questions for you.”
Rainbow Dash just resolutely stared at the ceiling. If they had wanted a couple of questions answered, they wouldn’t have dragged her out to Celestia-knows-where, and they sure as hay wouldn’t have beaten her over the head.
So, with her mouth set in a grim line, she stared at the rotten wooden ceiling.
“Ugh, we don’t have time for this!” the higher of the two voices whined.
BANG!
The rainbow pegasus screamed in pain as a bullet ripped through her leg. Stars danced in her eyes as the combined pain of the wound and her headache threatened to knock her out.
“Roy!” the deeper voice growled. “Don’t fucking do that! We don’t want to kill her!”
“Yet,” Roy muttered.
“I apologize on Roy’s behalf,” the deep voice’s owner came into view. He had a dark grey pallet with a black mane. No wonder I don’t remember him, Dash thought dully. There’s nothing to remember about him. Unlike most ponies, this one had a tie loosely hanging around his neck.
“My name is Lee,” the stallion continued. “And, as you have already surmised, this is my brother, Roy. We’re the Jenkins brothers.” As he spoke, his hoof waved in the direction of the other pony with the higher voice. Roy sported a light brown pallet, but with similarly dark mane, just like his brother.
“We’re with the Farmer’s Family.”
Rainbow’s ears twitched. She knew that name.
“Last season, the Apple family had a rather mediocre apple harvest. It wasn’t enough to support the farm, so young Applejack approached us and asked us for…” Lee exhaled softly, idly pushing a small knife around on the table. Dash followed the knife with panicked eyes.
“Some assistance,” Roy provided.
“You gave her a loan,” Dash croaked. Her voice felt like it hadn’t been used in centuries, and her throat burned as she voiced her thoughts.
Lee nodded sagely. “You’re correct. We gave her a substantial loan, enough to keep her family and the farm in the black. Of course, that was last season…”
“And it’s time to collect,” Roy finished.
“But as you probably know,” Lee resumed, sticking the knife in the table, “Applejack has mysteriously disappeared, and her family is gone on a visit in Appleloosa.”
“And you haven’t thought to check there?” Dash muttered incredulously.
“We have,” Lee frowned. “She’s not there. The big red one, what was his name…”
“Big Macintosh.”
“Right. We would have asked her family, but Mr. Macintosh decided that he was going to threaten us in the ‘interest of protecting his family’.” Lee snorted with amusement.
“So, Rainbow Dash,” Roy grinned manically, “we believe that it’s in your best interests to tell us where your dear friend Applejack is.”
Rainbow Dash looked at the grinning brown pony for a while. She contemplated the best possible courses of action, and she mulled over the words she would say.
And then she spit in his eye.
“Eugh! You little bitch!”
POW! A hoof slapped her across the face, making stars dance in her eyes. She groaned as her blinding headache flared up again, blotting out her vision with a searing white light.
“Roy! Control yourself!”
“I think she still needs convincing, Lee!”
POW! With the second blow, Dash felt herself slip into unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~
This wasn’t the first time that Rainbow Dash had joined in the Running of the Leaves. Heck, it wasn’t even the first time that she had run it twice. Last year, for instance, she had been so caught up in winning the race that she had gone to great lengths to sabotage her friend, Applejack.
This year wasn’t like that, though. This year around, the trees simply refused to surrender their leaves. Consequently, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had volunteered to run as many laps as it took for the trees to be cleared.
They had been running together for a while now, their hooves pounding against the ground in a steady rhythm.
“Not-“ pant “gonna-“ pant “use-“ pant “yer-“ pant “wings?”
“Don’t-“ pant “feel-“ pant “like-“ pant “cheating!”
Both friends were panting heavily. They were on their fourth lap through the forest, and their muscles were beginning to grow tired. A normal pony would have taken a rest a long time ago, but the two friends still maintained a certain sense of pride; pride that prevented them from suggesting a break first.
It was inevitable, then, that one of the ponies would fall to the ground, thoroughly exhausted. Neither of the friends expected that they would both collapse at the same time.
“Phew,” Applejack exhaled hugely, gulping in air to feed her starving lungs. “Ah’m plum tuckered out.”
