Forbidden Fruit

Chapters

Hard Times
Whispers on the Wind
Over the River...
...And Through the Woods
Dirge in the Dark
Old Wounds
To Prove One's Worth
Brains and Brawn
He Who Watches
Beneath the Branches
Interlude: Back Home
Homeward Bound
Unchained
On the Outskirts
Moment of Truth
Epilogue - A Trip to the Spa

Hard Times

Another day had come and gone on Sweet Apple Acres. It had been a good applebucking season so far, and despite being utterly exhausted by their efforts that day, Applejack simply couldn't fall asleep. She would toss and turn in her bed, trying to catch the least bit of shuteye, but to no avail - frustrated, the mare rolled out of bed and paced her room. The oddest feeling was nagging at her, and she almost felt as if this were something like her friend's 'Pinkie Sense'.

"Naw. I know Pinkie Sense, and this ain't it."

She huffed and continued to pace about, sometimes staring out her window at the moonlit orchard. It didn't make any sense to her at all - everything was going well at Sweet Apple Acres, her relationships with her friends were as perfect as could be, and even Apple Bloom was managing to do well in school, yet here was this nagging feeling. At the very least, Applejack knew who could help her. She walked out the door of her room and made a short trip down the hallway to Big Macintosh's room, giving it a gentle knock. Sheets rustled about within, and the door opened up to reveal a very tired looking Big Macintosh. "AJ, do ya have any idea what time it is?"

"I know, Big Mac. Jus' lemme in."

The stallion sighed and stepped aside, and Applejack slowly made her way into his room, hopping up onto his bed and staring at the floor. Big Macintosh carefully shut the door and made his way over as well, taking a seat on the floor and eying his sister. "So what is it this time, AJ? 'nother bad dream or somethin'?"

"Shoot, Big Mac - ya make it sound like I'm jus' a filly or somethin'."

"Just 'cause yer older doesn't mean ya can't have bad dreams, AJ." He tilted his head and stared at her - though he often gave the impression of being a simpleton to the citizens of Ponyville, he was anything but. "Now go on an' tell me what's botherin' ya."

"Alright, fine. I jus' got this... feeling. Like this gut instinct that somethin' bad is gonna happen. I don't even know how ta explain it."

Big Macintosh sighed and stood up, giving his sister's unkempt mane a ruffle. "We all get those from time ta time, lil' sister. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it ain't. All that matters is how ya handle it - either ya ignore it an' go 'Well, this COULD happen, but I ain't gonna let it get in the way of nothin', or ya let it get the better of ya and it ends up consumin' yer life. So what'll it be, AJ?"

"The... the firs' one?" She blinked at him and couldn't help but grin as he gave her mane another ruffle.

"There ya go, that's th' AJ I know. Now go on an' get some rest. Yer gonna need it fer tomorrow."

Applejack sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Darnit. I fergot we still had more buckin' ta do. Thanks fer hearin' me out, Big Mac." The mare hopped off the bed and gave her older brother a hug before making her way back to her room. It didn't get rid of the nagging feeling, but she did feel a bit better after being comforted by Big Macintosh. With a yawn, she climbed back into her bed, and not long after, she was fast asleep.

"Where's Granny Smith?"

It was a good question, really. Granny Smith had always been up at the crack of dawn for... well, for as long as Applejack could remember. Yet she was strangely absent. It didn't seem too unusual, however - Granny Smith was certainly getting older and had been napping a lot more.

"She's probably jus' sleepin' in today, Apple Bloom."

"She jus' sleeps a lot 'cause she's old."

"Apple Bloom! Mind yer manners!"

The filly poked at her toast before deciding to eat it, swallowing it in one gulp and washing it down with a glass of apple juice. "Well she is, sis."

Applejack grumbled and ate her own breakfast, preferring to stay mum on the matter. Even after the filly ran off to school, she remained quiet a while longer before breaking her silence while helping Big Macintosh with the dishes. "I don' understand that girl sometimes. Big Mac, ya mind finishin' up all this while I go check on Granny?"

"Nnnnnope. I can handle this, AJ."

The mare nodded and left the kitchen, proceeding up the stairs and along the hallway until she reached Granny Smith's room. She carefully and quietly opened the door, slowly making her way in until she was at Granny's bedside - the old mare was fast asleep, and snoring quite loudly. She looked quite alright, and yet... something still felt off. It was that nagging feeling again, nipping away at her.

"Eh, couldn' hurt..." Applejack carefully placed the back of one of her forelegs on Granny Smith's forehead, quickly pulling it away. She made her way back out of the bedroom, closing the door before going back down the stairs and to the kitchen. "So uh... Big Mac? On a whim, I went an' checked Granny's forehead an' all - she's burnin' up. Got quite th' fever. Ya think we should do anythin' about it?"

"Granny's one of th' Apple family, AJ. We don' get sick that often."

"No, but when we do, we get sick somethin' fierce."

The stallion stopped scrubbing the dishes and stared down at the sink - they both knew she was right. He glanced over his shoulder at her, unsure of what to say at first. "A fair point, lil' sister. Jus' do what ya think is best, an' I'll go along with it."

"I'mma go fetch Nurse Redheart then. Don' you go nowhere, Big Mac."

"Wasn' gonna, AJ."

Being an earth pony meant Applejack was a surprisingly fast runner, and it didn't take long for her to reach Ponyville Urgent Care. Nurse Redheart was hot on her heels on the trip back to Sweet Apple Acres, and the white mare was quick to hurry up the steps to Granny Smith's room while Applejack and Big Macintosh waited down below. A little over an hour passed, and yet it still felt like an eternity - Big Macintosh paced back and forth, and Applejack fiddled with her hat. The nurse eventually stepped out from Granny's room and made her way down the stairs, a clipboard in her mouth. After setting it down upon one of the tables, she carefully read it over. Applejack was growing increasingly impatient and couldn't wait any longer.

"Nurse Redheart, what's goin' on with Granny Smith? Is she gonna be okay?"

"Based upon the symptoms, Applejack, it appears your grandmother has influenza, and a rather nasty case at that." She looked over the clipboard once more before glancing back up at the brother and sister. "It's not uncommon for the elderly to catch influenza either. I'm just a bit surprised that we've gotten a case this early."

The orange mare had since put her hat back on and was continually pacing the room, even while talking. "Alrighty, so she's got this 'influenza' thing. But can ya do anythin' fer her?"

Nurse Redheart sighed and shook her head, gathering up her things and making her way for the door. "I'm afraid not. Medicines don't work on influenza. The best you can do is just make sure she gets plenty of rest. I'm sorry, Applejack, I truly am - the Apple family has always been one of the most polite and hardest working families in Ponyville. But there's simply nothing I can do."

Big Macintosh remained silent, and Applejack slowly nodded. "I understan', Nurse Redheart. Thank ya kindly fer comin' all the way out here." The white mare nodded and made her leave, and for the longest time, Applejack and Big Macintosh simply stood in silence. For once, however, the older brother would be the one to break it.

"All we can do now is jus' finish up th' applebuckin' season an' hope Granny Smith gets better."

"But what if she don', Big Mac? What then?"

"Nothin' can ever keep Granny Smith down fer long, AJ." The stallion reared up and wrapped his forelegs briefly around Applejack's neck, giving her a hug. "She'll get better, an' then everythin' will be right as rain. Jus' you wait an' see."

"I sure hope so, Big Mac." Applejack glanced out the kitchen window, frowning as she saw Apple Bloom on her way back from school. "I sure hope so."

Hopes would not be enough for the Apple family. Though initially capable of taking care of herself, Granny Smith's condition progressively worsened, and it wasn't long before Applejack had to stop tending the orchards entirely in order to take care of her. Hour after hour, she would tend to Granny's every need, doing her very best to help her on the path to recovery. Such a thing does not come without a price, however, and she continually lost more and more sleep with no real improvement in her grandmother's condition. Days ticked by, and as Granny Smith's health declined, so too did Applejack's demeanor. The orange mare began to snap at friends and customers alike, and not even her own family was safe - Big Macintosh was often a target for her frustrations, and Apple Bloom couldn't escape it either. The first night it happened was particularly rough for the young filly. She had been out 'crusading' the entire day, only to return home to an extremely irritated older sister.

"Apple Bloom! Where the heck have ya been?"

"I... I was out with Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle. I even told ya about it." Apple Bloom had been used to Applejack being overprotective, but this seemed all wrong. Her sister didn't sound worried - she sounded furious.

"Ya think I don' know that? What, do ya think I'm some sorta dummy that don' know nothin' about what's been goin' on?"

The mare began to make several advancing steps towards Apple Bloom, and the filly found herself continually backing away. She was actually frightened by the same sister she normally loved and adored. "But... I even told ya that I was out with mah friends!"

"I know ya told me, ya dumb girl! But yer still late! Ya still missed supper!"

Unable to take any more of it, Apple Bloom burst into tears and fled from her sister, running up the stairs and into her room. As the days went on, it became increasingly more common for a tearful Apple Bloom to run to Big Macintosh, demanding to know what was wrong with Applejack. The filly had never seen her sister like this, and didn't know she could even be capable of such cruelties. A family can only take so much strain, and something had to give.

"Big Macintosh! Applejack's holed up in the cellar and she won' come out! I keep askin' what's wrong an' she just tells me ta shut up and go away!"

The stallion had been in bed, but was wide awake as soon as Apple Bloom had arrived. He rolled out of bed and peered at the filly, speaking simply. "Apple Bloom. Go ta bed."

"But-"

"Now, Apple Bloom. I'll take care of it. Jus' shut yer door. Got it?"

Apple Bloom nodded and quickly made a retreat to her room, shutting the door tight behind herself - something in Big Macintosh's voice frightened her. It was a distinct tone she had never heard out of him before, but it almost sounded like... anger. The stallion made his way down and out of the house, proceeding to the barn and the cellar door. He pounded a heavy hoof on it, his intent clear. "Applejack, ya better open this door up." He was not expecting the answer he was about to receive.

"I ain't openin' that door for nopony, not even you! Jus'... jus' shut up an' go back to bed!"

"AJ, I swear I'mma break this door down if ya don' open it!"

Big Macintosh waited, listening for any sound of movement. When he heard none, his patience wore thin, and he swiftly brought a hoof down upon the cellar door, cracking it wide open. What struck him first was the smell - it was an awful smell and it made him immediately recoil, but the shattered bottles on the floor soon told him what it was, and he grimaced as he made his way into the cellar. At the bottom of the stairs sat his sister, surrounded by shattered glass and empty bottles, with two red and broken bands and her hat laying off to the side. Applejack's mane and tail sprawled out over her body and the floor, and the mare feebly held onto a bottle of hard cider.

"Applejack... have ya been drinkin'?"

She quickly turned and scowled at him, and Big Macintosh found himself completely shaken by what he saw - he knew this was his sister, and yet... it wasn't. This was nothing like her at all. "What does it look like, ya dummy? 'Course I've been drinkin'!"

"AJ, put th' bottle down an' let's talk about this."

"Screw you!" She took a quick swig and set the bottle down, muttering to herself as it rattled about on the stone floor. "Ain't you seen anythin' that's been goin' on lately? Granny Smith ain't gonna make it past the end of th' year. Sales are way down. It's all goin' ta pieces, an' I'm the only pony that's even noticed!"

Big Macintosh was utterly appalled by the turn of events, and found himself resorting to something he knew he would regret - but it had to be done, otherwise he might never break his sister from this stupor. "Look atcha, Applejack! Look what ya've done to yerself, yer friends, and yer own family! Ya think Mom and Pop would be proud of ya fer this?"

Applejack's eyes went wide with shock, and her ears instantly flattened. She stared at her brother, not sure what to even think, and she slowly looked down at the bottle sitting beside her, as well as those that lay scattered about her. A look of disgust began to form on the mare's face, and she quickly kicked the bottle away from herself, the bottle shattering against the wall from the impact. She fell over onto the floor, curling into a ball and burying her face in her mane to hide her shame. It pained him to see his own sister like this, and he was already beginning to regret even mentioning their parents - slowly, Big Macintosh made his way to Applejack's side, and he took a seat beside her. Almost instinctually, the orange mare clambered up to her brother's side, her body shaking and shuddering as she silently wept.

"AJ... I'm real sorry I had to mention Mom an' Pop like that. But ya've been actin' awful funny lately, and it's gotten a whole lot of us real concerned fer ya."

Applejack looked up at him, and though her mane hid most of her eyes, he could tell she had been crying quite a bit. Her tears had stained her coat, and even now, she was still shaking ever so slightly, her breathing ragged. "L-like w-who?"

"All yer friends, AJ. Miss Twilight was over earlier, an' all the rest stopped by too. They've been worried sick about ya, Applejack - real worried."

She looked back down at the floor, her unkempt mane hiding much of her face. It was easy to forget just how long it truly was, considering she almost always had it tied up. Her response was barely above a whisper, something quite uncharacteristic for her. "I need ta get away from this place, Big Mac. I don' wanna be here no more."

The stallion nodded and stood up, crouching down a bit to allow his sister to climb onto his back. After doing so, Big Macintosh grabbed Applejack's hat with his mouth and left the ruins of the cellar - he would repair the door tomorrow. For now, his focus was on his sister's well-being. Applejack was already passed out by the time they had gotten back to the house, but that didn't deter him from giving his sister a much-needed bath. She reeked of hard cider, and much of it was stuck to her coat and mane - he wasn't about to put her to bed in that shape. Big Macintosh worked gently, doing his best not to wake her from her sleep. He apparently succeeded, given that she snored through all of it, and he carefully carried her up the steps and to her room, laying her upon her bed and even tucking her in.

"G'night, AJ. Sleep well."

He knew that Applejack would likely never know just how far he had gone to take care of her that night, and for him, he was perfectly content with that.

Whispers on the Wind

She drank before, and of course she had dealt with hangovers as well. This, however? This was a doozie of a hangover. Applejack groaned and pulled her pillow over her head, doing anything she could to block out the morning light. Something caught her ear, though - voices just outside her window, and she recognized them. "...Twi?"

The mare slowly sat up, rolling out of bed and grimacing as she promptly fell to the floor. She got up and peeked over the window sill, squinting in a vain effort to block out as much light as possible. From what little she could see, Big Macintosh and Twilight Sparkle were talking just below, and she quickly dove back into bed as she saw them both walk into the house. Even as she heard hoofsteps going up the steps and her own door opening, she tried her best to feign being asleep - given her status as the Element of Honesty, however, it wasn't exactly convincing.

"I know yer up, AJ. Miss Twilight's here ta see ya."

