Appleback Mountain

Chapters

One
Three
Four
Five
Six
Two

One

On the far side of the horizon, beyond the rolling hills of Ponyville and past the farmland of Sweet Apple Acres, there's a place untouched by Ponykind. A place where the mountains scrape the sky and the lakes that dot the terrain are as smooth and clear as glass. A contented stillness and silence blankets the vast landscape, as if though animals live among the scattered rocks and trees, none have reason to bring an end to its tranquility.

The sun rose over the landscape one day in late summer, turning the peaks of the mountains a burnt shade of orange. As the sun moved through the sky the orange light spread downward, illuminating sloping forests of evergreens and mist that hung over the lakes like dust on the surface of a mirror.

Also lit by the rising sun were two ponies, dwarfed by the immense landscape and towering mountains. Long shadows stretching before them, they trekked upward over rocky slopes and babbling brooks. A farmhand and a flyer, both ponies were strangers to the land. Neither knew what was to come. Both traveled onward, unaware that the trip on which they were embarking would have repercussions that would last the rest of their lives.

It started with a bet.

“So what’s the big deal with this Mare Grylls?” Applejack asked. She, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were gathered at Fluttershy’s house, about to watch a marathon of the popular show Pony vs. Wild.

“‘What’s the big deal with Mare Grylls?’” Rainbow Dash repeated in disbelief. “She’s a born survivor! Mare Grylls thrives on adventure like Pinkie Pie on cupcakes! She could survive in the wilderness for months on end armed with nothing but her bare hooves! For an earth pony, that’s pretty impressive!”

“Now hold on there,” Applejack interrupted Rainbow Dash. “Whaddya mean, ‘fer an earth pony’? Some reason earth ponies can’t survive in the wild?”

“Well, compared to pegasi, earth ponies just aren’t as prepared to live in the wild,” Rainbow Dash said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Pegasi are built to endure all kinds of weather. Earth ponies just don’t have those capabilities.”

“I’m sorry Rainbow, but yer talkin’ nonsense,” Applejack argued. “There’s more to survivin’ in the wilderness than just enduring the weather. Ya gotta have a special connection to the land. And only earth ponies have that.”

“Girls, must we have this discussion now?” Rarity interrupted. “The show’s about to begin.”

“Sorry ‘bout that, Rar’,” Applejack said. “We’ll keep it down.”

“Oh please,” Rainbow continued in a derisive whisper, “A ‘special connection to the land’? You see food, you eat it. That’s all there is to it.”

At that moment, Fluttershy entered the room and asked, “Is anypony hungry? Pinkie and I made—“

“POPCORN!” Pinkie Pie squealed, bursting into the room with a humongous bowl of popcorn. Kernels of popcorn flew everywhere as she came abrubtly to a stop.

“You know, girls,” Twilight Sparkle joined the conversation, “There’s more to surviving in the wild than that. You’ve got to have knowledge and a wide range of skills. Why, I could recommend several books—“

“Twilight, dear, please don’t encourage them,” Rarity said. “I’m having enough trouble concentrating on this show as it is.”

Twilight shrugged and turned back to the television.

“Mare Grylls is the exception, not the rule,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “That’s why she’s so impressive. Because pegasi are so much better equipped for survival.”

“I’d like to see you try t’ survive in the wild,” Applejack scoffed.

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash replied. “Bet I could last longer than you could!”

“Yer on!” Applejack proclaimed. “It’s a campin’ trip then! Jus’ you an’ me. First one t’ go home loses!”

“Could you two please try to get along?” Fluttershy begged. “Have some popcorn and watch the show with us.”

“Where will we go?” Rainbow Dash asked, ignoring Fluttershy’s pleas.

“I know the perfect place,” Applejack declared. “Appleback Mountain.”

“How’d you hear about this place?” Rainbow Dash asked.

She and Applejack had begun to set up camp in a clearing on the edge of a copse of evergreens. Behind them the trees rose up toward rocky lavender peaks far above, and in front of them a babbling creek wove its way down between green hills to the base of the mountain.

“Couple centuries ago my ancestors discovered this land,” Applejack said. “Been Apple family property ever since.” She began arranging stones in the shape of a circle for a fire pit. “Once yer done pitchin’ yer tent, ya wanna find us some firewood?”

“Sure thing,” Rainbow Dash replied, and bounded off into the copse of trees. The tent she had just pitched wobbled and then collapsed into a pile of tentpoles and fabric.

Late that night, Rainbow Dash awoke to the sound of rustling outside her tent. Peeking out she saw a very large, dark shape rummaging through the pile of food she had set just outside her tent.

“Hey!” she yelled. “Get away from my food!”

The silhouette turned to face her and by the moonlight she was able to discern the shape of a bear. Rainbow Dash gulped.

The bear turned and started lumbering away, just as Applejack sleepily poked her head out of her tent to see what all the commotion was about. Upon noticing the bear heading straight for her, Applejack scrambled to get out of the way, tripped, and faceplanted in the dirt.

“Applejack!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed and rushed over to Applejack as the bear disappeared into the darkness. “You okay?”

Applejack sat up and Rainbow Dash caught sight of a dark liquid dripping from her forehead.

“You’re bleeding!” she exclaimed. “Here…” She found a rag and pressed it against Applejack’s forehead.

“Thanks,” Applejack mumbled, taking the rag and holding it against her head. She looked up at Rainbow Dash. “What were you thinkin’, by the way, leavin’ yer food out for the bears to get it? Ya have to suspend it, like I did. Keep it outta reach. What’d ya think this here contraption was for, anyway?” She gestured toward what to Rainbow Dash looked like a teepee skeleton made of three long sticks bound together at the top with a sack hanging down from their intersection.

Blank-faced, Rainbow Dash looked at the structure and then said, “I did not even notice that.”

Even in the darkness she thought she could make out Applejack rolling her eyes.

“We’re gonna have to do somethin’ about food,” Applejack said the next morning, looking at what remained of their rations. “That bear went off with a week’s worth o’ vittles.”

That afternoon found the two ponies crouched in a bed of pine needles by the stream, trying to catch any fish that swam through the crystal clear water. After what felt like hours and hundreds of fruitless attempts, Rainbow Dash collapsed onto her back in exasperation.

“This is impossible!” she pronounced.

“Dash, it’s only been a half-hour,” Applejack replied. “Ya ain’t gonna make me do this all on my lonesome, are ya?”

“We’re just gonna scare ‘em off with all this splashing,” Rainbow Dash said. “Maybe we should take it in turns.”

“Ya know, that ain’t a bad idea,” Applejack admitted. “I’ll give it a few more tries an’ then yer up.”

Rainbow Dash lay in the pine needles watching the clouds cross the sky for another interminable period of time until Applejack finally announced, “Yeehaw! I got one!”

Rainbow Dash sprang up and gave Applejack a playful shove in jubilation, causing her to lose hold of her catch. The fish slipped through her hooves and dove back into the water. Applejack gazed forlornly after it.

“All right, Dash,” she said, “Yer turn.”

“Let’s go to the top of the mountain!” Rainbow suggested one morning, bouncing slightly with excitement.

“Couldn’t ya just fly to the top?” Applejack asked.

“Of course I could,” Rainbow Dash said. “But where’s the fun in that? I want you to come with me!”

Applejack tried but failed to hold back a smile.

“All righty then,” she said. “But we’ll need to bring snacks and water. It’s a lot farther than it looks.”

Together they gathered some food and water and headed upward into the woods.

After several hours of hiking, the trees began to thin until they found themselves scrambling over a field of scattered rocks and scraggly shrubs.

“Well that view just gets better an’ better,” Applejack remarked, gazing out over the valley. “Ya think we’re higher than that mountain over there?”

Rainbow Dash squinted at where Applejack was pointing. “Maybe,” she said. “We’re above the treeline.”

“Let’s keep going!” Applejack said eagerly. “Looks like we’re getting close!”

The two ponies climbed higher and higher, but Applejack’s earlier warning proved to be true. For every ridge they ascended, another ridge would appear just beyond it. Soon the shrubs and mosses disappeared, until all that they could see was rocks and—

“Snow!” Applejack exclaimed in wonderment. “In summer! Well I’ll be.”

At first the snow appeared in small mounds that hadn’t quite melted during the spring, but as the ponies climbed higher, the snow appeared in larger and larger quantities until finally they came upon a smooth expanse of white that sparkled in the sunlight as it continued to slope upward toward the peak of the mountain.

“Come on!” Applejack said as with a newfound energy she leaped into the previously unblemished field of white. Rainbow Dash grinned at Applejack’s excitement and bounded after her. Finally the two ponies fell onto their backs in the soft powder.

“This is amazing,” Applejack murmured, gazing up at the pale blue sky. “I feel like the sky’s just inches away. Like I could reach out an’ touch it. Is this what it’s like for you all the time?”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Pretty much.”

Applejack sat up and looked out over the mountainous landscape. “Boy howdy, you can see everything from up here.” Far in the distance she could make out dark clouds that were lit up every so often with a flash of lightning. Both ponies were quiet for a long time. “We’re about as far from civilization as a pony can get,” Applejack said finally.

