When The Ponies Neigh: Arc of Guilt

SIXTH

That night two ponies walked into a lonely meadow, just like they did ten days ago. Just like that one night, both were holding shovels in their mouths, but unlike that night, Rainbow Dash was way less confident.

Back then, She was solving the mistake of a friend, but she was not sure it was much of a mistake now after all...or much a 'friend' either...

• "Where was it?" whispered Applejack
  -: "I'm not sure........There! there it is!"
  -"Are you sure?"
  -"Definitively, it was near that rabbit hole"

To tell the truth, all the rabbit holes looked the same. Both ponies came close to the place. It felt so familiar there was no doubt that was the right place after all. They moved the snow aside and found part of the plants they put up in the snow to cover the hole. They started digging once more. The soil seemed harder this time

-"Where is this lake you're talking about?".-Asked Applejack
-"It's not a lake, it's a pond"
-" A pond?"
-"Yeah, I figured the mud would keep it there. Once the swamp dries up in summer, it would be earth's problem"

They kept digging, the past days have been surrealistic at it's best. The plastering of Applebloom's face all over Ponyville the ridiculous campaigns that were determined on finding her, they would continue like that for a long time now, and with it, so would the guilt of Applejack. Rainbow Dash figured that if she felt bad about the whole movement, so would Applejack.

-"A.J, have you thought that, well..."
-"Yes?"
-"Well, wouldn't it be better to just, leave the body somewhere it could be found?"

Applejack stops digging

-"And then what? getting caught?"
-"I'm not saying that, I just thought it be better that way, I can't stand to see the mayor thinking that they will find her some day . Maybe this would be over better with you faking some tears at Applebloom's funeral rather than waiting for them to give up some day"

Rainbow Dash didn't stopped digging until that moment she finished speaking, when she felt the piercing stare of Applejack fixated on her

-"What do you mean by 'Faking some tears'? You don't think I'd cry in my sister's funeral!?
-"No, I--"
-"You think I enjoyed what I did? You think I liked to--" Applejack burst into tears. She tried to continue her rambling, but her voice was too broken to do so. Despite feeling bad for her friend, Rainbow Dash was a little glad of seeing a sane reaction coming from Applejack. That was the A.J she knew and loved. The rambling continued, only that Applejack voice was whinny and heartbreaking.

-"You don't think I've thought about that? You don't think I've thought that when I see my brother suffering all the time?!"

And that's when the saddest, most crushing bawling started.

Rainbow Dash had to hug her friend. It was Applejack after all, the good old Applejack. There was nothing wrong with her, she just got stray from the way a little, that's all. Rainbow Dash held the hope that things would be like they were before, but before that, certain things from the past had to be buried.
Applejack calmed down slowly, her breathing was still shaky and she kept blowing from her nose a lot, but at least she wasn't bawling anymore

The digging continued for a few minutes. The more they dug, the more they realized of something really bad. Once they dug a bit too much Rainbow Dash pointed out their fears

-"What the hell?, it should have popped out by now"
-"Are you sure this is the right hole?"
-"YES, I'm sure! See?" Rainbow Dash holds the plants that were over the hole on her hand
-"Well it can't be because the bag ISN'T THERE!"

Dash started to dig in every place that was ever near a rabbit hole, it dug deep enough for the bag to be seen, but no bag appeared in none of the holes they dug

-"Rainbow Dash?!"
-"It's...gone"
-"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'GONE'?"
-"Look, It's GONE, OK?"
-"It CAN'T be gone! You just won't admit you lost the place!"
-"I DIDN'T, IT WAS THE SAME DAMN PLACE WITH THE SAME DAMN FLOWERS"
-"Then where's the bag, Rainbow Dash, WHERE IS IT?"
-...dunno"
-"What?!"
-"I SAID I DON'T KNOW!" Applejack facepalmed
-: "look it had to be here, there's no place else, see how the frikin' earth's different in this whole part? THAT'S WERE WE DUG".-Rainbow Dash voice raised a lot.

Applejack finds it hard to accept, but she had to admit it's true. It's the right place after all, but there is nothing there.
Now was a good time to panic, and so they did. They kept digging on the original hole but there was nothing there other than roots.

A branch crunched next to a nearby tree

-"...! Who's there?"

Somebody outside the meadow ran away as she heard Applejack's voice. Both Ponies looked at each other and before they could even think about it, they followed it into a group of trees. It didn't matter how dark it was, it kept doing noises as it escaped. Applejack's face could only be described as the face of a desperate hunter. Rainbow Dash wondered what would they do with the spy once they caught it, she feared that Applejack got rid of her too. No, that was no way of thinking, Ranbow Dash refused to see her friend as a cold blood murder. Not after that display of sadness she had back there. Not Applejack.

Rainbow Dash soon caught the lead of what they were chasing. She even saw how it quickly jumped inside a small den on the ground

-"Ugh...It's a frikin' rabbit"

Both of them sighed in relief, but there still was the matter of the corpse

-"What are we going to do now".-asked Applejack
-"What do you mean 'what'? It's gone"
-Yes but--
-"Applejack; ITS.GONE. I really don't care who took the bag or why, as soon as it doesn't links us with it"
-"You're right *sigh* I gotta calm down"

Once that was said and done, they covered the new holes they've made as well as the original one, they covered it with snow once more and walked away from the meadow, going home.

There were only 27 hours left for the wrap up.