The stallion left without another word, most likely off to begin working in the orchards. Applejack sighed as she heard him left, no doubt still feeling the sting from the events of the previous night. She rolled over in bed to face the doorway, offering as big a smile as she could muster to her friend. "Hey there, sugarcube."

"Hey Applejack. How are you feeling?" Even after all the trouble Applejack had managed to cause, Twilight Sparkle's first thought was still of her friend's well-being. She didn't ask for an apology or an explanation - it was simply 'how are you'.

"Well, I've got a splittin' headache. No doubt from all that cider I was chuggin' last night." Applejack frowned at the mention of that, and buried part of her face into the pillow, the other part obscured by her mane. She blinked as Twilight brushed it aside, a friendly smile on the lavender unicorn's face. Looks like there was no hiding from it. "Look Twi, I'm awful sorry for th' way I've been actin' lately. I've jus' been-"

"-really stressed out? Don't worry, AJ, your brother told me the full story already. If we had known what was going on, we gladly would have helped you, Applejack. All you had to do was just ask."

Applejack sighed and rolled onto her back. All of this was starting to seem very similar to the applebucking incident from the previous year. She desperately needed help, and she had been overly stubborn instead. Here she was again, in need of a helping hoof - the situation was a bit more dire, of course, but she knew she needed the help. The mare sat up with a groan, rubbing her head as she eyed Twilight Sparkle again. "...I can see that grin on yer face, Twilight. What's goin' on?"

Twilight was trying her hardest to hide it, but it became evident she couldn't. She settled with a soft giggle and a simple shake of the head. "It's nothing, Applejack. I've just never seen you with bedhead is all."

"Huh?" Already, Applejack had forgotten that she was still in her bed. She gave a head shake of her own, her untied mane fanning out. "Oh... Right. That. Gimme a second, sugarcube, I ain't been up fer long." The orange mare was about to swing her legs out from under the sheets when she saw her brush float up and begin to run through her mane, and she couldn't help but sigh. "I can do this mahself, Twi."

"I know you can, Applejack. It's much easier when you've got magic, though." Twilight smiled and hummed to herself as she worked, and Applejack reluctantly admitted defeat. Her friend had a point, though - this was much faster than what she could manage. The unicorn had already finished with her mane, tying it up with a red band before quickly taking care of her tail. "There! See how easy that was?"

"Well shoot, Twilight. Guess ya were right about the magic thing, considerin' this always takes me quite a while."

"This isn't the only time I've been right about something magic-related, though." Twilight Sparkle leaned over towards her, grinning all the while.

Applejack rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed, grabbing her hat with her mouth and deftly tossing it onto her head. "Quite aware of that, sugarcube. Why are ya here anyways?"

"Oh, right!" Twilight ran over to some saddlebags she had left just outside the door, rummaging through them and quickly running back with a book. She threw it upon one of the tables in Applejack's room, the tome landing with a resounding thud. "After I heard about Granny Smith's health-"

"Wait, are ya here ta cure Granny Smith? Ya gotta have some sorta fancy spell or somethin', right?" Applejack was walking in circles around Twilight, and the lavender unicorn stuck out a hoof to stop her.

"No, Applejack. Magic can't cure illnesses, at least as far as I know. I wrote to Princess Celestia and asked for her advice, and she told me to check my books." She pointed a hoof at the cover: Supernaturals - Natural Cures That Are Simply Super.

Applejack had seen this book before, of course - it was the same one Twilight had overlooked when they had all contracted their ailments from the poison joke. "Ya managed to find a cure in that dusty ole' thing?"

"Well... sorta."

The orange mare narrowed her eyes at her friend, an eyebrow raised. "What do ya mean 'sorta'? Is there a cure or not?"

"There is, but... contrary to the name of the book, it actually is supernatural." With her horn aglow, Twilight opened the book and rapidly flipped through the pages before arriving at the desired section. Inside was a sketch of an ancient-looking tree, yet it still appeared to be in-bloom and bearing fruit. "There's an old story that, somewhere within Equestria, is a tree of life. It's impossibly old, maybe even older than the Princesses, but it's still alive."

"I get th' feelin' there's a catch."

"Yep. Nopony has ever been able to claim the fruit from the tree. They've all been struck dead as soon as they touch it, and so ponies simply stopped all attempts to take the fruit. Because of that, nopony has been to the tree in countless years, and so the location is... sketchy, at best."

Applejack sighed and slowly shook her head. "How sketchy are we talkin', Twi? A couple o' miles?"

"...more like hundreds." Twilight Sparkle sighed and closed the tome. "This is the only thing I've been able to find that could potentially cure Granny Smith, but... I don't like the sounds of it. Fruit that kills anypony that touches it, and a location that could be almost anywhere in Equestria? It's a wild goose chase!"

Neither mare was quite sure what to do - this 'tree of life' was the only known way that they could potentially help Granny Smith, but there were so many things that could go wrong. They might go in the wrong direction, or get lost, or even killed. Assuming they did reach the right spot, they had no way of knowing if the tree would even still be there, or alive for that matter. Applejack sat upon the floor and rubbed her eyes. "Consarnit. I don' know what we should even do."

Twilight took a seat beside her. "We've got two choices, AJ. We either chase a rumor and hope it's true, or..."

"...or we don', an' hope for the best." She sighed and pulled her hat off her head, idly playing with it as she thought about it aloud. "But if we don' go after this an' Granny Smith doesn' get better... I dunno what we'd do without 'er. She's th' closest thing Apple Bloom has to a parent." Applejack went briefly silent at the mention of 'parent', continuing shortly afterwards. "You've always been real good with advice, Twilight. What do ya reckon we should do?"

"Well..." She drummed her hooves on the floor as she thought for a moment. "We've been friends for quite a while, Applejack - close friends, even. I'd say, knowing you... do what your heart tells you, and just go with it. You've always been pretty good with gut instincts and stuff, right?"

"Shoot, it was mah gut instinct that sorta lead ta all this. Th' night before Granny Smith got sick, I had this real awful naggin' feelin', like somethin' bad was gonna happen. Got up th' next mornin', an' Granny is sick." The orange mare was pacing the room, her friend watching on. "I've done nothin' but hope an' pray th' last few days, an' it's done nothin' ta help Granny Smith. I'm sick an' tired of bein' a prisoner ta fate - I say we go after this rumor!"

Twilight Sparkle smiled and clapped her hooves together. "Great! Let me go get my things packed, and then we can be off."

Applejack came to a screeching halt and nearly tumbled over her own hooves in the process. "I... what? Yer gonna come too?"

"Well why wouldn't I? I'm your friend, after all."

"I appreciate it, Twi, I really do. But this is somethin' I gotta do by mahself."

"Applejack." Twilight narrowed her eyes at her, staring. "You know what happened the last time you turned down help. You can't let your own pride and stubbornness get in the way of things."

"I ain't stubborn, and I sure won' drag mah own friends into somethin' I can handle mahself!"

There was a low cough, and both mares turned to look at the doorway - Big Macintosh, as stoic as always, was eying his younger sister. "AJ, I know yer a tough girl, and ya've always been real tough. No matter whatcha might think, though, ya need Miss Twilight's help. Ya sure ain't gonna find that tree without her an' her books."

Applejack stared at her brother, not sure what to make of things. "But... that jus' leaves you an' Apple Bloom here, an' Apple Bloom's got her schoolwork."

"Nnnnope. I went an' talked with Miss Cheerilee over at th' schoolhouse. She said it's quite alright fer Apple Bloom ta take some time off from school so she can help while yer gone. Now go ahead an' start packin' yer stuff, Applejack - ya ain't gonna cure Granny by jus' standin' there, now are ya?"

"Right, yeah... I guess I'll start packin'. Meet me back here tomorrow mornin', Twi, and we'll get goin'."

The lavender unicorn nodded and gathered up her things, quietly excusing herself and making her way for home. After she had departed, Applejack sighed and approached her brother. "Look, Big Mac, about last night-"

Big Macintosh waved a hoof dismissively, smiling warmly at her. "It ain't a big deal, AJ. Everypony's patience was jus' startin' to wear a bit thin, is all. Figured I had ta put a stop to it."

"...Thanks, Big Mac." She reared up and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, giving him a hug. "I mean it. I'd probably still be drinkin' mahself silly if ya hadn't stepped in."

"Yyyyyup."

The orange mare grinned and hopped back down, and Big Macintosh took his leave as his sister ran about her room, gathering various supplies that she might need and tossing them into her saddlebags. Rope, a sleeping bag and a tent, and of course, some apples. She would throw in other supplies of course, but to her, these were the bare essentials. Even in the midst of her supply-packing frenzy, Applejack took the time to glance out her bedroom window - it was already late-afternoon, and she found it hard to believe that time truly had gone by that fast. Still, somewhere out there was the cure to Granny Smith's illness, and one way or another, she was going to find it.

And that was a promise the Element of Honesty intended to keep.

Over the River...

Daybreak. Despite how early it was, Applejack was already up in time to see Celestia's sun make its morning climb into the sky. She knew she should have gotten as much rest as possible, but it was difficult to sleep when you had such an adventure planned out ahead of you. The mare had already made her way downstairs and out the door, frowning as the grass crunched beneath her - a frost this early in the year was not a good sign, and certainly didn't bode well for the trip she and Twilight would be taking. At the very least, the applebucking season was essentially done. Just a few rows remained, meaning Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom would have a fairly easy time running the farm in her absence.

"Good morning, Applejack!"

Applejack cried out and defensively leaped backwards, bumping into the side of the house and sending her flat on her face. Her hat had slipped down over her face, and for the life of her, she couldn't see who had shown up - she knew it was a mare, but nothing beyond that. A lavender hoof pushed the hat up, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at who did it. "Twilight? What are ya doin' up this early? I always figured ya to be the kinda gal that slept in."

"Who do I look like, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight allowed herself a giggle before helping her friend to her hooves. "Sorry for scaring you, AJ. I knew you got up awful early though, and I didn't want to keep you waiting. You don't mind or anything, right?"

"What? Naw, it's quite alright, sugarcube. Ya had breakfast yet?"

There was a low growl, followed by a rather embarrassed looking Twilight Sparkle. "Er... no. I suppose I forgot to eat before I left."

"C'mon in, Twi - yer jus' in time." Applejack smiled and lead her friend into her home, and the smell of cooking eggs already wafted through the house. Though they were all close friends, it was rare for Twilight to actually enter any of her friends houses - rather, it was most often the other way around. Thankfully, it didn't take long for breakfast to finish either, and the two friends hurriedly ate, discussing their plans over eggs and daffodils, with a glass of cold milk to drink.

"Okay, so based upon what I've read and my own calculations, we'll have to cross this river here, and then make our way through this forest. The tree is somewhere on the other side of all that."

"Somewhere? We're gonna need somethin' better than 'somewhere', Twilight. Don' want us walkin' in circles or nothin'. An' is that forest anythin' like the Everfree Forest?"

The lavender mare sighed and shook her head. "No idea. It's not close enough to the Everfree Forest to really be connected to it, but nopony knows much about it either. Just be prepared for anything."

"Alright, an' what about that river?" Applejack took another bite out of her eggs, quickly chewing and swallowing before speaking further. "There better be some way to cross that darn thing."

"There is. Looks like there's a bridge over it." She squinted at a map she had drawn out herself. "Though... I don't know what kind of bridge it is. It might be a stone bridge, or just a rope bridge."

The two mares finished off the rest of their breakfast and finished packing their saddlebags - both carried a week's worth of supplies, more than enough to last them on their trip. Apple Bloom was still fast asleep, and so only Big Macintosh was there to see them off on their journey.

"Now Miss Twilight, ya gotta promise me yer gonna bring back mah sis in one piece. Got it?" The stallion spat on his hoof and held it out - Twilight had seen this same behavior between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and though her books spoke of all the germs transferred during such an activity, she was willing to let it slide just this once. The mare spat on her own hoof and firmly pressed it against Big Macintosh's. "Got it. Don't worry, Big Macintosh, we'll be safe."

"I know ya'll will be. An' AJ?" He walked up to his sister and gave her a brief nuzzle. "Stay safe out there. I know both of ya'll are gonna be jus' fine, but don' do anythin' stupid. Ya won' have me ta rescue ya."

"Quit yer worryin', Big Mac. There's nothin' me and Twilight can't do together." Applejack offered her brother a warm smile - it would have to suffice. With their goodbyes said and done, the two departed for the tree, slowly making their way for the horizon until they had disappeared from view entirely.

They knew their destination. Getting to it would be something else entirely.

"So, Twi... how come none of th' other girls came with us?"

They had been walking for quite a while now, and if she truly had to guess, Applejack would have put the time at past noon or early afternoon. She had wanted to race off at first, but was quickly reminded of the lesson Twilight Sparkle had learned from her books when they had competed in the Running of the Leaves - pacing was key. The only thing the two of them did seem to know was that Ponyville was long gone, and it was just them and the wilderness.

"Well, Rarity had several commissions she had to take care of, and Fluttershy had to nurse some birds back to health. Pinkie Pie said she had to house-sit for Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Oh, and Rainbow got called back to Cloudsdale. Something about a 'weather team evaluation'. So that leaves... us."

"Dang. And yer sure the library is gonna be jus' fine with ya gone?"

"Positive!" At the mention of that, Twilight quickly began to think of worst-case scenarios, almost all of them outlandish: most involved the absolute destruction of the library, or the loss of several important books. One even involved flooding, though she wasn't sure how that would even work. She quickly dismissed it all from her mind, laughing nervously as she walked along. "Ah... yeah. It'll be fine, I guess."

"C'mon, Twi. Time fer lunch." The two ponies took shelter under the shade of a tree and unpacked their own separate lunches - a daffodil sandwich and water for Twilight, and not surprisingly, some apples and water for Applejack. Her friend's choice in foods managed to evoke a laugh from the lavender unicorn, but she was too busy looking over her self-made map to see the stern glare that Applejack had sent her way.

"Let's see... based upon the current position of the sun in comparison to where it was when we left with Sweet Apple Acres, in addition to..." Twilight steadily mumbled to herself as she worked out where they were, and Applejack could do nothing but sit and watch in silence as she finished her lunch. Even after she had finished, her friend wasn't finished with her ramblings - finally, the orange mare simply had to ask.

"So uh... Twilight, where th' heck are we?"

The lavender unicorn bolted up from the map and blinked at Applejack before catching up on things. "Oh! Well, if my calculations are right, we're near that river I pointed out earlier. Still no idea what kind of bridge there is, though - it's just... a bridge. That's all I know about it."

Applejack had already packed her things back up and was in the process of hefting her saddlebags onto her back. "Jus' how close are we?"