She shivered. “It’s a might chilly up here. Ya wanna head on back? We’ve got a long way to go.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned to their campsite that evening to find it littered with sticks and twigs.

“Must’ve missed a storm while we were up there,” Rainbow Dash mused. “Looks like some pretty strong winds came through here.”

“Oh no,” Applejack said. “Your tent…”

Rainbow Dash raised her head to look at her tent only to find that a large tree branch had broken off and flattened it.

“Ya think we can move it?” Applejack asked.

“It’s worth a try,” Rainbow Dash replied, but after straining to push and pull the branch off of her tent, she had to admit that it was no use.

“It’s no use,” she sighed. "Guess I’m sleeping under the stars tonight.”

“Ya sure?” Applejack asked. “It gets a tad brisk at night here.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash said with more than a little bravado. “I don’t need a tent.”

“Well, all right,” Applejack conceded. “Let’s get a fire started then.”

By the time they started a fire for dinner, the sun was sinking behind the mountains and the sky was turning from pink and lavender to a deep indigo. Amidst the surrounding darkness the fire created an oasis of light and warmth.

“Ya ever had any o’ the Apple family hard cider?” Applejack asked Rainbow Dash. At the sound of the word “cider” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up.

“You brought cider?” she asked. “You know how much I love cider!”

“Well, this ain’t what yer used to,” Applejack warned, tossing her a bottle, “but I think you’ll like it.”

Rainbow Dash twisted off the bottlecap and took a swig as Applejack watched expectantly. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened at the taste. She swallowed and said, “How could you wait so long to tell me your family makes hard cider? This is AWESOME!”

Applejack grinned. “I knew you’d like it.”

The two ponies sat leaning against a log, savoring the warmth of the fire as a cool evening breeze blew through the campsite.

“How come I’ve never heard you talk about yer family?” Applejack asked Rainbow Dash after a while.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a long moment.

“My old man was a flyer,” she said softly. “And good at it too. He was pretty well-known throughout Cloudsdale.” She took a sip of cider. “He kept his secrets to himself though. Never taught me a thing; never came to see me fly. Everything I can do I taught myself.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Applejack said.

“Don’t be,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m a better flyer because of it.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, who took another swig of cider.

After a moment Rainbow Dash asked, “What about your parents?”

“What about ‘em?” Applejack replied.

“Did they treat you right?”

“Did as best they could, I reckon,” Applejack answered. “After they passed Granny an’ Big Macintosh did what they could to raise me an’ Apple Bloom.” She paused. “Ain’t much to tell, to be honest.”

She stared into the fire, then turned to Rainbow Dash and said, “Hand me another bottle, will you?”

The night grew later and at one point, the two ponies found themselves singing, or rather belting, forelegs around each other’s shoulders, swaying to either side with the music and the drink.

Finally Applejack decided to turn in. “Sure yer gonna be all righ’ out here?” she asked her friend.

“Sure am,” Rainbow Dash replied, wrapping herself in a blanket and trying to appear as cozy as possible in front of the fire.

“Well okie-dokie then,” Applejack said. “Goodnight!” With that, she retired to her tent.

Rainbow Dash was shivering, curled up under a thin blanket next to the dying embers of the fire. No matter which way she turned, however tightly she curled herself inward, she still found her teeth chattering and goosebumps rising all over her body.

Applejack poked her head out of her tent, the haze of the hard cider not quite worn off yet.

“Rainbow Dash,” she slurred, “you put aside yer pride and git in here. Yer gonna catch yer death out there.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, too cold to speak, and rose to her feet. Clutching the blanket tightly around herself, she stumbled on shaking legs over to Applejack’s tent and collapsed in a warm pile of blankets. Applejack threw another thick blanket over Rainbow Dash and pressed herself close to her body until her shivering died down.

Later that night, Rainbow Dash was curled up on her side when she was partially woken by the sound of slow breathing inches from her ear. Still mostly asleep, Rainbow Dash reached behind her and found Applejack’s front leg, and then pulled it around herself so that it was as if she was wrapped in an embrace from behind. Applejack drew closer and nuzzled her head against Rainbow Dash’s.

After a long moment, both ponies seemed to regain consciousness simultaneously, and when they realized exactly where they were in relation to each other, sprang apart. They stared at each other, hearts racing.

And then it all seemed to happen at once. The distance between them was nothing and Rainbow Dash was caressing Applejack’s perfect lips with her own. Her forelegs pulled their bodies together and grasped desperately for Applejack’s golden mane, the smooth curve of her back. Applejack fell back on her pillow and Rainbow Dash straddled her, her lips traveling to her neck, her forelegs moving down to her hindquarters. Legs entangled, pelvises pressed together, Rainbow Dash continued to match the undulations of Applejack’s body with her own until Applejack’s back arched and she let out a gasp of pleasure.

And then it was all over. Rainbow Dash could feel the heaving of Applejack’s chest begin to subdue as she gently kissed Applejack’s lips once more and then drew back to gaze into her wide green eyes. Her expression was unreadable.

Neither pony said a word.

After a moment Rainbow Dash slowly rolled off of Applejack’s body and as soon as she buried herself under the blankets, began to snore.

Three

“You may kiss the bride.”

Applejack met Caramel’s warm gaze with a smile, and then closed her eyes as their lips met with a kiss. The guests gathered around the barn at Sweet Apple Acres for the wedding erupted in applause. Applejack’s stallion of honor Big Macintosh swelled with pride while the bridesmares Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity dabbed at their eyes and, abandoning all dignity, Pinkie Pie burst into tears.

It had been a whirlwind courtship.

While Applejack was camping on Appleback Mountain, Big Macintosh had hired Caramel to take over her duties on the farm. When Applejack returned, she recognized Caramel from the bridal party for Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding. The two got to talking during their farm chores and within a matter of days Caramel asked Applejack out on their first date.

Applejack could remember eating caramel apples together at the Nightmare Night celebrations in Ponyville and spending Hearth’s Warming Eve together in front of a blazing fire in the Apples' farmhouse. After only five months of courting, Caramel proposed on Hearts and Hooves day in front of the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. It was clichéd, but Applejack was ready to embrace tradition to be with a pony that made her feel better than she had felt since returning from Appleback Mountain.

Now white lilies stood around an altar in front of the barn and strings of lanterns hung from the surrounding trees. As the sun went down, the lanterns lit up, giving the impression that the apples themselves were glowing.

Pinkie Pie kicked off the reception by setting off a confetti cannon and a bluegrass band struck up a lively tune.

Applejack made her way onto the dance floor with Caramel at her side. She could barely contain her happiness, frequently glancing at the crowd of assembled guests and then back at her new husband with a smile. Dozens of members of the Apple family were in attendance. She could see Apple Bloom in her flower filly’s dress, dancing with Big Macintosh. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity chatted with Braeburn by the apple sangria and hors d’oeuvres while Granny Smith conversed with the older members of the Apple family and Pinkie Pie continued to tear it up with Spike on the dance floor.

It was perfect.

Or would have been. One face was missing from the crowd. Everypony that Applejack cared about was here to celebrate this happy day, everypony except for one.

The lights at Stallion Square Garden were turned down low. Thousands of ponies waited in rapt anticipation while violins began a rhythmic, gradually building ostinato over an ethereal synthesized chord. A slow horn melody swelled over the driving strings and smoke crept across the stage.

Rainbow Dash thrummed with energy and flapped her wings a couple times as the driving ostinato increased in volume. Then, with a drumset fill and a trumpet fanfare, a pillar of light shone upward from the center of the stage and Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts took off. They crossed the floor in seconds, zooming just inches above the ground until they reached the center of the stage, and then flew straight up, spiraling around the pillar of light as they soared higher and higher.

When the Wonderbolts reached the peak of their ascent, a dozen more lights flashed on, illuminating the entire stage. The Wonderbolts parted ways and spread out to the edges of the stage, and then began to circle it, just feet from the first rows of the audience.

Rainbow Dash’s heart beat in excitement to the rhythm of the pounding bass. In her peripheral vision she could see flashes of thousands of cheering ponies.

The show had begun.

Rainbow Dash sat at a bar after the show, trying to find an opportunity to casually mention her status as a Wonderbolt to the bartender when a fellow Wonderbolt named Fleetfoot walked into the bar. She sat down a few seats down from Rainbow Dash, who moved to sit beside her.

“Having a good evening?” Rainbow Dash asked Fleetfoot.

“Couldn’t be better,” Fleetfoot replied. “You?”

“I’m doing great,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hey, nice moves tonight.”

“Thanks,” Fleetfoot said.

“I’m serious,” Rainbow Dash continued. “Those were some seriously awesome tricks! I feel like a better flyer just by watching you work your magic. Can I buy you a drink?”

Fleetfoot turned to face Rainbow Dash. “Save your money, Rainbow Dash," she said coldly. "You’re a Wonderbolt too. We’re both just doing our jobs.” With that, she stood up and joined another group of ponies, leaving Rainbow Dash alone at the bar.

Applejack, Caramel, and Applebloom walked together through dusty fairgrounds, colored lights blinking all around them as the light faded from the sky.

When Apple Bloom had burst into the farmhouse to announce that the carnival was in town, Applejack and Caramel were only too happy to take her. Still just a filly, Apple Bloom had quickly taken to the stallion.