“You said it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “This is hard work.”
“Hard work is honest work,” Applejack shot right back.
“I suppose.”
The two friends grinned as they stared up at the baby blue sky. The occasional puffy white cumulus would drift across the sky, and golden-red leaves would fall from the trees. One of them even landed on Rainbow Dash’s nose, making her sneeze.
Applejack eventually broke the silence with a heartfelt sigh.
“Applejack?”
“Yeah, sugarcube?”
“Are you alright? You’ve been kinda down in the dumps lately.”
Applejack sighed again. “Ah dunno, RD. Stuff has been going on at th’ farm, and Granny Smith gets older every day. She ain’t long for this world, I think.”
“But that isn’t the only thing,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“The land’s tired, RD. Every year, it seems we get fewer apples, and the ones we do get are always smaller than last year’s. Ah’ve been doin’ my best, but…” the orange pony trailed off.
“But you’re afraid for the future,” Rainbow Dash finished.
“Aye.”
“Well, what’ve you been doing?”
Applejack twitched. “Ah went and talked to Twi’. She seem’d like the best pony to talk about the ‘science of agriculture’, or what have you.”
“And?”
“She said that we should ‘rotate our crops to renew the nutrients of the land’.”
“So, basically, grow something other than apples.”
Applejack nodded. “Right. Ah mean, we grow corn on the side, but…”
“It isn’t enough, is it?”
“No.”
Rainbow Dash crossed her front hooves over her chest. “Did Twilight suggest anything else for you to grow?”
“She said it was up t’ us,” Applejack muttered. “Ah don’t see how we’re gonna do it, though. What else can you grow that makes cider and pie and all the other goodies that the Apple family makes? Pears? Yeah right.”
Silence pervaded the air as the two ponies descended deep into thought. Images of pies and fritters floated through Rainbow Dash’s mind as she cast around for any sort of fruit that would save her friend.
Grapes? No, the Apples aren't well equipped for a vineyard. Rainbow Dash frowned. Same goes with watermelon. Can they grow oranges? Her frowned deepened. Too temperate. Pecans? She smacked herself in the face. A pecan is a nut! What else grows on trees?
“Cherries,” the rainbow mare spoke up suddenly.
“What’dja say?”
“Yeah, you can grow cherries!”
Applejack blinked a few times. “I dunno, RD…”
“Think about it! The cherry orchard in Appleoosa or wherever you ran off to that one time is so far away from Ponyville. We’re ALWAYS running out of cherries, too! Just ask Fluttershy!”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“But nothing!” Rainbow Dash leaped to her hooves. “There are enough apple orchards around Canterlot to provide enough apples to the town! And you can make cider and pies out of cherries, too!”
Applejack mulled it over, and Rainbow Dash could practically hear the gears in her orange friend’s mind turning.
“Well… why the hay not?” Applejack grinned at her rainbow-colored friend. “Ah can’t imagine that it would make things worse. Asides, cherry cider is so darn sweet, Ah’m sure it’ll be a hit!”
They grinned happily for a few minutes, then Applejack spoke up again. “Ah’m gonna need to take out a loan…”
“A loan? What for?”
“Ah couldn’t scrape together enough bits to buy muhself a cherry orchard, even if Ah sold the farm and everythin’ on it.” Applejack shook her head. “Naw, Ah’m gonna need t’ go to the Farmer’s Family.”
“WHAT!?” Applejack flinched at the outrage in Rainbow Dash’s voice, but her eyes remained steadfast. “You can’t go to the Family! You know what they do, and how they get their loans repaid!”
“That won’t be the case with me,” Applejack replied firmly. “Ah’ll repay my dues when they’re called fer, and the Family is th’ only group that’ll get me t’ where Ah need t’ be.”
Rainbow Dash grumbled, but nodded. “Alright, AJ. If you’re dead set on this Family business, I’ll support you on it.”
Applejack rolled to stand on her hooves and pulled the rainbow mare into a tight hug. “Ah knew ya would be there fer me, Rainbow,” the orange pony said quietly. Rainbow Dash could hear the uncertainty and fear in her friend’s voice.