"A couple of miles, give or take. It's not too far." Twilight carefully rolled the map up and placed it within her bags, sliding them on and standing up. Lunch had been faster than she had anticipated, but they were making good time - no sense in slowing their pace now. The two of them departed from underneath the tree, making their way for their destination once more.

Neither of them knew what lay ahead, but they had each other. They were ready.

Both Twilight Sparkle and Applejack found themselves staring with mouths agape. They had both expected a wide, meandering river - what they had gotten were violent and roaring rapids, and the only way across was a rickety-looking rope bridge. Applejack paced back and forth at the bridge entrance, and Twilight tapped her chin in thought. It certainly didn't look safe, and neither one was incredibly eager to attempt a crossing, but it was their only option.

"There's got to be some sort of regulation against this."

Applejack looked up, chuckling as she watched her friend nervously poke the rope that made up much of the bridge. "Well sugarcube, I don' see any other way of gettin' across. We've come this far already - there's no turnin' back, if you ask me."

"Yeah, I know..." Twilight sighed and hung her head. "I'm just really not looking forward to doing this."

"Ya nervous?"

"Just a bit."

"S'okay, Twi. I'll go firs' if yer still nervous about it, jus' so ya know it's safe." The orange mare smiled at Twilight, and she seemingly brightened up a bit at that.

"You'd do that for me?"

Applejack nodded and slowly approached the bridge, taking the first step upon the wooden planks, and then another, and then another. It was holding for the time being, and she found herself somewhat relieved, but by no means was she near the other side. The mare tried everything in her power to keep from looking down at the raging waters below, and it took everything she had to press onwards. Even as the bridge gently swayed in the breeze, Applejack found herself quickening her pace just to reach the safety of the other cliff edge - solid ground was better than no ground. She trotted across the remainder of the bridge, smiling triumphantly as she felt her hooves upon the earth once more. "Alright, Twi! It's safe! C'mon over!"

"O-okay. Right. Here goes nothing." Twilight let out a tiny 'eep' of fear as she begrudgingly made her way across the bridge, and the gentle swaying made her feel no better. Halfway across, she made the mistake of looking down, and instantly froze upon seeing the rapids below. Try as she might, she couldn't force herself to move or look away.

"Twilight? What's wrong, sugarcube? Yer almost here!"

The lavender unicorn nervously muttered to herself as she slowly made her way once more, her legs shaking with every step. She tried to put on a brave face, but she was completely and utterly terrified, and Twilight let out a yelp as she felt herself drop. Frantic, she rapidly glanced about, crying out in terror as she saw the reason for the sudden drop - the rope was beginning to tear and fray. Applejack saw it too, and desperately begged her friend to hurry to safety, Twilight's only response being the sound of her hooves upon the wooden planks as she scurried to the other side.

And then the world dropped out from beneath her.

Applejack gasped as she watched Twilight plummet into the rapids, and her instincts kicked into overdrive as her body began to feed on pure adrenaline. Acting quickly, the orange mare tossed her saddlebags off her back and grabbed a length of rope, fashioning it into a lasso and running to the edge of the cliff. She scanned the churning waters, her heart beating a mile a minute as she frantically searched for any sign of her friend. Dread steadily began to overcome her as she saw no sign at all of the mare, but then she saw it - that familiar purple color. Racing alongside Twilight, Applejack threw the lasso towards her, quickly yanking on it once it wrapped around her. She grimaced and grunted as she struggled against the river itself, her muscles aching and burning as she slowly pulled Twilight Sparkle to safety. Running to the shore, the orange mare pulled Twilight further in-land, and Applejack fell to the ground, panting as she caught her breath. "That... that was a close one, Twi... right? Right, Twi?"

Something was wrong. She felt it somewhere within her, that something was terribly wrong. Hopping to her hooves, Applejack ran over to Twilight and placed an ear to her chest - no breathing. "No. No no no. Ya ain't dyin' on me, Twilight. I won' let ya!" She rolled her friend onto her back and placed her hooves on Twilight's chest, gently pushing downwards multiple times, searching for any sign of life within the young unicorn. Still nothing. Applejack shook her head and forced her friend's mouth open, pressing her mouth against Twilight's as she attempted to breath that spark of life back into her. One breath, then two. Still nothing.

Already, she felt tears well up within her eyes as she continued to work to save her friend's life. "Don' leave me, Twilight! Please don' leave me!" More chest compressions, and then more mouth-to-mouth. Still nothing. Applejack was openly sobbing at this point, her emotions running rampant as she poured her heart and soul into her attempts. "Fight, damnit! C'mon Twi, fight it!" Tears ran down her cheeks as she frantically pressed down on Twilight's chest as she fought against the fates themselves, seeking to bring one of her closest friends back from the brink of death - and then it happened. Twilight Sparkle coughed and gagged, throwing up the water she had inhaled as she found herself brought back to the land of the living, and a tearful Applejack quickly supported her with a leg under her head. With the water gone from her lungs, the lavender mare gasped for air, grimacing as she briefly struggled to breathe. At last, she slowly opened her eyes, confused as she found herself staring at Applejack.

"Apple...jack?"

Applejack couldn't help but laugh, tears still streaming from her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah... yeah, it's me, Twilight."

"What... what happened?"

"Well... the bridge gave out and I had ta pluck ya from the water. Ya almost drowned." There was still a hint of fear in her voice, but she soon continued. "I almos' lost ya."

"You saved me, then." Applejack slowly nodded, a smile on her face, and Twilight reached up to give her a hug. For a while, they stayed that way - two friends in an embrace, neither wanting to break away. Eventually, Twilight Sparkle let go and lay back down, rolling over onto her side. "Can we just... take a break, AJ? I think I need a nap after all that..."

"Well 'course we can, sugarcube. I ain't surprised that yer tired after ya fought death itself."

"I didn't fight it." Twilight smiled and closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep. "You did."

Applejack smiled back and pulled a blanket from her saddlebags, covering up her friend. She wiped whatever tears were still in her eyes and snuffled as she dragged Twilight's saddlebags over to where she lay. Most everything was soaked, and some things were missing entirely, but she still had Twilight. They still had each other. The orange mare groaned as she took a seat beside her sleeping companion - now that the adrenaline rush was gone, her body ached from all the effort she had gone through. She rolled over onto her side, leaning against Twilight Sparkle as she felt her own eyes grow heavy. Sure, they had managed to fight the cold grasp of death and emerge victorious, but for now?

It was nap time.

...And Through the Woods

Nightfall. Twilight Sparkle was still fast asleep, and Applejack felt it best not to wake her - she had been through an awful lot, after all. The earth pony had already started a small fire in their make-shift camp, and many of the items that had been in Twilight's saddlebags had been dumped next to the warmth of the fire to give them a chance to dry. Many of the unicorn's belongings survived her plunge into the water, and even the books would be quite alright. They had each packed a sleeping bag and tent of their own, however, and both of those seemed to be missing entirely from the lavender mare's belongings. That might prove to be a problem later on, but they had good weather thus far - there was no reason to believe that it was going to get any worse.

Applejack sighed and set Twilight's saddlebags by the fire before returning to her own. Taking a seat by the fire, she opened up her own saddlebags and pulled out a harmonica, pressing the metal to her lips as she began to play. She didn't know any songs - not really, at least - and most of it was often just playing what she desired. The orange mare closed her eyes, slowly rocking back and forth as she belted out a somber tune, a series of soulful notes echoing out into the night. Completely unbeknownst to her, Twilight Sparkle had woken up and was now watching her friend with a great deal of interest and curiosity, having never known one of her friends was capable of playing an instrument. As she played, Applejack thought back to Sweet Apple Acres and to Appleloosa, and to her family - Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and all the others. Most of all, she thought of her Mom and Pop, though it soon proved enough to make the mare stop. With her eyes still closed, Applejack set the harmonica upon the grass and began to rub her face when she heard a peculiar sound. It was almost like it was... clapping hooves.

"That was beautiful, Applejack."

The earth pony's eyes shot open and she quickly looked over at Twilight Sparkle - she was still laying upon the ground, but her head was now raised, a smile on the mare's face. "I didn't know you could play anything."

"I uh... yeah. I can. Sorry fer wakin' ya up, Twi. I didn' mean ta, honest." Applejack hadn't been expecting to play for an audience, and she was somewhat embarrassed by the whole ordeal.

"What song was that anyways? I don't recognize it."

"It ain't a song." The earth pony had since picked the harmonica up off the grass and played with it. "I usually jus'... think of stuff an' play what I feel."

"So what were you thinking about? Or feeling, for that matter?" Twilight cocked her head to one side and peered back at Applejack, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, towards the end there, you looked kinda... in pain, almost."

The orange mare frowned, her ears flattening against her head. "I'd... rather not talk about it, sugarcube. Hope ya don' mind."

"Are you sure, Applejack? I've always heard you and the other girls out when you've had something on your mind. You can tell me."

She hesitated for a moment, looking away from Twilight before returning her gaze to her. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll keep it in mind though. 'preciate it, Twi."

Twilight smiled and nodded, laying her head back down upon the grass as she stared at the burning embers of the campfire. "Still hard to believe that I was actually dead for a few moments. Like... clinically dead. Wonder what the other girls would say if we told them?"

"I dunno, ta be honest. They migh' freak out about it a bit, an' I get the feelin' Rainbow would think I'm some sorta hero or somethin'. I don' think we should tell 'em I had ta give ya mouth-ta-mouth, though."

"...why wouldn't we?" The lavender mare had her head cocked again as she listened intently.

"Well they migh' get the wrong idea... ya know, 'bout us?"

"But you did it to save my life! I mean... they couldn't possibly misinterpret that, could they?"

The orange mare sighed and rubbed her forehead before continuing. "Look at it this way, sugarcube - two mares, those two bein' us, go off alone and one of 'em ends up givin' mouth-ta-mouth. It'd be kinda easy to jump ta conclusions an' think that there's somethin' goin' on, right?" Twilight Sparkle stared blankly at her friend, and Applejack had to suppress a laugh as she realized just what the issue was - the poor girl had spent so much time shut in with her books, she had no idea what Applejack was hinting at. No wonder she was confused. "Eh, don' worry about it, Twi. If you wanna tell 'em, tell 'em."

"It'd make for a good story. Oh, my stuff! You even put it out to dry and everything. Looks like everything's in one piece..." Twilight had slipped out from under her blanket and had already begun to inspect her things. The ink in the books and on the map were a bit smudged and the pages were more fragile, but it was all intact. She'd simply have to repair them after their trip was over. "Wait, everything's here except-"

"-yer tent an' sleepin' bag. I guess it got washed away or somethin'. Ya still got everythin' else though, right?"

The unicorn nodded and took a seat by the fire, using her magic to pull the blanket over herself. The camp was quiet for a bit, and Applejack used the time to pull some fruit from her saddlebags - a little snack couldn't hurt. The mare took a bite and began to chew, only swallowing after she heard her friend begin to speak again.

"Applejack, what's it like to have siblings?" She eyed the earth pony intently, and Applejack could already see that spark of curiosity in her eyes, knowing full-well it wouldn't be sated until she had gotten a proper answer. "I mean, I know it sounds like an odd question, but I'm an only child."

To Applejack, it truly was an odd question. Still, she was indeed an only child, and the orange mare felt it an obligation as her friend to answer her. "Well, it's... hard ta explain. Siblings can be kinda wishy-washy - some days, they can be the best darn friends ya could ever hope ta have around, an' other days they'll absolutely drive ya crazy. It's awful complicated, Twi. I dunno if I can explain it any better." She continued on, telling Twilight several tales of both the good and bad antics her and her siblings sometimes got into. Applejack got so carried away with her storytelling that she failed to notice that her friend had fallen asleep once more, the lavender mare quietly snoring as she lay by the fire. "Oh... right. Well uh... g'night, Twi."

There was the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice upon finding out that her companion had fallen asleep, and though Applejack knew she should get some sleep for the next day, she simply couldn't fall asleep herself. She tried playing a song or two on her harmonica, but soon lost interest, and another few minutes were spent aimlessly wandering the camp. Frustrated, she cast her hat aside and walked over to the edge of the cliff, taking a seat and simply... watching. She watched the moon and stars. She watched the water below. Something was eating away at her - she could feel it, and yet she didn't know what it was. That was the worst part of it all. Her ears twitched as she heard hoofsteps behind her, and she turned to look over her shoulder as she watched Twilight Sparkle come over and sit beside her.

"What's wrong, Applejack?"

"Nothin's wrong, Twi. I'm fine." She felt her nose scrunch up, and she hated herself for it. It was a habit of hers whenever she attempted to lie, and it became fairly well-known to all her friends when Discord had corrupted her.

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, and it was evident she had caught it. "You took your hat off, AJ - you never take it off unless you're going to bed, and you're clearly not going to sleep any time soon. You're a terrible liar anyways."

"...shoot. It's no big deal, sugarcube. Don' worry yerself over it."

"No, I am going to worry myself over it. I've seen what happens when you've got something bothering you and you keep it bottled up. You get... well, self-destructive." The lavender mare looked towards her friend pleadingly. "Applejack, please - if it'll make you feel better, just get it off your chest. It's just us anyways. It's not like anypony is gonna hear."

Applejack sighed and lowered her head, burying her face in her forelegs. "Alright, fine. But ya just opened th' floodgates. Hope ya know what ya've gotten yerself into. Sometimes... well, I jus' get scared. Not stuff like 'boogey ponies under th' bed' or nothin'. It's all emotional junk."

"Like what?"

"Well, ya know how important family an' friends are ta me. Every now an' then, maybe once a month, I get this awful nightmare. I wake up at home, 'cept nopony's there. I run over ta Ponyville, and again, nopony at all. I check yer house an' all the others - yer not there, an' neither are any of th' other girls. An'... I dunno, Twi. I find it terrifyin'."

Twilight Sparkle stared back at Applejack. "You mean... you're afraid of being alone?"

She didn't want to admit it - after all, she was a tough girl, one of the toughest around - but yes, she was afraid. Deeply afraid, even. "When ya almos' drowned an' I was tryin' ta bring ya back... I was scared half ta death that I might lose ya. Not only 'cause I'd lose one of mah closest friends, but 'cause I'd be all alone out here. I... I hope that don' sound selfish or nothin'."

The unicorn slowly shook her head 'No'. Twilight had never seen Applejack show such a vulnerable side. Sure, she could be spooked, but Applejack wasn't really afraid of anything - at least, until now. "I noticed that... you don't really talk about your parents much."

Applejack was almost prepared to put everything out in the open, but that was an especially tender subject for her. It crossed the line, and she had no desire to talk about it. "...go back ta the camp, Twilight."

"W-what? Was it something I said?" She blinked, not sure if she was even hearing things right. Did Applejack just tell her to leave?