After winning her a stuffed pony toy at the midway and buying all three of them cotton candy, Caramel swung Apple Bloom up onto his shoulders and proceeded through the carnival holding her proudly aloft.

“Ain’t this fun?” Applejack said, looking up warmly at her younger sister.

“Can we ride the ferris wheel?” Apple Bloom asked in response, seeming just now to notice the giant wheel of flashing lights. “Can we? Can we?”

“Don’t see why not,” Caramel said, looking at Applejack with a grin.

Several minutes later the three ponies boarded the ride, Apple Bloom hopping up and down with excitement. Their seat rocked gently as it slowly rose. When they reached the top of the wheel, the ride paused to let some ponies off at the bottom. Applejack could see the lights of the carnival spread out below them until they reached the dark edges of nearby farmland.

Suddenly they heard a loud boom over the sound of cheery music and carnival gaiety, followed by a high-pitched whistling. Apple Bloom was the first to look up and point out the fireworks that had begun to blossom in the night sky. She laughed in delight.

Caramel put his foreleg around Applejack’s shoulders and she turned, smiling, to look at him. Another boom resounded from above and colorful sparks danced and spread through the darkness. Applejack laid her head on Caramel’s shoulder and watched Apple Bloom contentedly as the filly laughed and cheered each time colors filled the sky.

After the show at the Rainbow Rocks Ampitheatre, Rainbow Dash was once again sitting alone at a bar, this time with lively music and dozens of dancing ponies at the other end of the room. A couple times she caught sight of a Wonderbolt she knew by the name of Soarin and could’ve sworn that he was looking right back at her.

Her suspicions were soon confirmed when he approached the bar and asked, “Care to dance, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash grinned and followed him onto the dance floor.

Later that evening Rainbow Dash slowly swayed back and forth, forelegs draped around Soarin’s neck. She hadn’t realized until now just how alone she had felt over the past few months, despite being welcomed into the ranks of the esteemed Wonderbolts. With the lights turned low and the music slow, they danced, their faces just inches apart, Rainbow Dash overly aware of the feeling of Soarin’s strong forelegs wrapped around her waist.

At one point Soarin leaned close to whisper into her ear, “You wanna get out of here?”

Rainbow Dash looked up into his bright green eyes and replied, “Let’s go.”

Rainbow Dash fell back onto cold stone, feeling the warmth of Soarin’s body envelope her. Mouth pressed against his, Rainbow Dash welcomed the feeling of his hooves on her face, her chest, exploring her body.

They had returned to the now-deserted Rainbow Rocks Ampitheatre where they had performed just hours ago. Behind her, stone seats stretched up far upward, and more led way down to the stage below. On either side large rock formations were silhouetted against the dark navy sky.

“Rainbow Dash,” Soarin said, pulling back as she tried to lick his face, “you don’t think we’re taking things too fast, do you?”

“Dude, I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash replied, “and I like where you’re going. The faster the better, I say.”

“Do you know anypony from Whinnyapolis?” Caramel asked Applejack upon entering the newly built farmhouse that they now shared.

“Whinnyapolis?” Applejack repeated. “Not that I know of. Why?”

“You got a postcard,” Caramel explained, “from an RD in Whinnyapolis.”

“Oh, must be Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said.

“Ain’t she a friend o’ yours?”

“Uh…yeah,” Applejack replied. “We’re buds. Haven’t seen her since she joined the Wonderbolts.”

She took the postcard from Caramel.

“AJ,” the postcard read. “We’ll be passing near Ponyville next week on our way to Vanhoover. Hit me up if you want to hang. -RD”

The next day Applejack went into town to drop off a postcard at the Ponyville post office. It was addressed to Rainbow Dash and said merely, “You bet.”

A week later Applejack sat by a window facing the front lawn of Sweet Apple Acres, hoof tapping in anticipation, her eyes glued to the dirt road that led into town.

Caramel entered the room and asked, “Sure you don’t want me to take you both out to dinner? You haven’t seen your friend in more’n a year. That’s worth celebratin’.”

“Nah,” Applejack declined, eyes still fixed to the empty dirt road. “Rainbow hates gettin’ gussied up jus’ as much as I do. She an’ I’ll probably just go out to a bar or somethin’… if she even shows.”

It wasn’t until hours later, after Applejack had fallen asleep staring out the window and Caramel had laid a blanket over her, that she was woken up by the sound of hooves coming up the gravel path to their front door. She sprang up, wiping the dried drool off her face and threw the door open before bowling Rainbow Dash over with a hug. Their tight embrace lasted for a good minute until Applejack pulled back, hooves on Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, to take in the sight of her friend. It had been so long since the last time Rainbow Dash had stood before her, close enough for Applejack to see her uncombed mane and the mischievous twinkle in her magenta eyes.

“Come on!” Applejack said and scampered into the barn with Rainbow Dash close behind.

Forelegs once again wrapped tightly around each other, they fell into the hay. Applejack closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Rainbow Dash’s. Her lips were so soft compared to Caramel’s, her touch so gentle. Applejack sank into the hay, surrounded by Rainbow Dash’s scent. Even after more than a year apart, the feeling of being so close to Rainbow Dash was as familiar as if they had just parted the previous day.

The two ponies were so lost in each other that they were blind to the universe outside of the barn. They missed the swaying of the leaves of the apple trees in the gentle evening breeze, and they failed to notice a beautiful sunset, the color of Applejack’s cheeks when she blushed. They were deaf to the squeak of a screen door opening and the creak of hoofsteps crossing the front porch. And neither of them were aware of the expression of shocked disbelief that crossed Caramel’s face when he left the farmhouse looking for Applejack and found her on the floor of the barn, entwined with her best friend.

Four

Rainbow Dash loved the sun.

Before becoming a Wonderbolt, she had held a particular passion for her job as a weather pony. There was almost nothing she liked more than clearing the skies, leaving an expanse of blue, full of nothing but the warmth of sunshine to bask in while she flew.

But today, for the first time, she was not happy to see the yellow rays of light as they crept in through the venetian blinds in the motel room she had shared with Applejack the previous night. To Rainbow Dash the light of the rising sun used to mean freedom and the dawn of a new day of endless possibilities. Now it meant that the wonderful night she had spent with Applejack was about to come to an end. She loved being a Wonderbolt, but not a single day had passed since leaving for the tour that she had felt as happy as she had upon seeing Applejack for the first time in over a year.

“Thought ya weren’t comin’ back,” Applejack mumbled from the pillow next to her. “Figured ya were still sore about that punch.”

Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side so that their noses were an inch apart. “I wanted to come back as soon as I left,” she said. “I kept looking for a chance to visit. I can’t believe it took this long.”

Applejack put her forelegs around Rainbow Dash and pulled her close. “I missed you so much, Rainbow Dash,” she said without letting go.

Eyes closed, Rainbow Dash pressed her forehead against Applejack's and inhaled the familiar scent of apples and fresh soil. “What’re we gonna do, Applejack?” she asked.

“There ain’t nothin’ we can do,” Applejack sighed. “I’m stuck with what I got on the farm.”

Rainbow Dash gazed at Applejack’s downcast green eyes and then, after a long pause, said, “Let’s go back.”

Caramel was sitting by a window with a bottle of the Apple family’s famous hard cider, gazing out at the acres of apple trees but seeing nothing at all, when Applejack burst into the farmhouse and hurriedly began packing her saddlebags.

“Rainbow Dash an’ I are goin’ up into the mountains fer a few days,” she announced. “Gonna have ourselves a li’l camping trip.”

“You know, your friend Rainbow Dash could come in and have some breakfast,” Caramel said, glancing through the window at the blue pegasus waiting outside.

“Nah, she prefers the outdoors,” Applejack replied, tossing her lasso into a saddlebag. “You know how pegasi are.”

“Does Big Macintosh know yer leavin’?” Caramel asked. “It’s almost Applebuck season. We’re gonna need ponies around to help with the harvest.”

“I’m only gonna be gone a few days,” Applejack said dismissively.

Just then Apple Bloom galloped into the room. “Yer leavin’, Sis?” she asked.

"Sure am!" Applejack tousled her sister’s mane and gave Caramel a quick kiss.

“See y’all next week!” she said, then tipped her hat and headed out the door. Rainbow Dash soon matched her pace, and the two ponies galloped off down the road without looking back.

Caramel nuzzled Apple Bloom on the top of her head, and then lifted her onto his shoulders. Turning back to the window, his gaze followed his wife until she and Rainbow Dash disappeared into the distance.

Appleback Mountain was just as they had left it.

A year had passed, but the trees still lay like a deep green blanket over the sloping mountainside. The water still sparkled in the sun, clearer than glass. The rocky peaks still rose up higher than any structure Applejack had ever seen, but still left enough sky that the bright blue expanse seemed to go on forever.

A year had passed, but it was like they had never left. Applejack sat on a log, head resting on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder in the dying light of dusk, and it was here, miles away from Sweet Apple Acres, that she felt safer and more at home than she had in months. The gentle sound of a nearby stream filled the evening air, warmer and more soothing than silence. Every so often they would hear soft snaps and pops from the campfire.