“I’ll always have your back, AJ,” the pegasus replied softly, returning the hug. “You know that.”
~*~*~*~*~
“Wake up, bitch.”
Cold water splashed in Dash’s face as she was yanked out of her mental reverie. A snarling Roy was standing over her, an empty bucket held in his hooves.
Lee frowned. “Miss Dash, it really is impolite to spit in ponies’ faces.”
“Trying to teach me manners?” Rainbow Dash sneered. “Don’t bother. My friends failed at it, and you’re not doing any better.”
“So it would seem,” Lee replied, frowning. With his knife grasped in his hooves, he slowly scooted his chair forward, getting closer to Rainbow Dash. “Look, all we want is your friend. Tell us where Applejack is,” he trailed off, pressing the flat of the knife against the pegasus mare’s cheek, “or we get the information the hard way.”
“Go fuck yourselves,” Dash replied, spitting on the ground.
She was rewarded with a sharp pain as the knife bit into her cheek, leaving a thin laceration behind.
“It’s a shame, really,” Lee said quietly, “to see such a young and beautiful mare be subject to this.”
“All we want is where she is,” Roy threw in, rubbing a small cloth on his pistol. It was an impressive looking revolver, with a gleaming silver body and wood inlayed on the handle.
It was also the instrument that had punched the stinging hole in her leg.
“So you can treat her like you’re treating me? So you can try and wring your money out of her?”
Lee and Roy looked at each other. “Pretty much,” Roy admitted, shrugging.
“Sorry, no deal. Cut me up all you want,” Dash’s mouth was set in another grim line, “but I’m not giving up my friend to you.”
Lee opened his mouth to say something, but Roy shoved him out of the way, straddling the rainbow mare.
“Listen to me, bitch,” he hissed, shoving the barrel of his revolver into her forehead. “You have one minute, one fucking minute to tell me where that fucking orange pony is, and if you don’t cough it up in one minute I will blow your fucking brains out!”
Rainbow Dash took a breath and closed her eyes. Images of the honest orange pony filled her mind, and she found herself smiling.
I made a promise…
A promise to always have my friend’s back.
That promise was so easy to keep, until now…
I… I’m scared, Applejack. I don’t want to die. But I will, for you.
I’d always be loyal for my friends.
Still smiling, Dash opened her eyes.
“No.”
Roy snarled. “No?!”
“No, meaning I refuse to tell your sorry flank where my friend is.”
Time slowed as the brown stallion pulled back the hammer on his revolver. Dash shut her eyes, sending a swift prayer to the sun, the moon, and Celestia.
Please. Wherever I’m going, make it somewhere beautiful…
Click.
Roy’s eyes widened to the size of grapefruits.
“If yer wise,” a quiet voice threatened, “yer gonna set down the gun and walk away from my friend.”
“A-applejack!” Dash grinned hugely at the sudden appearance of her friend. The orange pony was glaring at the two Jenkins brothers, her own pistol pressed firmly against Roy’s head.
A bead of sweat ran down Lee’s face. “Ah, just the pony we were looking for. Applejack, it’s time that you-“
He was interrupted by a large sack of bits that landed on the table before him.
“Take yer money and go,” Applejack growled.
Wordlessly, Lee grabbed the sack with his teeth and galloped out the door. Roy tried to follow, but was stopped by an orange hoof.
“Ah think Ah owe you somethin’ extra, if ya catch mah drift.”
BANG!
Roy collapsed to the floor as Applejack’s bullet tore through the back of his front leg. The orange earth pony picked up the revolver that had fallen out of Roy’s control and quickly stowed it away in her saddlebags.
“Are ya alright, RD?”
“Never better, AJ,” the pegasus was grinning wildly, blood dripping from both the wound in her face and her leg. A crazy light was gleaming in her eyes.
Applejack chuckled. “C’mon, ya crazy pegasus. Let’s get ya home.” After cutting the bonds on the uncomfortable wooden chair, Applejack hoisted Dash onto her back and carefully made her way out of the little wooden shack.
“By the by, would ya care for a cherry?”