"Yes. Jus' go back ta the camp. I'll be back in a bit."

Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle stood up and slowly made her way back to the light of the camp. She knew not what she said wrong, but she soon figured it out - from a distance, she could see Applejack lower her head and bury her face in her forelegs. Every fear and phobia had an origin, and it didn't take long for the young unicorn to figure out where the earth pony had gotten hers from. It pained her greatly to see Applejack in this state, but Twilight knew she simply wanted to be left alone. She slipped beneath her blanket and curled up by the fire, watching Applejack off in the distance.

Sleep would not come easily for either of them that night.

"Look, I said I was sorry for mentioning it!"

"And I said ta shut up about it."

Twilight Sparkle frowned and flattened her ears, no doubt still regretting her actions from the previous night. The two of them trudged onwards, having been on the move since that morning, and though they had made good ground, tensions were high. Neither of them had slept well - Twilight felt immensely guilty for having mentioned Applejack's parents, and Applejack still found herself feeling vulnerable from revealing so much about herself, even if it had been to a pony who was likely her closest friend.

"AJ, just... stop for a moment."

The orange mare begrudgingly did as asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to face the unicorn. She was tired and irritated, though she did her best not to show it. "What is it, Twi? Ya need ta eat or somethin'?"

"No. I want to know what's gotten into you - you've been snapping back at me all morning."

"Ya wanna know why?" She stomped up and was standing nose-to-nose with the unicorn. "Ya mentioned somethin' ya darn well shouldn' have."

"How was I supposed to know?! You never said anything, so I didn't know!"

Applejack blinked and stepped back for a moment, frowning and shaking her head as she saw the situation from another perspective. "Yer... yer right, Twi. I'm sorry fer yellin' at ya. Jus'... don't mention that again around me, okay?"

"Noted." Twilight huffed as they continued their march once more - her near-drowning and subsequent rescue had strengthened their bond, but the ensuing fiasco regarding Applejack's parents had left things feeling uneasy. They were still close friends, of course, but there was certainly a bit of bad air between the two of them. The two mares had been walking through this forest for hours on end, and neither had any clue if they were getting close to leaving it.

"Hey Twi, I think there's a clearin' up ahead. Might be worth checkin' out."

"A clearing? I don't remember reading anything about that." Her horn softly glowed as she pulled out the map from her saddlebags and unfurled it in front of herself - sure enough, there was no clearing at all upon the map. "...nor do I see a clearing either. I guess we should check it out, though. Might make a good camping spot anyways."

"Good idea, sugarcube." Applejack took the lead as they cautiously approached the clearing, but as they broke free of the treeline, the orange mare came to screeching halt. "...uh, Twi?"

Twilight Sparkle, her head still buried in the map, bumped right into her friend and stumbled backwards. "Oof! Why'd you stop, AJ?"

"Jus'... put th' map down. Ya need to see this."

"I don't see what could be so..." She hastily rolled up the map and put it away, finding herself staring in disbelief once she looked back up. "...important."

In front of them, filling much of the clearing, was a cemetery - most of the tombstones were crumbling, the epitaphs completely worn away by the sands of time. Applejack found herself chilled to the bone at the sight of so many graves, but Twilight Sparkle wasn't nearly as affected. The young unicorn cautiously approached one of the tombstones in better shape and brushed away at the face of it with a hoof. "...Applejack, if these epitaphs are right, these graves have been here for a very long time."

"How long are we talkin', Twi? A hundred years?" Even with the sun still out and her friend close by, the orange mare still found herself nervously looking about the graveyard. "More than that?"

"Much more... well over a thousand years. Possibly several thousands. It's remarkable that such a large grave-site could be completely absent from most Equestrian annals."

"Look, Twilight, I appreciate th' history lesson an' all, but could we get outta here? I'm startin' to get mighty creeped out." Applejack quickly trotted over to Twilight's side, and it was clear that she was feeling uneasy. "I'm startin' ta get another one of those gut instincts too. A bad one, I mean."

The lavender mare grinned and placed a hoof on her friend's back. "Applejack, I know we're in a cemetery, but just look - it's out in the open, and not a cloud in the sky either. What could possibly go wrong? Just give me a minute or two, I wanna get one last look at these gravestones."

"Bah, fine. I'll jus' be over yonder." Applejack left Twilight to her studies and trotted off a fair distance, standing in the center of the graveyard. She nervously paced about, the gut instinct growing more prominent by the second, and she could have sworn she was seeing things when the ground rose up a bit. It took another minute for her to realize that the ground wasn't rising - she was sinking. "...well shoot. Stumbled on a sinkhole, didn' I?" As if giving her a resounding 'Yes', the ground gave out beneath her, and Applejack tumbled into the darkness without so much as a yell, her hat sailing off to the side.

Not long after, Twilight Sparkle wandered over towards the center and looked around for any sight of her friend. "Odd, she said she was going to be right here. Where did that pony run off... to." She ended her sentence as she saw the gaping hole in the ground, and Applejack's hat laying on the grass beside it. "Ooooh goodness. This is not good. Not good at all. Okay, um... um... maybe a levitation spell! Or..." The longer she stared at the hole, the more she realized that magic alone would not solve this problem - if she was going to find Applejack, she was going to have to dive in after her. With a sigh, she picked up Applejack's hat and stuffed it into her saddlebags, then cautiously approached the edge of the sinkhole.

"Don't worry, AJ! I'm coming! I just hope you're okay..."

She jumped, letting out a yelp as the pit seemingly swallowed her - there was no turning back now.

Dirge in the Dark

Despite several brief bursts from a levitation spell, Twilight Sparkle still had a rough landing, falling to her knees as she came into contact with the stone floor. Whatever this place was, it wasn't natural - it had been intentionally built, but how long ago or by whom were questions that likely would never be answered. She closed her eyes and grimaced, smiling as she summoned a floating orb of light beside her. While the unicorn could make some light of her own with her horn, it wasn't nearly as bright as this orb and would require less concentration in the end.

"That's strange... there's only one hole and one way down, but I don't see Applejack. Where did that pony go to?"

The mare closed her eyes once more, casting a modified seeker spell this time. It was one she had picked up from Rarity, and with Applejack's hat as a focus, she would hopefully be able to find her friend. She quickly opened her eyes, grinning to herself as she felt the spell work - she began to regret opening them, however. The path to Applejack was clearly shown before her, but Twilight was more disturbed by how the path was displayed. A trail of blood spatters gently glowed in the darkness, and Twilight Sparkle felt her pulse quicken as she charged head-long into the blackness, desperate to find her friend.

Elsewhere within the ruins, Applejack lay huddled by a fire she had made, carefully tending to her wounds. It took a while for her body to really register that anything had happened to her, but once it caught up, it hurt far more than she would have liked. She was almost certain she had sprained her ankle, and a series of makeshift bandages wrapped around her head and body took care of the scrapes, cuts, and bruises she had suffered during the fall. With her ankle in its current condition, there was no way she would make it far - all she could do now was just wait and hope that rescue would arrive soon. The orange mare sighed and lay her head upon the stone floor, none too pleased with the turn of events. First she had admitted being afraid of being alone, and now she actually was alone. The rest of her friends and family were miles away, and Twilight Sparkle was somewhere else. For all Applejack knew, the unicorn might not have even noticed that she was gone, a thought that certainly didn't make her feel any better.

"...I really hope yer lookin' fer me, Twi. I don' wanna be down here ferever."

She cringed at that thought. Forever. Applejack knew full-well that these weren't just ruins - she had seen the bones as she had limped her way to some place safe, and knew it was really a crypt. It was something she preferred not to think about, however. If tombstones made her uneasy, being surrounded by the bones of the deceased certainly exacerbated the problem. The mare sighed and pulled a blanket over herself, curling up by the fire and watching the dancing flames within. Staring at a flame didn't seem like much, but it was her only solace within the crypt, and the only thing that kept her mind from wandering to darker subjects.

The halls of the dead were never meant to be inviting, and the walls themselves seemed to press down upon her. Applejack pawed at the floor with the side of her hoof, watching the fire as she did her best not to remind herself that she was alone. In a crypt. Filled with dead ponies. She gulped and pulled the blanket over her head, using the cloth to shield her eyes from what lay around her, but it was too late - thoughts already began to race through her head, and she placed her hooves over her face in some vain attempt to stop it all. Twilight Sparkle would never come for her, and eventually, her supplies would run out. Then she would be just like all the others down here - bones. She would never see sunlight again, or the green pastures of Equestria. She would never walk upon Sweet Apple Acres again, nor would she ever see her family or friends. She would die down here, all alone, and the mare violently sobbed because of it.

The warm glow of the fire was not enough to help her now.

It felt like she had been down here for hours, wandering the dark and lonely halls of the crypt in search of Applejack. The seeker spell still seemed to be working, and Twilight Sparkle eagerly followed it as the orb of light bobbed up and down at her side. Had the situation been any different, the young unicorn would have loved to study these walls - frescos and friezes lined every inch of the stone walls, and it was a potential treasure-trove of Equestrian history, some of it possibly being completely unknown. Somewhere within, however, was a wounded Applejack. The earth pony had risked life and limb to pluck her from the river, and Twilight wasn't about to let her down. She raced through the corridors, the spell growing stronger as she drew closer and closer.

"Applejack! Hold on, I'm almost there!"

It was fruitless to try calling out for her, but she tried nonetheless. Her hooves thundered through the halls, the bones of the dead rattling as she raced past. In the distance, she thought she could see the faint glow of... something. Whatever it was, the blood trail lead towards it, and she continued to charge forth in pursuit. As she approached, she recognized it was a campfire of sorts - her gallop slowed to a canter, then to a trot, and eventually to a slow walk as she cautiously walked towards the light. Beside it sat a pair of saddlebags she quickly recognized as belonging to Applejack, and next to that was Applejack herself. The mare had seemingly cried herself to sleep, her mane an absolute mess and a bit of blood staining her face. She had seemingly stopped the bleeding herself, as there wasn't a trace of blood within the small camp, and Twilight Sparkle took a seat beside the slumbering earth pony. Her horn softly glowed as she gently rocked her friend back and forth, waking her up in the process. Applejack brushed her mane away from her eyes, blinking at the unicorn. "...Twi? What are ya doin' here?"

"Finding you, of course. Are you alright, AJ? I saw the blood trail on my way here."

"I... yeah, I'm fine sugarcube. For th' most part, anyways." She sighed and briefly glanced away before sitting up. "I didn' think you would come fer me."

Twilight waved a hoof, directing the orb of light to float over the both of them, rather than just her. "Why would you think such a thing? You know I'd never abandon you."

"Yeah, I... I know it sounds awful silly. Thanks fer comin' after me, though. It means a lot ta me." Applejack felt disappointed in herself for even daring to think that one of her own friends would abandon her in her hour of need. She had told herself that nopony would come for her, and yet here was Twilight.

"C'mon, AJ. We need to get out of here."

"I can'. I think I sprained mah ankle durin' the fall down."

The unicorn stood up and moved the blanket away from Applejack's legs, quickly spotting which one was sprained - the ankle on one of her hindlegs was bruised badly. "Applejack, I'm going to try something, and I need you to stay absolutely still. It might feel really weird though."

"What, are ya gonna try an' magic it or somethin'?" The orange mare eyed her friend incredulously. "I thought ya said magic couldn' heal anythin'?"

"Well... that was a bit of a lie." Twilight laughed nervously before continuing. "Magic can heal, it's just horribly impractical. It takes a lot of effort without much real gain, which is why traditional treatments are so common. Trust me, if there were an easier way to use magic to heal, ponies would have been using it already. Just... hold still, okay?"

Applejack nodded and Twilight Sparkle physically braced herself before beginning to cast the spell. Her horn glowed with a piercing light, and the earth pony had to shield her eyes from its intensity, and it didn't take long for sparks to begin to shoot from the horn as well. The unicorn grimaced, her eyes tightly shut as she channeled the spell as best she could, and dust and pebbles alike flew about the area, quickly snuffing out the fire. Despite the blinding light emitted by the spell, Applejack's eyes shot open as she felt one of the oddest sensations she had ever experienced - inside her ankle, she felt the sprain slowly begin to mend itself. Ligaments and muscles began to knit themselves back together, forming a tighter and stronger bond than what she even managed to have before the sprain. With the spell complete, Twilight released her hold on it and let out a pained groan as she collapsed to the ground and vomited, her entire body still shaking from exhaustion. Without thinking, Applejack tore off a fresh bandage and dipped it into a nearby puddle, hobbling over to her friend and pressing the cloth against her forehead. The lavender mare vomited repeatedly, making pained expressions with every dry heave she underwent, and likely would have toppled over into her own bile if it weren't for her friend supporting her. Though still feeling incredibly sick to her stomach, she wiped her mouth clean and slowly walked back over to the makeshift camp, the earth pony mirroring her every step. With a grunt, the unicorn took a seat upon the floor and rolled onto her side. "...Applejack, please remind me to never do that again."

"Uh... sure thing, sugarcube. I can' believe ya actually fixed mah ankle, though! I've never seen ya do anythin' like that!"

Twilight Sparkle didn't hear. She was already snoring, completely and utterly exhausted from the spell. The earth pony chuckled softly and and gave her newly-mended ankle a short test. It felt good - better than it used to, even. Twilight hadn't been kidding when she said it was impractical, though - the unicorn was regarded as having exceptional magical abilities, and yet the simple act of mending a sprained ankle had made her violently ill and completely exhausted. Applejack relit the fire and dug into Twilight's saddlebags, pulling out her blanket and covering the sleeping unicorn with it. With that complete, the orange mare lay upon the floor once again and pulled her blanket back over herself, taking time to reflect on what had happened. It had been an odd trip thus far, with both of them running into their own share of troubles and the other soon rescuing them from the thick of it. At the very least, they were now even, though such a thing hardly mattered when friends were involved. Applejack would have gone to the ends of the earth for her friends, and she now realized her friends would do the same for her.

"G'night, Twilight. An'... thanks. Fer everythin'."

The orange mare set her own head down and soon drifted off to sleep, but before doing so, she could have sworn there was the faintest of smiles upon her friend's face.

She wasn't wrong about that either.

They had wandered the crypts for hours at this point, and still had no real idea if they were close to finding a way out. Twilight Sparkle still felt nauseous from the spell she had used earlier on, and the most magic she could muster was the floating orb of light that had been following them around. The unicorn could seemingly read the glyphs that were etched upon the walls, and had used that to gauge their location - more recent dates meant they were closer to the surface, and older dates meant they were deeper. At this point, the two mares were in a section that was but a few hundred years old, and though Applejack still felt uneasy from being both underground and surrounded by the dead, it was comforting to know that one of her friends was right behind her.