“You know, it could be like this, always,” Rainbow Dash said softly.

“How so?” Applejack asked.

“What if you and I had our own little farm somewhere?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I told you, it ain’t gonna be like that,” Applejack said. “You got yer life flyin’ with the Wonderbolts, and I got my life tendin’ the farm with my family and Caramel.” She glanced at Rainbow Dash and then turned her gaze to the fire. “If you an’ I are together and we let this… this thing take hold of us in the wrong place, at the wrong time… we’re dead.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at Applejack’s furrowed brow.

“There were these two old mares that used to live together on a ranch near Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack continued. “Tough old birds, Prairie Song and Wildflower. They were the joke of the town.”

She stared into the fire for another long moment.

“Well, anyway, they found Prairie Song dead. A few stallions didn’t take too nicely to two mares livin’ together. Story goes, one night they said they’d make her like stallions like a good mare should. Had their way with her, then left her body to rot in a ditch.”

Rainbow Dash was silent. “You saw this?” she asked finally.

Applejack nodded. “I was barely more’n a foal. My daddy made sure Big Mac an’ I saw it. Almost seemed like he wished he’d-a done it.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed. For a moment the only sounds were the rushing of the stream and the soft pops of the campfire.

“I don’t have a lot of mem’ries of my pa,” Applejack continued. “But for some reason that one really stuck with me.”

She looked up at Rainbow Dash. “Two mares livin’ together?” She shook her head. “No way. We can get together once in a while, way out here in the middle o’ nowhere, but…”

“Once in a while?” Rainbow Dash repeated. “It’s been over a year!”

“Well, if you can’t fix it, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, “you gotta stand it."

High above, the stars shone brighter and clearer than they did in the skies of Ponyville as the constant, gentle sound of the stream lulled the two ponies to sleep.

With the harvest season over, the trees at Sweet Apple Acres stood bare. The sky was a blank gray from one horizon to the other.

The creak of the screen door broke the dead silence of winter that fell over the farm like a shroud. Caramel approached the door just as Applejack walked in.

“Where were you?” he demanded. “Apple Bloom is late to her class’s Hearth’s Warming Eve play. She’s been waiting for you to take her there for the last half hour!”

“Why couldn’t you or Big Mac take her?” Applejack asked.

“Because I have to work tonight,” Caramel answered. “We both do!”

“Couldn’t ya have asked for the night off?” Applejack asked.

“You know we can’t afford that!” Caramel snapped. “After this year’s harvest, Big Mac’s and my second jobs are the only things putting food on our table! It ain’t my fault we’re the only ponies that do any work around here!”

He threw a scarf around his neck and called back into the farmhouse, “Apple Bloom! Applejack is here to take you to your play!”

He turned back to glare at his wife. “It wouldn’t hurt you to spend less time goin’ into town to drink and more time providing for yer little sister.”

Applejack seethed with anger, but before she could retaliate Apple Bloom bounded into the room, her little legs and head poking out from what looked like an enormous green ball that enveloped the rest of her body.

“Good luck,” Caramel said, kissing Apple Bloom on the forehead, and left.

Applejack turned to look at Apple Bloom and snarled, “What are you supposed to be?”

“A shrub!” Apple Bloom beamed.

Applejack sighed. “Come on, let’s go,” she said, and the two sisters stepped out into the brisk winter air.

Rainbow Dash gazed at the city lights reflected in the Horseshoe Bay. She and Soarin were seated at an outdoor table for two at an oceanfront restaurant following the Wonderbolts’ show in Baltimare. In the distance, the sun sat on the horizon like a plump red apple.

“I’m going to Ponyville for a few days during our week off,” Rainbow Dash told Soarin. “Gonna be okay without me?” She grinned.

Soarin looked up from his chowder to meet Rainbow Dash’s gaze. “You’ve sure been going to Ponyville a lot,” he remarked. “Why can’t your friend Applejack come to any of your shows? You’re doing plenty of traveling already.”

“She can’t take the time off,” Rainbow Dash answered. “They had a rough year on the farm.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair,” Soarin said. “You going back there every other month and her never coming to your shows.” He turned back to his chowder. “I’m just saying.”

Apple Bloom was sound asleep. The farmhouse was silent but for the sound of soft kisses and gentle murmurs coming from the bedroom that Applejack and Caramel shared. It had been weeks since they had last been intimate, and Applejack had almost forgotten the feeling of being held by a stallion’s strong forelegs. She tossed her mane out of her eyes and bent down to kiss Caramel’s neck. Placing her front hooves on his chest, she looked sultrily up at him and lifted her rump into the air, wiggling her hips like a cat about to pounce.

“Wanna make a foal?” she whispered seductively.

“Right now? I ain't so sure that’s a good idea,” Caramel replied softly.

“What? Too many Apples in your life already?” Applejack asked, drawing back.

“I’d have as many foals with you as you want,” Caramel answered, “if you’d only do your part to support them.”

Applejack glared at Caramel for a moment, and then rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Caramel turned to face away from her and the room was silent as the two ponies fell asleep.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile as she flew. The sky was full of sunlight and below her the soft green grass was interspersed with newly blooming flowers. The beautiful spring weather was a perfect reflection of her mood.

She arrived at a rundown shack on the outskirts of Appleloosa and landed without slowing down, continuing at a gallop toward the front door just as Applejack opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

“Rainbow Dash, what’re you doin’ here?” Applejack exclaimed, surprised. They shared a quick but tight embrace.

“I got your note about the divorce,” Rainbow Dash said. “Sorry to hear Caramel kicked you out of your own house.”

“Yeah.” Applejack glanced at the ground.

“So… here I am,” Rainbow Dash continued. “I had to ask about ten different ponies before I found out you moved to Appleloosa.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack said.

“So, I guess I thought that this meant you and I could...”

Applejack shuffled her hooves. “Rainbow Dash, I don’t know what to say… Apple Bloom’s here to visit for the weekend, and I don’t get ta see her very often anymore.”

“Yeah, all right,” Rainbow Dash said, her smile fading.

“I’m real sorry,” Applejack said, trying to meet Rainbow Dash’s gaze.

“Guess I’ll see you next month then,” Rainbow Dash mumbled. She turned away, and after cantering a few steps, leaped into the air.

A cloud had crossed in front of the sun. Rainbow Dash looked down and saw nothing but sparse brown grass. The sky wasn’t as blue as she remembered it being that morning, and it looked like dark clouds were gathering on the horizon.

The lights dimmed to almost nothing as the Wonderbolts prepared for the show’s finale. Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Wonderbolts climbed higher and higher above the stadium, getting ready for the dive that would conclude the show. Only when she felt the air getting thin did Rainbow Dash stop ascending and turn to face the ground far, far below her. She seemed to hang motionless in the air for a second, and then pointed her nose straight down, held her wings tightly against her sides, and dropped into freefall.

The air whipped past her and the stadium was quickly approaching from below, but not fast enough for Rainbow Dash's taste.

She began to flap her wings.

Glancing to her left, she saw Soarin narrow his green eyes.

Her vision suddenly cloudy, she blinked back tears and flapped harder. The ground grew ever closer as she sped up.

She was now in the lead. The Wonderbolts on either side were falling behind. Soon they would pass the highest rows of the audience.

Rainbow Dash heard a loud boom and could see with her peripheral vision a bright flash of color. The sonic rainboom that usually brought an end to the show had just taken place. The audience erupted with applause, but a hush soon fell over the stadium when they realized that Rainbow Dash was not slowing down.

The Wonderbolts flanking her peeled away and upward, but Rainbow Dash made no change to her trajectory. The grass below her was rising faster and faster.

Finally she felt grass brush the fur of her chest as pulled sharply up. The stadium was dead silent. As she slowly rose, the audience seemed to release a collective sigh of relief. The applause began tentatively, and then slowly grew until all Rainbow Dash could hear was the roar of thousands of ponies cheering and stamping with appreciation.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Soarin exploded when the Wonderbolts had returned to the tunnel that led out to the stadium. “What were you thinking?”

This was the first time that Rainbow Dash had seen Soarin truly angry. “Just wanted to give ‘em a little extra show,” she shrugged.

Soarin scowled. “That’s not it, and you know it,” he snapped. “You could have gotten killed. I know you like putting on a show, but it’s not like you to be so reckless. Something’s up. I know it is.”

“Hey, how about you worry about you and I’ll worry about me?” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m doing fine.”

Soarin looked like he wanted to respond, but before he could, Spitfire called, “Hey Rainbow Dash, want to go out for some drinks?”

“Lead the way!” Rainbow Dash said, leaving Soarin to glare angrily after her as she joined the other Wonderbolts.

It was Hearth’s Warming Eve and Applejack was back at Sweet Apple Acres. It felt like months since she had seen her family. Apple Bloom was getting bigger, and had even received her cutie mark. (Should have known it would have something to do with apples, thought Applejack.) That night at dinner Applejack sat at the same table at which she had eaten since she was a filly, but she had never felt more unwelcome there.

After dinner Applejack went into the kitchen to help Caramel wash dishes while Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Caramel’s new marefriend Golden Harvest relaxed in the living room.

“Need any help?” Applejack asked when she entered the kitchen.