"AJ, look at the floor - is it just me, or is it going up?"

"Kinda looks like it, sugarcube."

"Well... up is definitely a good sign. And based on these friezes, this section of the crypt is no more than two-hundred years old. I think we're on the right path."

"I sure hope so, Twi. I jus' wanna feel th' grass beneath mah hooves again." The earth pony briefly eyed the walls before continuing onwards, leading the two of them as they slowly ascended. She felt her mane get rustled about by a breeze of air, and knew that they had to be close to the surface. Almost anything was better than being stuck underground, and Applejack simply wanted to get away from the crypt and the graveyard as soon as possible. Rushing forward, the orange mare rounded a corner and saw it - the proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel' made manifest. Thought Twilight Sparkle did her best to keep up with her friend, it was pointless. Applejack had already sprinted far ahead, emerging out of the crypt and into... the morning light? It had been mid-afternoon when she had first fallen in, and yet it was now dawn. Had they really been inside there that long? The earth pony happily trotted in circles, thankful to feel the ground beneath her hooves once more - her companion wasn't nearly as fortunate. Still feeling sick from the healing spell, the unicorn promptly fell to the ground upon emerging from the crypt and vomited once more. Sprinting apparently hadn't helped her stomach at all, but like Applejack, Twilight was thankful to simply be out.

"Say, Twi! How 'bout a victory lunch, since we got outta th' crypt an' all?"

At the mention of 'lunch', the lavender mare keeled over once more and threw up again.

That was a 'No'.

Old Wounds

"AJ, we need to find some shelter - now."

After emerging from the crypt, the two mares had a brief period of sunny weather before finding themselves in the midst of a terrible storm. Twilight Sparkle had conjured some ponchos for the two of them, but it simply wasn't enough - with gusting wind, hard sleet and rain, and muddy footing, progress was nearly impossible and visibility was nil. The longer they stayed out here, the higher their chances of getting a cold or pneumonia, and an illness of any kind would end up delaying their arrival to the tree. In Applejack's mind, such a thing was not an option. To make matters worse, the weather had been getting increasingly more cold, and the sleet was making things much too slippery for them to safely continue. Through the haze of the storm, the earth pony could vaguely make out what appeared to be a hollowed-out portion of rock within a larger outcropping - it wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

"This way, Twi! Hurry!"

The two of them scampered across the muddy ground, retreating into the safety of their new-found shelter. Though it was still cold, it was at least dry, and that was the important thing. After setting their saddlebags upon the ground, they both immediately went to work - Twilight pulled the tent from Applejack's bags and deftly began to assemble it with her magic. She still felt just the slightest bit nauseous, but was nonetheless feeling well enough to fully use her magic once more. As she constructed it, Applejack was working on a campfire, a flint and steel striking together to bring it to life. It took a few breaths to coax it into a roaring flame, but the orange mare succeeded and was content with her work. With their camp fully set up, both of them took a seat by the fire, and a brief flash from the unicorn's horn caused the ponchos to dissolve into the air. Applejack sighed and took off her hat, setting it aside as she warmed herself by the fire. "Heck of a time fer a storm, ain't it?"

"Well there's no pegasi out here to really control the weather or anything. I guess it's like the Everfree Forest, in that aspect."

"Ugh." She shivered at the mere mention of that place. "Don' remind me. I like knowin' that goofy stuff only happens in one part of Equestria, an' nowhere else."

Twilight giggled and levitated a piece of fruit out of her bags, taking a bite out of it and grinning at her friend. "What's the matter, Applejack? Scared?"

"I ain' scared! You of all ponies oughta know that by now." Applejack huffed and flopped over onto her side, reaching into her bags and pulling out the harmonica to play with it. She wasn't scared of the Everfree Forest, not really - she just found it incredibly bizarre and unsettling. "How long do ya reckon we've been gone now?"

"I guess... two days? Maybe three? It's kinda hard to say, really." The unicorn took another bite, setting the fruit to the side. "We were underground for a bit, so that complicates things. Let's... just go with two to three days."

Two to three days - it was a pretty solid pace, but it also meant they were about halfway through their supplies. Either they were close, or they'd have to start scavenging for food soon... or even hunt. Applejack was particularly dreading that last option. She knew some animals ate meat, but ponies certainly were not on the list of carnivores. If it came down to survival, though, they might not have much of a choice. Twilight, thanks to her magic, could certainly handle any potential tools or weapons easier than she could, but the earth pony had doubts as to whether or not the unicorn would be able to actually kill anything. It wasn't a question of skill, but of conscience. If that happened, then that meant that only one pony would be able to hunt with any real success - herself. That made the possibility of hunting even worse for her.

"-you alright? ...Applejack?"

She quickly shook her head, glancing over at her friend to see a worried look upon the mare's face. "Huh? Yeah, I'm... I'm fine, sugarcube. Was jus' thinkin' is all."

"Thinking about what? You had this really odd look on your face..."

"Well, I see no harm in tellin' ya. I got ta thinkin' abou' how long we've been out here an' all, an' if we take long enough that our supplies start runnin' out, we're gonna have ta get some stuff elsewhere."

"So we'll just gather fruit or something. Or graze." The unicorn shrugged and finished off her fruit, tossing what was left out into the rain. "It can't be that hard."

Applejack sighed. "I dunno about that, Twi. Worse comes ta worse, we might have ta hunt."

"But... ponies don't hunt." The lavender mare chuckled at first, though it soon turned to nervous laughter once she saw how serious her friend was. "...they don't hunt, right? ...Right?"

"Ponies haven' hunted at all, but... we might have ta. I ain't lookin' forward to it either, Twilight. We ain't exactly 'spose ta eat meat, but... if we gotta, we gotta."

"You can't be serious, AJ. Tell me you're joking." Twilight stared at Applejack, her eyes constantly darting about as she searched for anything, anything at all that might give this away as a lie.

The orange mare sat back up and returned the gaze. "Look... Twilight. I know the idea of us havin' ta eat meat is hard ta stomach... er, no pun intended."

"None taken."

"Anywho, if it comes down ta survival, there ain't no time ta hesitate. It's that, or... we starve an' die. Iffin' ya don' wanna hunt, that's fine - I'll do it mahself. Like I said, I ain' pleased with it either, but there it is."

"...I can't believe we're actually having this conversation." Twilight laughed softly as she idly rubbed her face. "Ponies. Eating meat."

"Twi, yer not mad at me fer mentionin' it or anythin', are ya?" Her ears were already flattened and she found herself unconsciously backing away from the fire - and Twilight Sparkle, to a lesser extent.

The unicorn quickly dropped her hooves from her face, blinking at Applejack. "What? No, of course not! It's just... I don't know. It's hard to both picture and believe, you know?"

She solemnly nodded and began to reach for an apple in her bags before withdrawing her hoof.

Her appetite was gone.

The problem of the lone sleeping bag had finally come full-circle. The sun had set, it was still raining, and temperatures continued to plunge downwards. Blankets wouldn't be enough tonight, yet there were two of them and only one sleeping bag. Both mares had simply stared at the sleeping bag for a while, unsure of what they should even do. Applejack decided to take the initiative on the matter.

"Jus' take it, Twi. I'll sleep outside."

She was already gathering up the blankets for her to use when she heard Twilight speak sternly, a tone of voice she rarely used. "You'll do no such thing."

"...what?"

"You heard me, Applejack. You're not sleeping outside." The unicorn stepped up and was nose-to-nose and eye-to-eye with the earth pony. "If you sleep out here, blankets or no blankets, you won't make it through the night. You'll freeze to death."

The orange mare blinked, slowly attempting to back away - each step backwards was met with a step forwards from Twilight. "Twilight, I don' think ya understand. There's only one sleepin' bag."

She smiled sweetly in return. "Exactly. We'll share it."

"So... wait. Ya wan' both of us ta get in there? An' we'd both be sleepin' in there at th' same time?" Another nod from Twilight, and Applejack nervously glanced about. "Doesn' that seem a bit... awkward to ya?"

"Okay, Applejack? I know I can be horribly naive, but this isn't about 'us being together' or anything like that. Either we both get in the sleeping bag, or one of us is as good as dead. It's only weird if you make it out to be weird. Now shut up and get in."

Applejack stared blankly at the unicorn, not knowing she could even be this assertive, and began to do as told. She stuffed her hat into her saddlebags and then slipped into the sleeping bag, scooting as far in as she could. Twilight Sparkle buttoned the tent shut and walked over, getting in behind Applejack - the lavender mare wiggled her way in, squeezing in just behind the earth pony. Applejack had shared beds with friends before, with the last time being at Twilight's first slumber party, but those were just that - beds. Beds had more room, and sleeping bags? Sleeping bags were certainly cramped quarters. Even now, with the feeling of Twilight pressing against her back, Applejack had to do her best to hide a blush. The last time she had been this close with any other pony had been when Apple Bloom was especially young, and that was only when the filly had nightmares. Yet here she was, doing the exact same thing with her closest friend. She had to repeatedly remind herself that this was for survival and was perfectly justified, and yet-

"Are you honestly embarrassed by all this, AJ?"

She yelped, quickly shutting her mouth with her hooves before releasing them. "I... uh... no, no I ain't. What made ya think that?"

"Well, for starters, I'm right behind you and I can see how red your face is." The unicorn giggled, and Applejack could feel - actually feel - her laughter from their close proximity. "I know this isn't ideal, Applejack, but... we don't have much of a choice in the matter, do we?"

"Nah, I 'spose we don'." She went silent and simply lay there, still slowly adjusting to every little thing - the rustling of her mane by Twilight's own breathing, the press of her body against the unicorn's. She had already stopped blushing, but was still finding it difficult to fall asleep, and a question began to form in her mind. Part of her screamed out, telling her that such a secret was expressly forbidden from being revealed, but the other part thought of all that Twilight Sparkle had ever done for her. She soon came to a decision, and there was no looking back. Everything was about to be put out into the open. "Hey... Twilight? Ya still up?"

"Hm?"

Applejack had 'felt' the reply more than she actually 'heard' it, and soon continued. "What's it like havin' parents?"

"...that's an awful odd question, don't you think? I mean, you've had parents too."

"Yeah, but..." Even now, it had already begun to sting a bit, but she had to press onwards. "Ya asked me what it was like havin' siblings. It's only fair that ya answer me back."

There was a brief silence, and the unicorn sighed. "You have a point, AJ. Well... it's hard to explain, I guess. Having parents is wonderful. They're kind and caring, they give you shelter and love... there's lots of things they do, and I can't really describe all of it. Why?"

The earth pony chewed on her lip and let out a deep breath as she took that fateful step forwards. "I never knew mine. That's why."

"...what?"

"I said I never knew mah parents, Twilight." Her heart was already aching at opening up such an old wound - it had been a deeply private matter, shared only between her and Big Macintosh, and she had vowed to never speak of it again lest it drag her down once more. "Mah... mah Mom passed away when I was real young. Big Macintosh said it was right after she had Apple Bloom. She jus' kinda... drifted away one night while she was sleepin'." Tears had already begun to roll down her cheeks, but she soon swallowed her sorrow and continued, leaving Twilight to lay there in stunned silence at her friend's secret. "Pop got real depressed right after she died, or that's what Big Macintosh tells me anyways. He took all three of us, mahself, Big Macintosh, an' Apple Bloom, an' jus' dropped us off at Granny Smith's. Didn' say where he was goin' or if he was gonna be back, jus' that he loved us an' would always be proud of us. We kinda guess that... he drank 'imself ta death or somethin'."

"...Applejack, I..." A pair of forelegs wrapped around the earth pony's body, pulling her into a tight hug. "I had no idea. I'm sorry I ever mentioned it... I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, sugarcube, jus'..." She couldn't hold it back anymore, and her body shuddered as she silently wept over those who had long since passed on. Applejack had kept it buried for years, never wanting to fully confront it - yet she finally did. She felt the unicorn pull her tighter into the embrace, and it felt... warm. Comforting. Not unlike a mother's love, in fact. As the years slowly worked their way to the surface, the orange mare could no longer keep the years of grief quiet. She shut her eyes tight as she began to cry, and through it all, Twilight never once let go. Through every wracking sob, Twilight never once let go. Applejack had been down this road before, but it had always been alone - now was a different matter. She had the care and affection of a close friend, and though it was still terribly painful for her, she began to slowly feel at peace with herself. Many minutes passed as the two of them lay there in the dark, one friend comforting the other while she grieved. With her emotions having fully run their course, she began to calm down, snuffling as she did, and yet there was something more. A gentle, caring whisper that caused her ears to twitch with every word.

"Shhh... it's okay, Applejack. I'm here." Twilight's horn softly glowed in the darkness as she plucked a bandage from the saddlebags outside, sending it into the tent and dabbing at Applejack's tears. The earth pony couldn't help but laugh softly as she watched the bandage fly about.

"I... thanks, Twilight... Fer everythin'. I mean it."

"I know you do. Feel better?"

She sighed and snuffled once more. "...Yeah. Jus'... don' tell none of the others how much I've been cryin'. I don' want 'em ta think I'm a big softy or nothin'."

"Sure thing, AJ." The unicorn set the damp bandage on the floor, the tent returning to its usual darkness as the magic dissipated.

There was one last thing Applejack wanted to ask, and she felt horribly embarrassed by it. "...hey, Twi? Can I ask ya one last thing?"

"Go for it."

"Could ya maybe... um... not let go?" She felt her face get hot as the words left her mouth, and she felt slightly selfish for asking such a thing of a friend. Still, she couldn't get over how warm or comforting it had been. She wanted more.

Twilight Sparkle giggled in response. "You don't want me to let go the entire night? Aren't you afraid that the other girls are gonna think there's something going on?"

"Nah, I ain't afraid anymore. Jus'... don' let go?" The unicorn gave her another squeeze, and she felt herself begin to smile.

"Oh, I don't see why not. We better get some sleep though." Twilight closed her eyes and snuggled up against the earth pony. "Good night, Applejack."

"G'night, Twi." Even as she began to drift off to sleep, Applejack couldn't get over how... nice this felt. How nice it felt to have such terrible secrets off your chest, and how nice it felt to truly open yourself up to the wonders of friendship.

It would prove to be the best sleep she had gotten in years.

To Prove One's Worth

For once, Applejack found herself awoken by something other than roosters or the morning sun, though the source was none too surprising. Twilight Sparkle's own snoring had roused the earth pony from her sleep, and true to her word, the unicorn had held on the entire night. As much as she hated to leave the warmth of the sleeping bag, she wanted to get breakfast started for the two of them - slowly and gently, she wiggled out from underneath her friend's hold, slipping out of the sleeping bag and stepping outside once she had opened the tent back up. A fine layer of frost covered much of the ground, including their saddlebags, and she knew Twilight had made the right call in forcing them to share.

She hastily dug out the flint and steel from her bags and immediately set to work on relighting the fire, smiling to herself as it came to life once more. Setting the tools aside, she searched through her bags once more, pulling out some daffodils and bread - it was a simple breakfast, but it would suffice. It didn't take long to assemble either, considering they were just sandwiches. Applejack heard a yawn from behind her and turned to face a half-asleep Twilight Sparkle. "Mornin', sugarcube. I already got breakfast done."

"Morning AJ. I swear, I've got the worst case of bedhead ever." The unicorn looked up and gave her mane a poke. "I'll sort it out later. Did you sleep well?"

Applejack smiled and took a seat beside the fire, briefly setting the sandwich to the side. "Like a log! Best sleep I've gotten in years. I don' really know why I slept so well either."

"Oh, I think I can imagine why." Twilight grinned, her horn glowing softly as she picked up her sandwich and took a bite out of it. The earth pony rolled her eyes and began to eat her own breakfast, and the two of them ate in silence until they had both managed to finish. The lavender mare kept herself occupied with brushing out her mane, but Applejack had no such issues with appearance and instead surveyed the map. They were getting close to a gray... something. She squinted her eyes or tilted her head, but nothing seemed to really make much sense - the map was soon enveloped by a red glow, flying out of her grasp and floating in front of Twilight Sparkle's face. "Sorry, Applejack. Looks like... we're close to a ruin of some sort, and that's the only way through."

"What kinda ruin are we talkin' about, Twi?"

"No idea. It could be anything, and we don't know what's in there either. Still, we managed to get through a crypt. I'm sure we can manage this, right?"

"Heck, I bet there ain't nothin' that the two of us can' handle!" Applejack reared up on her hind legs and flexed as if to prove her point, though she quickly stopped once she heard her friend's laughter.

"Now you're acting like Rainbow Dash." She allowed herself one more giggle and rolled up the map, placing it into her saddlebags. "Let's pack up camp and get moving. I'd like to get through those ruins while it's still day."

The two of them worked quickly, with Twilight dismantling the tent just as fast as she had assembled it the day before. Applejack gathered up the rest of their belongings while her friend worked, and it wasn't long until they bid their shelter farewell and departed once more. The sun was actually out this day, and much of the frost on the ground had already been melted - consequently, it had made everything a muddy mess, and the two mares had to tread carefully. Still, they were making better progress than they were the day before. As they journeyed through the forest, Applejack couldn't help but admire some of the trees. Sure, they weren't apple trees at all, but it was still enough to remind her of Sweet Apple Acres - actually, it was beginning to remind her too much of Sweet Apple Acres. For a place that was supposedly deserted, the trees were spaced rather neatly. They weren't scattered about, like one would normally expect of a forest. These were more like... rows. "Uh... Twi? Is it jus' me, or are these trees a lil'... too prim an' proper, if ya catch mah drift?"

"Hm... it does seem a bit odd, now that you mention it. Maybe hundreds of years ago, ponies lived in this area. It wouldn't be unlikely if they had planted these trees themselves. If anything, the rows mean we should be getting close to the ruins." The lavender mare glanced about, surveying the area as she and Applejack steadily made their way past all the trees. The ground was feeling much more solid by now, which was certainly appreciated in comparison to the muddy and unstable footing they had been dealing with. Off in the distance, they could make out the ruins themselves - back in the day, it appeared to have been a mighty fortress of sorts, but now it lay in disrepair. All manners of flora had overrun the crumbling stone, and remarkably enough, some tattered banners still waved in the breeze, their colors preserved. Twilight Sparkle, eager to investigate, rushed on ahead, and Applejack was forced to play catch-up. The unicorn had proven surprisingly fast, and when the earth pony finally caught up to her, it took a moment for Applejack to notice the bewildered look upon Twilight's face. She followed her gaze upwards, and soon caught sight of it as well - the banners, even after all these years, remained a brilliant yellow, and emblazoned upon them was a sun.

"Twi, is that... that can' be what I think it is, can it?"

"It... looks like Princess Celestia's cutie mark. They only ever had two castles, though - the one in the Everfree Forest, and the one in Canterlot. So what's her mark doing all the way out here?"

"I got no clue, but it's givin' me a bad feelin'." Just like with the graveyard, she found herself warily looking about the ruins of the fortress. She had the oddest sensation she was being watched, yet she could find no proof of it. "Jus'... I dunno, Twilight. I'm gettin' an awful bad vibe from this place."

The lavender mare sighed and placed a hoof on Applejack's back. "You're way too superstitious for your own good... I'm sure it's nothing. C'mon, AJ. Let's see what's in here." She slowly made her way through the dilapidated gateway and into the fortress itself, and the orange mare reluctantly followed. It was surprisingly dark inside - though the fortress lacked an actual roof, the plantlife within had grown large enough to blot out much of the sunlight. Twilight found herself forced to summon another orb of light to help guide them through, and they soon found themselves at a wall, with a single doorway leading through. Applejack was about to step through when she felt herself hoisted up into the air and flown back to Twilight's side. "Not so fast, Applejack. There's glyphs all over these walls, and it might be a message or something. Let me see if I can translate it."

The earth pony huffed and took a seat upon the ground. "I'll let ya try, but given how old all this stuff is, I ain't gonna be surprised if ya can' find a way to translate-"

"Ah, got it!" Twilight giggled as she heard Applejack sigh in the background, and the unicorn soon began to read off the translation. "Let's see... there's mentions here of trials to 'hold back the unworthy'. I've also found a reference here and there to a tree, so I'm almost positive that we're on the right path."

"Great, so let's get go-"

"Hold on, there's more. Whoever built this place or the trials themselves designed three specific trials - the Trial of Earth, the Trial of Sky, and the Trial of Arcane. I... guess those three refer to the different pony breeds?" The unicorn tapped a hoof to her chin as she thought. "Based on that, we can definitely handle the Earth and Arcane trials, but... I might have to bust out that flight spell again for Sky."

Applejack peered at her with a raised eyebrow. "Ya mean th' one ya used on Rarity?"

"Yep, that's the one! It looks like this first trial is the Trial of Earth, so that'll be all you, Applejack. Guess we should get started." The two mares stepped away from the glyphs and approached the lone doorway, cautiously opening it before stepping inside. From a distance, a figure watched them both, curious as to who these new arrivals might be. Visitors hadn't come to the fortress in so very long - perhaps it would be worthwhile to watch these two. It liked the idea of that.

Visitors.

"So uh... what in tarnation are we even lookin' at?"

"It looks like an obstacle course, AJ." Indeed, the room that lay out before them had all manner of obstacles in the way, but curiously enough, a second path branched off to the side and upwards. It almost seemed like an observation deck of sorts, but neither was entirely sure what purpose it could possibly serve.

"Hah, obstacle course? This is the fancy schmancy Trial of Earth? This is gonna be a piece of apple pie!" Applejack took a running start and leaped into the air, only to find herself halted by Twilight's magic once more. Slowly, the orange mare was pulled back and set upon the ground. "Aw, c'mon! What is it now, Twi? It's just an obstacle course!"

"Looks can be deceiving." The unicorn picked up a rock with her magic and flung it towards the spot where Applejack would have landed - upon making contact with the ground, a pike shot up from the floor, shattering the rock and eliciting a frightful yelp from the earth pony. "You would have been an Applejack-kebab if you had made that jump. Just... settle down and let's see what we're dealing with here."

Applejack gladly did as told after that brush with death, taking a seat upon the floor and removing her hat to wipe her brow, and Twilight Sparkle took the time to investigate the room itself, heading up to the observation deck to give herself a better vantage point. It was fairly nondescript, and yet something caught her eye - the entirety of the obstacle course was composed of several tiles, and each of these tiles had a symbol upon it. There was a leaf, a feather, and a squiggly... thing. She wasn't sure about that last one. Still, it gave her an idea of what each meant, and she hurried back down to the waiting earth pony. "Okay Applejack, I think I figured it out. Just let me test something real quick."

The unicorn picked up and levitated three rocks in front of herself - the first was thrown upon a feather tile, with the second landing on what she presumed to be a tile about magic. Both rocks were promptly skewered, and Twilight proceeded to the final test. She threw the last rock upon a leaf tile, and waited for the result. Nothing happened. Grinning, she clapped her hooves and turned to report her results. "AJ, there's three different kinds of tiles throughout the entire obstacle course. The leaves represent earth ponies, feathers for the pegasus ponies, and the squiggly... thing is for unicorns. With this being the Trial of Earth, the only safe tiles are the leaf tiles. Just step on those, and you should be fine. I'll try to help you out from the observation deck."

"Bah, 'course it ain't that easy. I 'spose we should get this over with." The orange mare sighed and placed her hat within her saddlebags, with the unicorn soon taking them and adding them to her own - it would be best for the earth pony to be as unencumbered as possible. Twilight made her way up to the observation deck, and began to survey the course more closely as she attempted to plot out the best path for her friend.

"Okay, Applejack! I'll try to call things out for you! Just um... pretend you're competing against Rainbow in another Iron Pony competition!"

Applejack was initially feeling nervous, especially after the incident with the pike, but that last statement had changed things - she narrowed her eyes, nostrils flared, and stomped a hoof as she prepared to start. "Oh that girl ain't got nothin' on me when it comes ta obstacle courses..." Her muscles tensed, and she soon took off, racing through the obstacle course in expert fashion. She easily made it past the first group of obstacles, a series of raised stones that forced her to jump, and she remained ever mindful of the tiles as she made her way through.

"Weaving up ahead!"

The earth pony briefly glanced up at her friend before focusing on the course once more, a group of stone pillars in her way. It reminded her an awful lot of the barrel event from the Iron Pony competition, making for a surprisingly natural feeling as she raced through - she felt her hoof briefly slip onto an adjacent tile, however, and a pike whistled past her as she quickly moved out of the way before continuing onwards. Her body lightly brushed against each pillar as she weaved between them, and it wasn't long before she had cleared it and made her way to the next group.

Twilight looked up at the next obstacle, and her jaw dropped for a brief moment - bladed pendulums. "Applejack, pendulums next! Duck!"

Pendulums? Applejack had no idea what the unicorn was talking about. After all, pendulums were just those big things in clocks - there couldn't possibly be anything bad about those, right? She was soon proven otherwise once she spotted the gleam of sharpened steel and heard the howl of it as it swung downwards. The earth pony instinctually dodged it and was fast, but not fast enough, letting out a sharp gasp as she felt it barely graze her back. It wasn't a deep wound, but it had still been enough to cause bleeding. Determined, she pressed onwards, dodging the rest of the pendulums and rounding the corner to reach the final obstacle. Between her and the exit was a large pit, filled with a sickly green liquid, and it was fairly obvious that whatever it was couldn't be good for your health. She backed up and charged forward, taking a running leap and kicking off from the ground. She soared through the air, much further than she thought possible, and she wondered if this was what it was like to have wings - before she had time to think much else of it, Applejack was already making her descent. The orange mare landed roughly, her legs giving out from under her and sending her into a tumble, causing her to slide along the stone floor. Thankfully, the end was completely devoid of tiles, and she slowly got to her hooves and wandered over to the exit.

Beside the doorway was a button of sorts, and she gave it a press - behind her, another stairway to the observation deck opened up, as well as an additional entrance, and Twilight Sparkle made her way back down beside her friend. The unicorn frowned as she hastily pulled a bandage from the bags with her magic, wrapping it around the earth pony's torso as she took care of the wound. "Are you alright, AJ? I mean, I knew you would make it, but that still looked like it hurt."

"Yeah, I'm fine sugarcube. I've had worse anyways. Gimme those saddlebags back and let's get ta th' next trial." The lavender mare did as told, levitating them over and placing them upon her friend's back - together, the two of them pushed the doors open, and walked through the doorway, heading off towards the next room.

After they had departed, the figure from before rose from the floor and cocked its head. Such frail and curious little creatures had passed the first trial with relative ease, and certainly required much more attention. Maybe these two would actually prove worthy in the end. It smiled at that.

Worthy.

Brains and Brawn

"...Well, that's hardly surprising."

Twilight Sparkle idly kicked a pebble, sending it plummeting into the abyss that lay in front of them. The Trial of Sky had lived up to its name, based on appearances alone - a vast pit lay stretched out before them, and there was no clear way to the other side aside from flying. A series of hoops simply floated in the air, but none of them had the characteristic glow surrounding them that was typical of unicorn magic. How, exactly, they were managing to stay afloat was a mystery. It didn't help that several crosswinds were blowing through the course either.

"Guess I'll get this one too, Twi." The earth pony step forwards, but was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder.

"No. You're taking a break this round because of your injury. Besides, it's easier to control the wings from this spell if you've had experience with magic before. I'll just need a brief break after performing it. It's not exactly easy." The unicorn stepped off to the side, and after her friend was at a safe distance, she began to perform the spell. Things felt different this time, compared to the last time she had cast it - instead of being encased in a chrysalis like Rarity had been, she watched as several lavender feathers swirled around her, steadily closing in on her as the spell progressed. Her horn had shifted from merely glowing to giving off a piercing light, and she grimaced as she continued to concentrate on the flight spell. Wings slowly began to sprout from her back, and as they continually grew, the feathers closed in tighter and tighter around her. With the spell at an end, the feathers exploded outward, gently drifting to the ground as Twilight gave her new wings a testing flex. "Huh. That's an odd sensation... I'll have to document this some time."

Applejack simply blinked at her friend, not quite sure what to make of it. She had seen the effects of it before when it had been used on Rarity, but it was still bizarre to see a change of that magnitude. "Ya... kinda look like th' Princesses, sugarcube. I mean, with th' horn an' th' wings an' all."

"I... suppose I do look kinda like an alicorn, don't I?" The lavender mare turned and glanced at her back, visually inspecting the wings. "Seems like the spell went off without a hitch. I'll still need to do some test flights so I know everything is in working order - having something go wrong over that pit doesn't exactly seem conducive to our search."

"...condu-what?"

Twilight giggled and turned back to face Applejack. "It just means that it helps with things."

"Oh, right." The earth pony laughed nervously - she never did like missing out on something on account of Twilight's speech patterns. "Yeah, that'd be kinda bad. Anywho, break time, right?"

"Yep!" She took a seat upon the ground and floated an apple from her bags, taking a bite out of it as it levitated in the air.

Above them, the figure slithered about the ceiling as it watched, the two mares completely unaware of its existence. It watched them both with intense curiosity, particularly the lavender one - it didn't think it possible to cheat at the Trials, and yet, this one had. It was so very young too! Normally, such a feat would be grounds for immediate disposal, but this situation was different. They had no pegasus with them, after all. Such a technicality was enough for the being to grant them unspoken permission to continue. For now, it would simply watch and wait.