“You ought to get married again, Applejack,” Caramel said after a pause. “We worry about you bein’ alone so much.”

Applejack grunted. “Guess I ain’t found the one yet.”

It was quiet for another moment.

“You still go camping with Rainbow Dash?” Caramel asked, like he had been holding back the question for months.

“Not often,” Applejack replied.

“I know what you’ve been doin’ with her,” Caramel said softly. “I knew since the first day she came to visit. I tried to put it out of my mind, told myself we needed your help on the farm more than I needed a faithful wife. But then you stopped workin’. Spent all yer time up in the mountains or drinkin’ yerself unconscious.”

“You shut yer mouth,” Applejack said.

“You lied to me,” Caramel growled. “You’ve been lyin’ to me fer years, goin’ behind my back! Those trips you go on ain’t about campin’!”

“You don’t know nothin’ ‘bout me an’ Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled.

“I know plenty!” Caramel yelled back.

Applejack took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. “You tell a single pony, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

Caramel took a couple steps forward until he was eye-to-eye with his ex-wife. “Get out,” he hissed. “GET OUT!”

Applejack ground her teeth in fury and then turned from the room. She charged through the living room without saying goodbye, grabbed her scarf off of the wall and slammed the screen door on her way out into the newly fallen snow.

Five

Appleback Mountain was a refuge. A place so far away from everything that the ugliness of the world couldn’t reach its pristine beauty. In a world so constantly changing, Appleback Mountain was the one place that Applejack could count on to remain as she remembered. It was the one place that never changed.

And yet, in a way it had. Throughout the years they had visited it, Appleback Mountain had changed from merely a secluded camping destination to the one place they could call their own, a serene landscape full of memories and dreams, a place to which they could escape.

Sunlight glinted off of the rushing water of the stream. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had traveled down the mountain to where the water would be deep enough to bathe in.

“What are you waiting for?” Rainbow Dash asked, and plunged in.

This far from civilization, nopony else could hear Applejack’s gasp as she galloped into the cold water. Nopony but them could hear their laughter as they splashed each other or their screams of delight as Applejack wrestled Rainbow Dash to the smooth stones in the shallows.

Rainbow Dash grinned up at Applejack, water rushing around her. Hooves still planted on her shoulders, Applejack leaned down to kiss her.

“Are things normal between you an’ Soarin?” she asked, pulling back.

Rainbow Dash sat up in the shallows and shrugged. “Sure.”

“He don’t ever suspect…?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“Do you ever get the feeling, when you’re in town,” Applejack asked, “and somepony looks at you all suspicious, like they know? And then you go outside and everypony’s lookin’ at you, like they know too?”

Rainbow Dash was silent as the water continued to flow past her.

“Maybe you should get out of there,” she said finally. “Find someplace different.”

“Someplace different?” Applejack repeated. “You mean live with you? Have our own little farm somewhere where money rains from the sky and the rivers flow with cider? That’s real smart, Dash, real smart.”

Rainbow Dash frowned and stood up, flapping her wings to dry them. “Well if you want to live your miserable life, go right ahead. I was just thinking out loud.”

“Yep, you’re a real thinker, aren’t you?” Applejack grumbled to herself as Rainbow Dash turned and walked back to the campsite. “Got it all figured out.”

Applejack took one last swig and set down the empty bottle. The small wooden table was already crowded with bottles. She got up to leave the dim barroom.

Another evening had come to an end. Every night was the same now. She had no family, nopony to keep her from losing herself to the endless, meaningless repetition her life had become.

On her way out, she bumped into a dark-maned, tan stallion. Applejack recognized him as a pony that on some late evenings would bus tables and sweep up the bar. Over the past few days he had been trying to catch her eye, with little success.

“Hey, I just finished my shift,” the handsome stallion said. “Wanna dance?”

“Nah, I was jus’ leavin’,” Applejack replied.

“Nonsense! The night’s still young!” The stallion held out a hoof. “Name’s Cherry Fizzy.”

“Applejack,” Applejack introduced herself and allowed him to pull her onto the deserted dance floor.

Rainbow Dash was surrounded by ponies, gyrating and undulating to the music. Colored lights flashed from all sides, illuminating the otherwise dark room. Deafening bass pounding in her ears, it was nearly impossible to think, which was just how Rainbow Dash liked it. Though she had arrived at the club with Soarin, she paid little attention to his presence mere inches away, or to the presence of a dozen other ponies who were just as close, if not closer.

“I’m going to the bar!” Soarin shouted, his voice failing to compete with the pounding music. “Want anything?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and continued to dance.

She felt no emotion when ponies she had never met “accidentally” rubbed up against her. She had caught flashes of Soarin’s concerned expression when this happened earlier, but to her it was just additional mindless stimulation to fill the emptiness.

So when Rainbow Dash felt a pair of forelegs encircle her waist from behind, she didn’t react. She didn’t care.

Then a familiar voice spoke in her ear.

“Want me to show you how to have a good time in Las Pegasus?” Spitfire asked.

Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate. “Let’s get out of here.”

When Applejack arrived at the train station to pick up Apple Bloom with Cherry Fizzy, she realized that her sister was not a filly anymore. Apple Bloom was taller than Applejack remembered, and seemed to have lost some the bouncy energy of a filly. Her bow was no longer comically oversized, and her mane was longer and sleeker than it used to be, though it was apparent she hardly put more effort into styling her mane than her older sister did. She was not yet fully grown, but neither, Applejack had to admit, was she the baby sister that needed so much looking after as a filly.

The three ponies arrived at The Salt Block saloon for lunch, and after finding their seats and placing an order, Applejack got up to choose a song from the jukebox.

“So…” Cherry Fizzy broke the uncomfortable silence between him and Apple Bloom, “you think your sister’s ever gonna get married again?”

“I don’t know,” Apple Bloom replied, fiddling with an unopened bottle of cherry soda that Cherry Fizzy had bought for her. “Maybe she ain’t the marryin’ type.”

“You think so?” Cherry Fizzy asked. “Or you don’t think I’m the one for her?”

Apple Bloom met his gaze, shrugged, and then looked away. “Yer good enough…”

Cherry Fizzy sat back in his chair. “Well, you don’t say much, but you get your point across.”

“Ya sure yer gonna be all right, takin’ the train back on yer own?” Applejack asked her sister while they waited for the train at the Appleloosa station.

“Don’t worry about me, Sis,” Apple Bloom replied. “I made it here on my own, I can get back on my own, too.”

The two sisters sat in silence for a moment.

“You doin’ all right, Bloom?” Applejack asked.

“I’m fine,” Apple Bloom answered.

“You sure?”

Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment. Then she said, “Sis, I’ve been thinkin’… maybe I could… well, maybe I could come live with you.” She looked up at her sister hopefully. “I’d be an awful good help, I know I would.”

Applejack took a moment to find the right words to respond.

“Now, you know I ain’t set up fer that,” she said. “I’m workin’ all day, and—“

“That’s all right, Sis, I understand,” Apple Bloom interrupted. “Forget I asked.”

A train pulled into the station, the screeching of brakes filling the silence between the two sisters.

“Guess I’ll see you in a week then,” Applejack said. They hugged, and Apple Bloom boarded the train.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat by a campfire on a pebbled beach. The vast evening sky was reflected in the placid lake before them, while behind them the darkening mountains rose up toward the heavens.

“All this time, and you still haven’t found somepony to marry?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I’ve been seein’ this good-lookin’ Appleloosan stallion fer a while,” Applejack said. “But I don’t know…” She poked the fire with a stick, causing a shower of sparks. “What about you an’ Soarin?”

“He’s a real good guy,” Rainbow Dash answered slowly, “but I think the only reason I’m still with him is for the publicity our relationship is bringing the Wonderbolts. We’ll put on a show, acting all cute together for the paparazzi, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s nothing left for when we’re alone.”

She looked down at her hooves. “I kind of have this thing going with another Wonderbolt stallion,” she continued quietly, “Rapidfire.”

Applejack shook her head, grinning. “Element of loyalty, my hoof.”

“I worry I’m gonna get found out and kicked off the Wonderbolts every time I slip off to see him,” Rainbow Dash admitted, smiling self-consciously.

Applejack chuckled. “You’d prob’ly deserve it too.”

Rainbow Dash laughed and then after a moment became serious again.

“Tell you what,” she said finally, all traces of humor gone. “The truth is… sometimes… sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, whose gaze was once again turned to the fire, and saw a rare glimpse of the pony within. With the barriers torn down Applejack saw an unruly rainbow mane that could no longer project enough effortless confidence and bravado to hide the doubt and insecurity within. She looked at the face that was so familiar to her and for the first time saw the magenta eyes that had cried until there were no tears left.

The tents were taken down and saddlebags packed. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood on the shore of the lake, taking in the view one more time before preparing to depart. Sunlight sparkled on the still, turquoise water and the leaves on the trees rippled in a gentle breeze.

"I'm leaving from here to meet the Wonderbolts at Neighagra Falls," Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "So I can't go back to Ponyville with you this time."

“Rainbow Dash,” Applejack began, “there’s somethin’ I’ve been meaning to tell you.” She hesitated. “I prob’ly won’t be able to see ya again until after the Runnin’ of the Leaves.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack in stunned disbelief. “After the Running of the Leaves?” she repeated. “That’s eight months from now! What happened to meeting at the end of summer?”

Applejack shuffled her hooves and stared at the ground.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “For the love of Celestia, Applejack. You had a week to tell me this and you waited until now?” She scowled. “Why is it we’re always meeting in the cold? We oughtta go someplace warm, like Las Pegasus.”

“Las Pegasus?” Applejack repeated blankly. “Rainbow Dash, you know that ain’t my scene.”

Rainbow Dash turned away from her to face the lake.

“Come on, lighten up, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack pleaded. “We can make snowponies and heat up some cider over the campfire. Remember when we did that, that year with the big snow? That was a good time, wasn’t it?”

A breeze blew across the water, shattering the sun’s reflection into a thousand glittering shards.

“There’s never enough time,” Rainbow Dash said quietly.

Applejack was silent.

“When did this get so hard?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You used to come away easy, but now it’s like trying to get an audience with Celestia.”

“Rainbow Dash, I gotta work,” Applejack replied. “In those earlier days there were enough ponies to cover for me on the farm, but I’m on my own now. You don’t know what it’s like to be broke all the time. I can’t just get paid to fly around and do loop-de-loops like you do!”

She sighed. “I can’t quit this one, Dash, and I can’t get the time off. It was hard enough gettin’ to leave this time. The trade-off was our meetin’ in the summer… You got a better idea?”

“I did once,” Rainbow Dash said softly, turning around to glare at Applejack.

“You did once,” Applejack repeated. She stepped closer and looked Rainbow Dash in the eye. “Tell me, you been to Las Pegasus, Rainbow Dash? ‘Cause I know what they got in Las Pegasus for mares like you.”

“Yes, I’ve been to Las Pegasus,” Rainbow Dash snapped. “You got a problem with that?”

Applejack was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke next her voice was low and controlled, like she was doing her best to contain a brewing rage. “I’m going to tell you this one time, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “an’ I ain’t foolin’. All those things that I don’t know about you an’ what you do with the Wonderbolts when I ain’t around, those things could get you killed if I come ta know ‘em.” She held Rainbow Dash’s gaze for a long moment. “I ain’t jokin’.”

She turned and headed back toward her saddlebags.

“Yeah? Well, try this one,” Rainbow Dash countered. “And I’ll say it just once.”

“Go ahead!” Applejack said, turning around angrily.

“We could’ve had a real good life together!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “A real good life! Could’ve had a place of our own! But you didn’t want it, Applejack! So what do we have now? Appleback Mountain!” She gestured angrily at the serene landscape, like the placid lake and impassive mountains had committed her a great personal wrong. “Everything’s built on that! That’s all we got! That’s it! So I hope you know that if you never know the rest!” She stepped closer to Applejack. “You count the times we’ve been together in nearly ten years and you measure the short leash you keep me on, and then you can ask me about Las Pegasus and tell me you’ll kill me for needing something I don’t hardly ever get!”

She was breathing heavily. It felt like she had expended the last of her energy toward being angry, and all she had left was emptiness.

“You have no idea how bad it gets,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m not you, Applejack. I can’t get by on a couple high-altitude meetings once or twice a year.”

She turned away. “You are too much for me, Applejack.”

Applejack was silent as Rainbow Dash once again faced the lake.

“I wish I knew how to quit you,” Rainbow Dash murmured, her voice thick like she was holding back a sob.

“Then why don’t you?” Applejack spoke up, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “Why don’t you just let me be? It’s ‘cause o’ you, Dash, that I’m like this.”

Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack.

“I’m nothin’—I’m nowhere…” Applejack wiped her eyes.

Rainbow Dash approached her and attempted to put her forelegs around her but was roughly shaken off.

“GET THE HAY OFF ME!” Applejack shouted.

Rainbow Dash embraced Applejack again. Applejack tried to push her away but her hold was too tight. After struggling for a moment she gave in to her embrace, and the two ponies sank to the ground, Rainbow Dash’s forelegs still held tightly around Applejack.

“It’s all right,” Rainbow Dash murmured. “It’s all right.”

“I can’t stand this anymore, Dash,” Applejack sobbed, her face buried in the fur of Rainbow Dash’s chest. Applejack wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash and the two ponies held tight to each other as if they would lose themselves if they let go.

It was their first trip to Appleback Mountain. A brisk autumn breeze swept across the twilit clearing where Rainbow Dash sat nodding off by a dying fire.

Rainbow Dash’s head rose when she felt Applejack approach from behind and drape her forelegs around her neck.

“Hey, Sleepyhead,” Applejack murmured in her ear. She rested her chin on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder and swayed gently back and forth. “I gotta go find more firewood.” She nuzzled Rainbow Dash’s head. "See you soon!" Then after giving her a squeeze she turned and galloped into the woods, Rainbow Dash following her with her eyes as she disappeared between the trees.

It never got any easier to say goodbye.

Years had passed since their first trip to Appleback Mountain. It had been years since the simple, happy days when they could spend hours doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company without any fear of consequences.

They had parted ways, but Rainbow Dash continued to stand unmoving by the lake. High above her, wispy clouds crossed the midmorning sky, always changing, never in the same formation twice.

For a long while she stood watching Applejack travel down the mountain, desperately drinking in the sight of her friend’s shrinking figure until she became too small to see.

Six

Applejack sat alone in a diner, surrounded by the soft sounds of clinking glasses and frying bacon. Stark, artificial light shone from above, filling the room with its emotionless white glow. At the sound of the door jingling, Applejack looked up to see Cherry Fizzy walk in with a mare she didn't recognize.

“Excuse me,” Cherry Fizzy said to the mare upon catching sight of Applejack and approached her table.

“Hey, stranger,” he greeted her, “where you been?”

“Here an’ there,” Applejack grunted, avoiding his gaze.

“You must’ve gotten the notes I left at your place,” Cherry Fizzy said. “Why haven’t I heard from you?”

Applejack looked up and glanced meaningfully at the mare waiting by the door. “Looks like you got the message either way,” she said.

“Oh, Cornflower?” Cherry Fizzy asked, sitting down across from Applejack. “Yeah, she’s nice and all. She even talks.”

Applejack nodded silently, chewing on a waffle.

“Good for you,” she said finally.

“Yeah,” Cherry Fizzy replied. “Good for me.” He paused, waiting for Applejack to reply.

Applejack took another bite of waffle, still staring at her plate.

“I don’t get you, Applejack,” Cherry Fizzy said.

“Sorry,” Applejack said, meeting his gaze for a second before looking away. “I was prob’ly no fun anyway, was I?”

Cherry Fizzy’s expression hardened. “Applejack, I didn’t fall in love with fun.”

He stood up abruptly and left the diner, shaking off Cornflower’s touch on the way out.

Applejack’s hooves kicked up flurries of dust as she crossed her bare front yard to get the mail. At first glance, it looked like the usual bills and catalogues, but as she was about to put the mail in her saddlebag she noticed a postcard peeking out from under an envelope. The postcard looked familiar, like one she had sent Rainbow Dash a few days before. She turned it over and time stopped. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Stamped across her untidy mouthwriting were ugly, impersonal red letters spelling out “DECEASED”.

“Thanks for taking the time outta yer busy schedule to meet me,” Applejack said. She sat down across from Soarin in Pony Joe’s café.

“No problem,” Soarin said. “So you were Rainbow Dash’s camping buddy. She used to mention you. I would’ve let you know what happened but I wasn’t sure of your address.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” Applejack said. “To find out what happened.”

Soarin sighed and set down his donut. “We were doing a show at Neighagra falls,” he began. “For the finale we thought we’d fly into the mist close to the falls and appear to the audience on the other side. Of course, visibility was awful. There was a rock that stuck out of the falls, hidden just inside the mist. There was no way Rainbow Dash could’ve seen it. She flew straight into it. Broke her nose, was knocked unconscious and fell into the water below us. She drowned before we realized she didn’t make it through the mist.”

Applejack was silent. Suddenly she had a vision of Rainbow Dash walking alone through city streets after a show. She saw three stallions approach and attack her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She watched as they beat Rainbow Dash relentlessly, kicking her in the stomach, in the face. Applejack couldn’t breathe. Soarin was lying.

“You all right?” Soarin asked, and the vision was over. Applejack was back in Pony Joe’s café and Soarin was across from her, looking at her with concern.

“Was she—“ Applejack grunted, her throat dry. “Was she buried?”

“Cremated,” Soarin said, “like she wanted. Her ashes were sent to her folks. She used to say she wanted her ashes scattered on Appleback Mountain… but I wasn’t sure where that was. Knowing Rainbow Dash, it might be some pretend place, where bluebirds sing and there’s a cider spring.”

Applejack swallowed. “We went campin’ on Appleback, one summer years an’ years ago.”

Soarin was silent for a moment. “Well, she said it was her favorite place,” he said finally.

“Are her folks still in Cloudsdale?” Applejack asked.

“They’ll be there ‘til the day they die,” Soarin replied.

Applejack got up to leave. “Well, thank you for your time,” she said. “I sure am sorry. We were good friends.”