And prepare for the future.

Having sufficiently rested, Twilight flew about the entrance of the room as she grew accustomed to her wings. She was a remarkably fast learner as far as spells were concerned, and flight seemed to be no different - already, the unicorn was pulling off maneuvers that Rarity had never dared attempt. After landing beside Applejack, she surveyed the course. "So AJ... what do you think of it? Just... fly through the hoops?"

"Looks like it, Twi. Jus' gotta watch for them crosswinds. Rainbow Dash always talks about how bad they are, an' ya know how good of a flyer she is. Jus' be careful, and ya should be fine." She placed a hoof on the lavender mare's shoulder and gave the unicorn a reassuring smile. "I know ya can do this, Twilight."

Twilight Sparkle nodded and took up a sprinter's position, mentally and physically preparing herself before taking off. Almost immediately upon entering the Trial itself, she found herself thrown woefully off-balance by a brutal crosswind, though she was quick to compensate for it by shifting her wings. She flew through the first hoop with relative ease, and was about to make the turn towards the next one when she felt herself get blasted from above by another strong gust. The mare flapped her wings rapidly as she struggled to regain altitude, and she just barely made it through the second.

From her spot at the entrance, Applejack tried to cheer her friend on, but the roar of the wind within the room made such a thing almost impossible. "C'mon, Twi! You can do it! Don' give up!"

The unicorn grunted as she battled against the wind and pushed her way through the third hoop, but one still remained and try as she might, she simply couldn't reach it. Every attempt left the mare beaten and battered by the gale-force winds, and she hovered in place as she thought of ways she could pull it off. Desperate, she tried to picture the countless stunts and tricks Rainbow Dash had pulled off - most notable, of course, was the Sonic Rainboom. Inspiration struck her, and she knew what she needed to do. It would no doubt freak out Applejack, but it was necessary. Twilight flew to the top of the room and sent herself into a dive, hurtling herself straight towards the abyss below.

As predicted, the earth pony sat and watched in absolute horror as her friend plummeted downwards. She shook her head repeatedly as she told herself that none of this could possibly be happening, and yet it was.

Just as things began to grow progressively more dark around her, Twilight sharply angled herself skywards once more, sending herself soaring through the air at a blistering pace. Her plan worked beautifully, and she flew through the final hoop as if the wind hadn't been there at all. Pleased with herself, she made a gentle landing and walked over to the next doorway, pressing the button beside it - the crosswinds immediately ceased, stopped by some unknown mechanism, and a bridge extended itself across the chasm. Applejack stared in disbelief and quickly gathered their saddlebags, racing across the bridge to meet up with Twilight Sparkle. She was less than pleased, of course. "Are ya tryin' ta make me think you went an' killed yerself?!"

"Applejack, settle down. I knew you wouldn't like it, but the winds around the last hoop were just too strong, and I couldn't get enough speed to make it. I had to dive down like that. Rainbow kinda helped with that one too."

"What? How the heck did Rainbow... Ooh, I get it now. Th' Sonic Rainboom." Twilight nodded and took her saddlebags back, and Applejack simply sighed in return. "Sorry fer yellin' at ya. We only got one trial ta go, though."

The unicorn nodded once more. "Yep. Trial of Arcane. Let's get to it!"

The earth pony turned and kicked the doors open, and they raced off into the darkness ahead as they ran for the final trial. Elsewhere, a pair of eyes followed the duo as they charged off - it was surprised the lavender one was so adept, especially considering it wasn't a natural flyer. The enthusiasm and concern of the orange one was also of note, as it had rarely seen such individuals that retained so much innocence. Not only that, but they simply had one trial remaining. Should they pass it, a meeting would be in order, and such a thing had not been done in a very long time. It relished in the thought that it might finally have contact with other creatures once more, as such a thing had not happened since she had been here. It smiled to itself as it slipped into the very walls of the fortress once more.

Soon, young ones. Soon.

The Trial of Arcane looked more like a hall of mirrors, rather than something befitting a 'Trial'. Twilight looked absolutely befuddled by the room - it was filled with several enormous mirrors, each of them on what appeared to be a rotating platform. Circling the entirety of the room was a balcony of sorts, obviously to allow for a better vantage point, but a low ceiling prevented any real flying. Still, she was awfully confused by most of it. "So there's mirrors, and... that's all I've got. I don't know what they're for. I mean, I've looked all over and I haven't seen anything that's stuck out."

"That's 'cause yer overthinkin' it, Twi." Applejack stepped up beside Twilight, causing the unicorn to turn and look. The earth pony pointed up at a hole in the ceiling, and her friend quickly spotted it. "If it were me makin' these trials, I'd say ya gotta bounce a spell or something off them mirrors and into th' hole up there."

"That's..." She thought it over, and mentally slapped herself for overlooking such an obvious solution. Leave it to Applejack to see things in the most straight-forward and logical manner. "...actually a very good idea. Makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking this was all about. Good job, AJ."

The orange mare beamed at her friend's praise, and together the two of them began to walk around the room. There appeared to be three rows and three columns of mirrors, with the center-most mirror being angled to shoot the spell upwards. Present at the base of each mirror was a large wooden handle, obviously meant so that one could turn the mirrors. They weren't sure if either of them could manage to move such a thing, until Applejack decided to give a try. She hopped down to the floor and ran to the closest mirror, pressing herself against the handle as she struggled to move it. Little by little, the mirror began to shift, stirring up dust that had not been disturbed in centuries, and she continued to push onwards until she felt she was more than capable of moving them. "Ah, that ain't so bad! Kinda reminds me of Winter Wrap-Up an' pushin' the plows! Alrighty, Twi - fire off a spell ta see where it goes, an' I'll move the mirrors for ya. Jus' tell me which one ta move."

Twilight nodded and lowered her head, quickly firing off a very weak spell. It bounced from mirror to mirror, eventually sailing into a wall on the other side of the room - nowhere near the intended target. She sighed and glanced about the room as she searched for the proper mirror to rotate. "AJ, this one right here! Rotate it um... clockwise!" The earth pony nodded and gritted her teeth as she forced the mirror to rotate, stopping once Twilight had given her the signal. She galloped over and pointed at another, and one by one, the mirrors were all rotated until the unicorn was confident they were in the right positions. Grinning, she fired off another spell and watched as it bounced from mirror to mirror, ricocheting around the room until it reached the center mirror and flew upwards into the hole - and then nothing happened.

Puzzled once more, she huffed and took a seat upon the ground, and Applejack soon joined her. "I don't get it, Applejack. I mean, you were right about what we're supposed to do. It just... didn't do anything. Maybe there's a specific spell? Or... or maybe a specific set of mirror rotations? What about-" A hoof pressed against her mouth, silencing her, and she glanced over at a laughing Applejack.

"Yer overthinkin' it again, sugarcube. Jus' try rampin' th' power up."

"You mean just... use a stronger spell?"

The earth pony nodded, grinning. "Yyyyyep!"

Twilight Sparkle nodded and stepped forth, channeling a larger and more potent spell than before. With every passing second, her horn glowed brighter and brighter, and she physically strained to keep such a spell under control. The unicorn eventually let loose, sending a searing white ball of flame bouncing off each and every mirror, and eventually it soared into the ceiling. Flames spilled out from the hole, and on the far side of the room, a massive stone door had lowered itself. They had done it - the final trial was complete. Ecstatic, the two of them hugged one another and took off for the door, running through and out the other side. They found themselves outside once more, and underneath a setting sun. They were flanked on either side by high stone walls, and it was evident that this was the proper path. Both mares continued onwards, determined to make a bit more progress before making camp for the night.

The figure had since followed the pair outdoors, and shadowed their every move. It would reveal itself to them soon enough, but for now, it found itself wondering how this chain of events had even begun - for countless years, it had stopped the unworthy from taking that which they did not deserve, and it had performed its job admirably. Yet, here were two beings who, despite barely being adults, had managed to pass all three tests. These two had proven themselves worthy enough to gain an audience with it, but whether or not they were truly worthy was another matter entirely. It decided it would find out that very night. The specter grinned to itself and stuck to the shadows as it glided along the ground.

Must prepare.

He Who Watches

Camp had been set up for the night, and Twilight Sparkle was busy taking notes about her wings. They were certainly peculiar - they completely lacked any real nerves, tendons, or muscles, and yet they felt... alive. She could feel every little twitch and touch, and though such a sensation normally would have drove her crazy, the spell itself would only last for three days before dissipating. As much as she had enjoyed being able to truly fly, the unicorn was somewhat looking forward to just going back to her old self.

"Hey Twi?" The earth pony glanced over at her companion, who had set her quill down in order to look back. "Soup's ready, if yer hungry."

"Oh, great!" She smiled as her horn glowed, bringing a bowl of soup over to her. "Thanks, AJ."

"Any time, sugarcube." Applejack took a seat as well, taking a brief sip before looking back over at the lavender mare. "When we get back ta Ponyville, if ya still got those wings, you oughta go show 'em ta Rainbow Dash. I wanna see the look on her face when she sees ya with feathers."

Twilight found herself giggling in the midst of eating her soup and almost spewed it out. She hastily swallowed it before letting her laughter slip out, wiping her mouth as she set the spoon down. "That would be pretty funny, wouldn't it? The spell only lasts three days, though - I doubt we'll be back in time for it. Still, maybe another time, right?"

"Right." The earth pony took another sip and set down her spoon with a sigh. "I miss 'em, ya know. All th' other girls, mah family, Ponyville... I'm ready for us ta finish this thing up."

"I know, Applejack. I miss them too. But we've come this far - we can't fail now. Besides, we have to be getting close."

"How close do ya think we are, Twi?"

Closer than you realize.

It was a booming voice, and it made their ears ring as they dove for the ground and covered their heads - the voice had not come from around them, but from within. Frantic, they both glanced about as they tried to figure out what was going on. "You heard that too, right Twilight? I ain't goin' crazy or nothin'?"

"No, I heard it too. I don't know what might be causing it, though."

Allow me to answer that. There was a tremendous thunderclap from above, and a being composed of a golden-yellow light slowly descended until it barely floated above the earth. Neither Twilight Sparkle nor Applejack knew what to make of this new character, and cautiously backed away from it. You need not be afraid, little ones. The figure lacked a visible mouth, instead having just two blazing white eyes - or they appeared to be eyes, anyways. It wasn't actually speaking, but was instead speaking inside their own heads.

Applejack carefully stepped forward to address it, whatever 'it' may be. "Are ya... are ya here ta hurt us? An' what are ya, exactly?"

I will only cause you harm if your actions deem it necessary, Child of Earth. The voice was no longer exceptionally loud, but had instead become a soft and deep rumbling of sorts. It was almost melodic, something that came as a relief to both of the mares. I have no name - I am simply the spirit and guardian of this place. If you must, you may refer to me as 'He Who Watches'. I'm simply here because you have both proven yourselves worthy thus far.

"Worthy? Worthy of what? An' why did ya call me a Child of Earth?" Applejack still wasn't sure what the intentions of this figure were, but she wished to know more.

I refer to you as 'Child of Earth' because that is what you are, just as your friend here is a Child of Magic. And for passing the three trials, you have been deemed worthy of the Tree... for now, at least.

Twilight stepped forth this time with questions of her own. "What do you mean 'for now'? Is there another part of this we don't know about?"

The golden figured turned to look at her and seemingly nodded. There is one final component before you may obtain that which you seek. I must judge you myself, to see if you are worthy of such a gift of power. The fruit you seek is imbued with extraordinarily powerful magic. Throughout the centuries, many have tried to take it for themselves out of greed. The trials themselves are often enough to keep most away, but those few that pass must be judged. None have succeeded. I have been watching you since you entered, you know.

Applejack huffed and turned to look at Twilight. "See, I told ya I had a funny feelin', an' you said I was jus' bein' superstitious!"

"Sorry, AJ." The unicorn's ears briefly flattened, and she looked back up at the figure that floated before them. "So um... how exactly does this judging thing work?"

Simple. Let me into your soul and I will see all that is necessary.

Twilight Sparkle began to back up once more. "W-what?! You want us to let you into our... our souls?!"

"How are we 'spose ta know ya won' mess us up or nothin'?" The earth pony stepped in to defend her friend, giving the spectral being a scrutinizing eye.

I am bound here by her will, and indeed she was the one who saved me millenia ago. Her actions have ensured that I am incapable of harming another, unless justified. You will not be harmed.

"Her?" The unicorn stepped forward again, feeling a bit more comfortable this time. "Who are you talking about?"

Should you both survive your judgements, I will tell you all you wish to know about myself and this place. But for now, you must trust me.

Applejack placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I don' know about this, Twi... it's makin' me awful nervous."

Your concern is noteworthy and understandable, Child of Earth. But if you wish to obtain that which you seek, you both must trust me.

Twilight Sparkle smiled and reached over to give the orange mare a brief hug. "It'll be okay, AJ. Don't worry about it." She broke away from her friend and stepped forth, gazing up at the being. "Whenever you're ready, uh... He Who Watches, I guess you can judge me first. This won't... hurt or anything, right?"

It will not, Child of Magic. Simply relax, and be prepared for anything.

The unicorn nodded, and there was a deafening rushing sound as the spirit charged forth into her.

Her world went dark.

When she awoke, she groggily got to her hooves and looked around. The area she was in was pure white in every direction and as far as the eye could see. Before her sat the golden figure. It eyed her carefully.

I apologize, Child of Magic. The transition can be a bit rough for some.

Twilight shook her head and stared back up at the being. "That's alright, I'm just a bit... wobbly, is all. It'll sort out." She glanced about once more before returning her gaze to the figure. "Where are we anyways?"

This... is you. This is your inner-sanctum, young one. Your soul.

"...has it always been here?"

Yes. It has simply been inaccessible to you. You are only here because I brought you here.

"So where's Applejack?" She nervously looked up at the spirit, and it soon returned her gaze.

Your companion patiently sits at your side in the real world. Her judgement will come soon enough, and when it does, you will not be there for her either. Surely you understand.

The lavender mare nodded slowly and took a seat, waiting in silence as the golden specter curiously eyed her. It flew in circles around her, scrutinizing her and searching for... something. She began to feel just the slightest bit nervous when it resumed its sitting position. I have seen all that I need to see, young one. There is no need to be nervous.

Cautiously, Twilight Sparkle spoke up at He Who Watches. "So um... what was it that you saw or needed to see?"

Mortals are such a curious, yet fascinating bunch - you live tragically short lives, and yet within that time, you are capable of feats greater than anyone could know. Even now, I sense within you a power that I have not felt in a very long time. I am sure you know what I am referring to... Element of Magic.