“Get in touch with her folks,” Soarin said. “I suppose they’d appreciate it if her wishes were carried out. About the ashes, I mean.”

In Cloudsdale it felt to Applejack like the bright blue sky was not only above her, but all around her. Aside from the clouds on which she was walking, the sky was perfectly clear. It seemed strange to Applejack that even with blue skies and sunshine on all sides, the world could still feel like such a dark place.

She arrived at a small cloud house on the edge of town, not far from where the clouds beneath her hooves dropped off to reveal the ground thousands of feet below. A pink pegasus mare that Applejack assumed was Rainbow Dash’s mother stood in the doorway and then approached her as Applejack drew closer. She had a sky-blue mane in the same unruly style as Rainbow Dash's mane and Applejack guessed that if she were twenty years younger, she would have the same energy and enthusiasm of her daughter.

“Come on in,” Rainbow Dash’s mother said. “It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“Want a cup of coffee?” Rainbow Dash’s mother offered. “Or a piece of cake?”

“Yes ma’am, I’ll have a cup of coffee,” Applejack replied, “but I can’t eat no cake jus’ now.”

She sat at a bare wooden table, at the other end of which sat Rainbow Dash’s father, a pale blue pegasus stallion with a similarly untidy rainbow-colored mane.

“I feel awful bad about Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said. “I can’t begin to tell you how bad I feel.”

Rainbow Dash’s father didn’t respond.

“I knew her a long time,” Applejack continued. “I came by to say that if you want me to take her ashes up there on Appleback like she wanted, then I’d be happy to.”

Rainbow Dash’s father took a drink of coffee and finally spoke up, his voice a growl. “Rainbow Dash used to say, ‘I’m going to bring Applejack up here one of these days. Had some half-baked notion the two of you were going to move up here.” He stared into his coffee and then looked Applejack in the eye, as if challenging her. “Then this spring there was another mare she was planning to bring here. Some flyer by the name of Spitfire. Said one day they’d leave the Wonderbolts and come live here. But like most of Rainbow Dash’s ideas, it didn’t come to pass.”

Rainbow Dash’s mother put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “I kept her room like it was when she was a filly,” she said. “I think she appreciated that. You are welcome to go up to her room, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Thank you,” Applejack said.

Applejack ascended the stairs and entered the room at the top. It was a small room, with posters of the Wonderbolts on the walls and a window on the far wall, beyond which was nothing but sky. Rainbow Dash’s bed creaked as Applejack sat down and took in her surroundings.

After a moment she stood up and opened the closet door. Inside the closet a small selection of jackets and bathrobes hung on hangers. Applejack noticed a Wonderbolts uniform hanging on a coathook at the very back of the closet, but what caught her eye was a familiar Stetson hat hanging on the same hook.

She stepped closer and lifted it off the hook. To her disbelief, it was her bloodstained hat that she thought she had lost on the last day of their first trip to Appleback Mountain. She gathered up the hat and the Wonderbolts uniform in her forelegs and pressed them up to her face, hoping one last time to feel the warmth and breathe in the familiar smell of her friend, the smell of fresh air, charged with the energy that precedes a thunderstorm. But all that was left were memories.

Applejack returned to the kitchen with her hat and Rainbow Dash’s neatly folded Wonderbolt uniform clutched tightly in her mouth. Rainbow Dash’s mother quickly found a paper bag, tucked Rainbow Dash’s uniform inside, and then gave it to Applejack, who gave a nod of thanks.

Rainbow Dash’s mother then disappeared into the living room and returned with an urn, small and without any fancy decorations. She gently lowered it into Applejack’s saddlebags while Rainbow Dash’s father looked on with an expression like his features were carved out of stone.

“You’ll come and see us again, won’t you?” she asked.

Applejack nodded again, unable to find words.

Also lit by the rising sun was a pony, dwarfed by the immense landscape and towering mountains. A long shadow stretching before her, she trekked upward over rocky slopes and babbling brooks, alone but carrying with her the memories of another.

No longer a stranger to the land, Applejack reached the familiar campsite. A fallen tree still lay across the clearing, showing over a decade’s worth of decay. The evergreens surrounding the campsite looked taller, thicker. The stream still flowed past, continuing on its endless journey.

Applejack crossed the clearing and looked out over the sweeping expanse of green that lay before her. Mane flowing in the late-summer breeze, she reached behind her and gently retrieved the urn from her saddlebags. After taking a deep breath she emptied the urn, surrendering her friend to the wind.

The next time Apple Bloom came to visit, Applejack saw that her sister was now as old as Applejack had been on her first trip to Appleback Mountain, still young but now a full-grown pony. Her ribbon held her deep red mane in a low ponytail, falling well past her shoulders. Though she now moved slowly and gracefully, her sunset-colored eyes still retained a twinkle of a younger filly’s excitement and passion for the world.

“Hey there, Bloom,” Applejack greeted her sister, stepping out onto her porch as Apple Bloom crossed the front lawn.

“Hi, Sis,” Apple Bloom replied.

“Nice jacket,” Applejack said. “That new?”

“Rumble gave it to me,” Apple Bloom answered, a hint of a blush appearing in her cheeks.

“But I thought you were seein’ Pipsqueak,” Applejack said.

“Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom repeated. “Sis, that was two years ago.”

Applejack nodded, trying to think of something to say. “Pipsqueak still doin’ the campaignin’ schtick?”

“I don’t know what he’s doin’; I’m seein’ Rumble now,” Apple Bloom replied pointedly.

Applejack nodded again. “So what’s Rumble do?”

“Works up in the cloud factory,” Apple Bloom answered.

“So he’s a roughneck, huh?” Applejack said with a grin. “Guess you ain’t a filly no more, you can do whatever ya want, is that right?”

“Sure.” Apple Bloom smiled at her older sister and the two mares entered Applejack’s shack.

“Sis, you need some more furniture,” Apple Bloom said, sitting down on a cot as Applejack pulled up a folding chair and passed her a mug of hot tea.

“Yeah, well… Ya got nothin’, ya don’t need nothin’,” Applejack said, sitting down. “So, what’s the occasion?”

Apple Bloom looked shyly up at her sister. “Me an’ Rumble,” she said, trying but failing to keep back a smile. “We’re gettin’ married.”

Applejack looked at Apple Bloom and only then did it really hit her that her baby sister was all grown up. “Well, how long you known this guy for?” she asked finally.

“’Bout a year,” Apple Bloom replied. “The weddin’ will be just after Winter Wrap Up, at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle will be singin’, and Pinkie Pie’s gonna cater the reception.”

Applejack gazed silently at her mug of cider. “This Rumble fellow,” she said finally, looking at Apple Bloom with an intensity she hadn’t seen thus far. “He loves you?”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom answered, a shy smile spreading across her face, “he loves me.”

Applejack nodded and glanced out the window.

After a moment Apple Bloom continued tentatively, “I was hopin’ you’d be there…”

Applejack cleared her throat. “I’m supposed to be workin’ a roundup down in Dodge City,” she grunted. Apple Bloom’s face fell. Applejack stood up and moved to the refrigerator. “But you know what? I reckon they can find themselves another cowpony.” She turned to grin at Apple Bloom, taking out two bottles of hard cider. “My little sister… gettin’ married.”

She passed Apple Bloom a bottle and held her own up. “To Apple Bloom an’ Rumble.”

The glasses clinked and they each took a drink.

In the fading light of evening, Applejack watched from her porch until her younger sister was out of sight. She then returned to her living room to find the jacket Apple Bloom had left behind. Snatching it up in her mouth, she burst through the screen door but her sister was gone. With a creak, the door closed. Applejack carefully folded up the jacket and placed it on the top shelf of a wardrobe standing near her cot. She then turned to face the backside of the wardrobe’s door. Hanging from a nail just below a postcard depicting a picturesque mountain landscape was a Stetson hat and a Wonderbolts uniform.

Applejack gazed at the Wonderbolts uniform for a long moment, then murmured, “Dash, I swear…”

She straightened the postcard, contemplating the four-by-six-inch picture of the place where she had spent the happiest days of her life, the place where however briefly, she and Rainbow Dash had been the only ponies in the world. Then she slowly swung the door closed.

Two

Applejack woke to find Rainbow Dash sleeping peacefully next to her. She watched her chest slowly rise and fall for a few seconds, and then careful not to wake her, she rose from her blankets, pushed aside the tent flap, and stepped out onto grass still wet with dew. She sat down several yards from the campsite. In the distance an early-morning mist hung over the mountains. The sun had not yet risen, and it seemed that not even the birds wanted to break the thick silence.

What had happened the previous night? Applejack had had a lot of cider, that was for sure. But she could usually trust herself not to let drinking sway her judgment. So how could she have allowed the events of last night to happen? Rainbow Dash was one of her best friends. A day ago even kissing her had been inconceivable. Now Applejack was horrified to admit that she had done things with Rainbow Dash that she had never even done with a stallion. And worst of all, a small part of her had enjoyed it.

Applejack heard hoofsteps behind her and turned to see Rainbow Dash approach and sit down next to her.

“Mornin’,” she greeted her.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash replied.

Both ponies were silent for a long while. Finally Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

“Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Applejack dodged the question. “Whatever happened last night was a one-time thing.”

“Nopony else needs to know about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s nopony’s business but ours.”

The sun peeked out over the mountains, its golden light spreading throughout the mist and illuminating it as if from within.

“I ain’t gay,” Applejack declared to the serene valley.

“Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack knew one thing for sure. For the sake of her and Rainbow Dash’s friendship, she could not allow anything like what happened the previous night to happen again.

But it did happen again. And again.

Though Applejack continued to have reservations about her changing relationship with Rainbow Dash, after that first early-morning conversation neither pony voiced any concerns. Their intimate evenings often passed without either of them speaking a word.

In the evenings Applejack would sit out by the fire long after Rainbow Dash retired to the tent. As the days passed she found herself hoping that Rainbow Dash would still be awake, waiting for her to join her in the tent. And more often than not, she was.

On these nights Applejack would remove her hat and let down her mane. The two would stare into each other’s eyes, Rainbow Dash’s hooves softly caressing Applejack’s freckled cheeks for a moment that would last an eternity. And then Rainbow Dash would meet Applejack’s lips with a kiss.

It wasn’t always a bursting dam of passion like the first time. More often their intimacy was like a babbling brook, gently flowing yet constantly shaping the banks between which it flowed.

Applejack didn’t understand what kind of relationship was forming between her and Rainbow Dash, nor did she want to admit that they were drawn to each other by anything more than a close friendship, but she began to look forward to the evenings they spent together. She hadn’t realized before how much her life had been missing the simple pleasure of lying next to her friend, foreleg draped across her chest, head nuzzled just above her shoulder.

Sometimes they would be overcome by exhilarating waves of passion, desperately trying to bring their bodies ever closer, to create one from two. But many nights it was nothing more than falling asleep facing each other, sharing a pillow. Two ponies under one blanket, forelegs wrapped around each other. It was as simple as watching the shadowy shape of Rainbow Dash’s face in the darkness, softly breathing inches from Applejack’s nose as she fell asleep.

And it was enough.

Applejack looked up at a cloudless sky, as bright and blue as Rainbow Dash’s fur.

“Hey Rainbow,” she said, “could you…” She shook her head, embarrassed. “Never mind.”

“What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up. She was sitting on a log holding a knife and a chunk of wood that vaguely resembled a potato in her front hooves. Applejack had attempted to teach her how to whittle a couple days earlier with little luck.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Applejack said. “It’s silly.”

Rainbow Dash stood and took a couple of steps toward Applejack before nuzzling her forehead against Applejack’s neck.

“I like silly,” she said, grinning.

“Well, okay,” Applejack said, “could you… Could you maybe take me flyin’ sometime?” Her apple-green eyes shyly met Rainbow Dash’s startled gaze.

“I—I’d love to!” Rainbow Dash replied. “Though I never expected you would want to go flying.”

“I’ve spent enough time with my hooves planted in the dirt,” Applejack said. “Think it’s time I did somethin’ new.”

Applejack wrapped her legs tightly around Rainbow Dash’s torso. Rainbow Dash stood at the top of a steep slope with Applejack clinging to her back. At the bottom of the slope the ground dropped sharply downward with a sheer cliff. Far below lay the deep green canopy of treetops, stretching farther and farther down the mountain.

“Ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack’s eyes widened at the sight of the precipice below them and shook her head.

“Good to know,” Rainbow Dash chirped and lowered her chin to the ground, extending her front legs as if she were preparing for a race.

Applejack gulped.

“Here we go!” Rainbow Dash yelled and sprang into a gallop. She sped down the slope with Applejack hanging on for dear life.

The edge of the cliff was approaching far too quickly for Applejack’s taste. Now that they were almost upon it, she could see nothing beyond but blue sky.

Wings beating, Rainbow Dash reached the edge in a matter of seconds and leaped into nothingness. Applejack wouldn’t admit it to anypony, but she let out a squeak of terror as the ground suddenly vanished from beneath her.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash rose upward and Applejack’s heart slowed from a gallop to a brisk trot. The landscape spread out beneath them like an enormous and exceedingly detailed tapestry. Applejack could see lakes that sparkled in the sunlight and seemingly endless green forests that rose and fell with the curves of the land as they passed beneath her. Rainbow Dash passed over their campsite and Applejack saw the creek that curved and slithered down the mountain like a shimmering snake.

“Earth ponies ain’t supposed to be this far from the ground,” Applejack murmured when she found her voice.

“Right?” Rainbow Dash piped up, glancing back at her terrified passenger. “Isn’t this awesome?”

Squeezing Rainbow Dash so hard that it would’ve taken a crowbar to pry her off, Applejack stared at the immense landscape below her and considered just how few earth ponies had the opportunity to behold the sights she was taking in. Hardly anypony even set foot in this mountainous region, much less soared past snowy peaks thousands of feet in the air. She and Rainbow Dash were alone in the sky, the world beneath them, vast uncharted possibilities above.

She had to admit, it was pretty awesome.

Applejack returned to the campsite after collecting firewood to find Rainbow Dash taking down her tent.

“What’re ya doin’?” she asked, dumping the firewood in a pile next to the fire pit.

“Some bird came by with a letter from Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Okay,” Applejack said, “what’d it say?”

“Well, you know how I’m in the Wonderbolts reserves?” Rainbow Dash replied. Applejack nodded. “Fluttershy told me that Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts came to her house looking for me. They’re expanding their ranks for an upcoming tour, and want me to come along.”

“That’s great!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash agreed, hovering a few inches off of the ground in excitement. “I’m gonna fly with the Wonderbolts!” She paused and seemed to make a great effort to sink back down to the ground. “But the tour starts next week,” she continued, “so we’re gonna have to leave for Ponyville today if we want to get back in time.”

Applejack’s struggled to hide her disappointment. “Well… okay, I’ll help you pack up the stuff. Just gimme a minute to take in the view one more time.”

Half an hour later Rainbow Dash finished packing their supplies. She picked up Applejack’s lasso and approached her friend, who was sitting facing the valley a few yards from the campsite.

“Time to go, pardner,” she said. She waved the lasso over her head and then after several failed attempts, managed to throw it over Applejack. Applejack wriggled out of the loop, rose to her feet without a word, and slowly made her way back toward the campsite. Starting to get the hang of it, Rainbow Dash threw the lasso over Applejack from behind her and pulled it tight around her ankles. Applejack stumbled and fell to the ground.

“Stop messin’ with my lasso,” she snarled. She jerked the rope, catching Rainbow Dash off guard and causing her to lose her balance and tumble down the hill toward her. Soon the two were rolling in the grass, wrestling with each other like they had done multiple times over the past few days.

Rainbow Dash giggled, trying to pin Applejack down, but realized after a moment that to Applejack this wasn’t just a friendly tussle.

“Get OFFA ME!” Applejack growled, and Rainbow Dash found herself up against the true strength of a pony who had spent her whole life plowing soil and bucking trees. Applejack soon gained the upper hoof and slammed Rainbow Dash into the dirt. It was all Rainbow Dash could do to flail her hooves in an attempt to protect herself.

Then she felt her hoof collide with something and the weight pinning her shoulders to the ground lifted. Applejack stumbled backward, holding a hoof to her nose to stem the flow of blood.

“Applejack!” Rainbow Dash gasped. “I’m sorry! You okay?” She rushed forward to put her forelegs around her friend. Applejack scowled and swung a hoof at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash felt the full force of Applejack’s strength hit her across the face. She stumbled backward and collapsed in the dirt.

Applejack picked up her bloodstained hat and lasso and walked back to the campsite without a second glance at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash remained sitting in the grass, breathing heavily and waiting for the pain to fade from her face. Then she rose and followed her.

After arriving in Ponyville, the two ponies prepared to part ways.

“Can’t believe I lost my hat up there,” Applejack grunted. “Current took it while I was washin’ the blood out in the stream.”

Rainbow Dash nodded sympathetically and then said, “So hey, you wanna do this again sometime? After the Wonderbolts tour?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Applejack answered. “I can’t take a lot o’ trips like this though. They need me on the farm. But someday, maybe. When am I gonna see you again?”

“The tour’s gonna last a few months,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re going to Manehattan, Canterlot, Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia… pretty much everywhere.”

“Well, you have a good time now,” Applejack said.

“I will,” Rainbow Dash promised. She hesitated, like she had something else on her mind that she couldn’t bring herself to say.

“Go on now,” Applejack said. “You’ve got a tour to get to.”

“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said, reluctantly rising into the air, “goodbye, Applejack.”

“Goodbye, Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack watched Rainbow Dash shrink to a speck as she flew away, and then slowly started back for Sweet Apple Acres. Before she got more than a dozen steps her throat became uncomfortably tight. She stumbled into an alley and braced her forehead against a wall, her breaths coming in short gasps.

“So who won the bet?” a high-pitched voice piped up from behind her.

“Go away, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack exploded. Pinkie Pie bounded away, and Applejack was left in the alley, shaking with an emotion she couldn’t quite identify. After weeks of being one of only two ponies for miles in every direction she was once again in a city bustling with activity, but now, for the first time in weeks, she felt utterly and desperately alone.