She stared blankly at the figure. "I... yes. That's... correct, I suppose."

It laughed softly, sounding more akin to wind chimes than any true laughter. There is something else I sense within you, nearly impossible to miss. Within you burns a great wildfire - such raw potential has not been seen in millenia. And yet... you keep it chained. You have access to a power that many have longed for, lived for, and died for... and yet you restrain yourself. Why?

The unicorn knew it was referring to her magic potential. Celestia herself had deemed her as having extraordinary magical capabilities, and she had been but a filly when she was told about it. The spirit raised a good point - why did she keep it chained up? She knew she was far more powerful than most other unicorns, perhaps even the most powerful being in all of Equestria, save for the Princesses themselves... and yet she never used it.

I sense... unease within you, Element of Magic. You are unsure of how to answer my question.

"Well... yes. I mean, you did raise a good point. I've never thought about it until now." She frowned and her ears flattened briefly. "My very first magic lesson taught that control was the most important aspect of all magic - even if one were incredibly powerful, without proper control, it's meaningless."

And so you keep yourself shackled in order to maintain control.

She nodded once more. "It's nothing, really. I know I have a gift, but it's nothing really special or anything."

You are surprisingly modest, especially given your past accomplishments. Tell me - why do you travel with the Child of Earth? I have looked deep within you and seen that you do not wish to take the fruit for yourself. So why have you come?

This was more familiar ground for the mare, and her confidence was evident in her voice. "Because Applejack is one of my friends - one of my closest friends, even. I know she would go to the ends of the earth and back for me or any other pony, and I owe it to her to do the same. She can be a bit stubborn at times, but I sorta balance that out. She's still an incredibly hard-working and determined pony, though."

The bond between you two is strong - even as close friends, it appears nigh-unbreakable. It did not appear to be that way before your journey began.

"Well, Applejack did save my life. I almost drowned and she stopped at nothing until she brought me back. That definitely brought us closer."

There is more you are not telling me, child. Something else has brought you to where you are today.

"Oh! We did... kinda share a sleeping bag, I guess? And Applejack told me one of her secrets."

Not just any secret, young one. It was a great wound upon her soul that plagued her for many years, and in finally opening herself up to you, you brought her peace. You would give your life for her or any of your other friends, would you not?

Slowly, she nodded and stood up once more, staring straight at the gently glowing spirit. "I... hadn't really considered that, but... I wouldn't be where I am today without Applejack. Or Fluttershy. Or Rainbow Dash, Rarity, or Pinkie Pie. My life has changed for the better because of all of them, and... yes, if I had to, I would give my life for them all."

Though it was unseen, the figure smiled, and it brought a strange warmth to the lavender mare. Slowly, it stood from its sitting position and eyed her again - not out of scrutiny, but out of respect. You have passed admirably, Element of Magic. You have proven yourself to be more than worthy of visiting the Tree, and you have proven to me that your heart and cause are true. Well done.

Before she could thank it, Twilight felt the space around her begin to warp, sending her hurtling back to the real world. She bolted awake with a gasp, and Applejack was quick to give her a hug. "Twi, yer okay! How'd it go? Did ya pass?"

The golden figure materialized before them once more and nodded. Your friend passed quite easily, Child of Earth. She has proven herself to me, but now, you must do the same. Are you ready?

Applejack nervously glanced over at Twilight, and the unicorn gave her a hug of her own. "You'll be fine, AJ. I'll wait right here for you, okay?"

"Alright, sugarcube... Let's get this over with, He Who Watches. I ain't got nothin' ta hide."

The earth pony fell over as the spirit slipped into her, and Twilight Sparkle was quick to pick her back up and lean her unconscious form against herself, draping a wing over her.

All she could do now was sit and wait.

You seem to have handled the transition better than your companion.

Applejack staggered about as she slowly got her bearings - wherever she was, it was big. Possibly limitless. Like with Twilight's judgment, the entire area was a sterile white, and the earth pony found it slightly unsettling. "Where's Twi?"

The figure chuckled and drifted over to float beside her. Your friend asked the very same question. Rest assured, she is waiting beside you. Should you pass this judgment, you will return to her. Are you ready to begin?

She nodded, and the specter slowly traveled around her, eying her. The orange mare fidgeted throughout the entire process, simply wanting it to stop staring at her. Satisfied, it drifted to a spot in front of her and took a seat in the air. Be still, Child of Earth. I understand your unease, but I am not here to harm you.

"I know, it's jus'... it's not every day that ya got a spirit of some sort flyin' around in yer soul."

A fair point. At the very least, it is good to see the Element of Honesty live up to her title. Your friend, the Child of Magic, has already told me much about your journey - I still need to hear things from your point of view, however. You seem to carry a very strong sense of determination. When your companion lay dying, you never gave up attempts to revive her. Why?

Applejack simply blinked at the being before replying. "Well... Twi means an awful lot ta me. She's probably th' closest thing I have to a best friend, an' I was one of th' first ponies she met when she firs' came ta Ponyville. Heck, if it weren' for her, I don' think I'd be friends with the other girls."

There is something more, child. Another factor was at play, aside from your determination. You were afraid of something. What was it?

"I... do I really need ta talk about that?"

I see and know everything about you, young one. I am simply giving you the opportunity to present that information on your own terms.

She sighed and pawed at the ground with a hoof. "Aw shoot... alright, I was... I was afraid of bein' alone. It's somethin' I've been scared of ever since I was a filly. I owe her a lot, after everythin' she's done fer me. An'... I jus' didn' wanna be alone. I know that sounds awful selfish of me."

The golden figured waved a limb dismissively. All beings have their desires and fears, Element of Honesty. You are simply one of the rare few willing to admit it and confront it. Selfishness does not factor into it, for in the end, your goal was noble. There is one thing I am quite curious about - though you are the Element of Honesty, you hid something from all of your friends for a very long time. What did you hope to gain?

Applejack huffed and took a seat on the ground. "I guess I kinda figured that... if I didn' talk about it or nothin', it wouldn' hurt as much. Maybe it would jus' go away. 'cept... it didn'. It got worse instead. I'd see Rarity or Twilight or Pinkie with their parents, an'... it hurt. I'd get mad. Frustrated. Jealous."

Because they had something you could not and would never have.

She nodded slowly in silence.

And yet you admitted it to the Element of Magic. After all those years of keep it secret, you admitted it to her. Why?

"Why?" She blinked and lowered her head a bit as she thought back to that night. It was awkward at first, sure, but it eventually became warm and comforting. It was something she had wanted and sorely missed ever since she was a filly. "I guess it was 'cause Twilight is a real close friend of mine, an'... everythin' else just sorta felt 'right', ya know? It's... hard ta explain."

Her own care and affection for you reminded you of your mother, and of that which you had lost.

"I... yeah. I... I guess it did." Applejack was purposely looking away from the figure, doing her best to hide her eyes. "I never really had anypony there fer me in mah time of need, 'cept fer her. She didn' care that I was bawlin' like a baby or nothin' - all she cared about was makin' sure I was okay."

It is still a difficult subject for you, though admitting it to the Child of Magic seems to have alleviated your pain greatly. She nodded once more, and the figure eyed her for a moment as it pondered it all. It quickly moved onto the next question. I know you are after the fruit from the Tree. Why do you need it?

The earth pony quickly looked up at the mention of that. "It's... it's fer mah Granny, Granny Smith. She's awful sick, an' it's th' only thing we know of that can cure her."

...Interesting. Are you aware of what the fruit does?

Applejack nodded again.

Though the fruit is capable of granting immortality, your grandmother's age, in addition to her illness, will severely lessen the effects - it will simply cure her instead. Despite all this, you would still give it to her?

"I didn' know mah Mom and Pop too well, an' Granny Smith is th' closest thing I have to a parent. Heck, she's th' only real parent mah lil' sister has ever had. All of this, everythin' me an' Twi have been through, has been fer Granny. I ain't about ta betray mah own friends an' family jus' fer personal gain. That's jus' plain wrong, an' it sure ain't how th' Apple family does things."

Your family means much to you. You would do anything for them or those closest to you, would you not?

The earth pony got to her hooves and looked up at the figure. "I've been called th' loyalest of friends an' th' most dependable of ponies. You bet I'd do anythin' for 'em!"

If it were necessary, would you go so far as to give your life for them?

She stared blankly, and clearly hadn't been expecting this sort of question. "Well, that's... I've never really thought about it, ta be honest. Without mah friends an' family, though, I'm nothin'... just an earth pony, all by her lonesome. Iffin somepony need ta make th' ultimate sacrifice, I'd be willin' ta do it. I'd go to th' ends of the earth an' I'd die for 'em."

Impressive... even after being told information that might sway a lesser being towards greed, you have stayed upon your chosen path, and in doing so, you have chosen correctly. I have looked deep within you, Child of Earth, and you do indeed seem to be true to your word. I cannot prevent such a noble spirit with such a noble goal from achieving that which she has set out to do - you have passed your judgment.

And then the world began to spin.

Applejack was just barely aware of the wing that covered her when she awoke. She still felt a bit groggy from the transition back, but He Who Watches had at least been telling the truth when it had said Twilight would be waiting for her - the unicorn was watching the earth pony, a smile on her face. "I'm guessing you passed too, AJ."

Indeed she has. You both have passed both the trials and your judgments. As promised earlier, you may now ask me any question you wish.

The orange mare sighed and closed her eyes, yawning before quickly drifting off to sleep, exhausted from the jaunt into and out of her own soul. She quietly snored as she leaned against her friend, and being the only one still up, Twilight Sparkle instead asked whatever questions were on her mind - she was far too curious to go to sleep now. "So... who are you, really? What are you? And how did you even get here?"

It may be easier for you to comprehend if I say what I am first - I am a spirit of the world itself, this place that your kind refers to as 'Equestria'. How I came into being, I do not know. I simply... am. I exist.

"Okay, but... who are you? Or does that even exist for something like you?"

It does not, Child of Magic. I have no need for names, but over the countless years that I have existed, I have been given all manner of titles - He Who Watches, Spirit of Vengeance, 'a great and terrible evil'... the list goes on.

The unicorn blinked at the golden specter. "...'great and terrible evil'? Why have you been called that?"

I assume it has something to do with my role here at the fortress. I am the guardian and defender, but I am also the judge and executioner. Should one pass the trials and subsequently fail their judgment, they are disposed of.

"You mean, you..." She nervously chewed on her lip and swallowed before continuing. "...you kill them?"

I am afraid so, young one. Such a measure is necessary when something such as immortality is at stake. Throughout time itself, a great many beings, all of them corrupted in some way or another, have attempted to claim the fruit for themselves. Any who passed the trials inevitably failed their judgments. You two are the first.

Twilight lowered her head momentarily as she thought of another question. "But... doesn't the fruit kill too? I read that all who touch the fruit are struck dead."

A myth, fabricated by those who did not know better or could not test it themselves. The fruit itself will cause you no harm - the deaths have been caused by myself, and myself alone. It is a grim duty, but a necessary one. Such power can be easily abused by those who do not deserve it. I am sure you understand, Element of Magic.

"Okay, so the fruit isn't deadly... you said you were bound here, though, by somepony you kept referring to as 'her'. Who is she?" The lavender mare asked, hazarding a guess.

Ah, yes... her. It is a debt millenia old, and one that I still have not fully repaid. When this world was still young, and before it came to be shaped into the place you know as 'Equestria', things were still... volatile. Chaotic, even. I found myself at the mercy of another spirit, and would have been destroyed if she had not intervened. She knew the potential of the Tree and its fruit, and saw the need to protect such a thing. In exchange for my life, she asked me to keep watch over it until my debt had been paid in full. Even after all these years, I continue to stand my watch. I observe those who stumble upon the ruins, such as yourselves. Should they pass the trials, they are then judged, and eventually lead to the Tree itself.

"You're avoiding the question, though - who is this 'she' you keep talking about?"

You are already well aware of her existence, child. The 'she' I refer to is the one you know as 'Celestia'. The spirit gazed down at her and laughed upon seeing her puzzled expression. I must admit, it was rather surprising to find out that she was your mentor.

"I suspected as much, but..." Twilight Sparkle simply glanced around, confused at this latest revelation. "I don't understand."

You will understand in due time, Element of Magic. For now, it might be best if you slept as well. He Who Watches gestured at the sleeping earth pony that lay at Twilight's side. I am aware that you have been traveling since daybreak. Both of you have endured much, and you deserve a respite.

She slowly nodded and rolled over onto her side, one of her wings still laying over Applejack. "Where will you be?"

Do not worry about that, child. When you awake, I shall escort you both to the Tree. In the meantime...

The figure congealed into a luminescent sphere and quietly flew back towards the fortress.

I shall be around.

Beneath the Branches

Wake up, young ones. There is something I wish for you to see.

Applejack's eyes slowly opened, and she glanced about - they had completely forgotten to get into their sleeping bag, and yet she didn't feel cold at all. Having Twilight Sparkle's wing over her helped somewhat, but it normally wouldn't have been enough to stop the cold. Something about this place made it unseasonably warm, and the earth pony wasn't sure if it was due to He Who Watches or if it was some other unseen force. She slipped out from underneath the unicorn's wing and gently nudged her companion. "Get up, Twi. He Who Watches wants ta show us somethin'."

"Mm... what is it, AJ?" The lavender mare glanced up at her friend, her eyes still half-shut. "Can't I sleep just a little longer?"

The golden specter rose up from the ground in front of them, floating once more. A very rare few have ever seen the Tree for themselves. There is something I wish for you both to see, and it loses much of its effect during the day. Come. Without a backwards glance, the figure turned and began to slowly fly away, leading them on. With Applejack's help, Twilight groggily got to her hooves, and the two mares began to follow the being.

"So, He Who Watches... You said that Celestia bound you here - did she make this place too? The fortress and the trials, I mean." Twilight has woken up a bit since she had begun to walk, but a yawn still slipped out here and there.

Applejack blinked and quickly looked over. "Wait, what? What's th' Princess got ta do with all this?"

"It's... a bit of a long story, Applejack. You were asleep for all of it." She grinned sheepishly and soon continued. "I'll tell it to you later."

Yes, Element of Magic. The one you refer to as 'Celestia' both bound me here and created this place, both with the intention of testing individuals who attempted to claim the fruit. You no doubt saw her banners on your way into the fortress.

"We... did, actually. How did you know that?"

I said I had been watching you, did I not? Twilight slowly nodded, and the figure laughed. Still, I find it humorous that it would be her own student that would pass the trials, as well as one of her friends.

"That is kinda odd, Twilight. Ya think Celestia planned all this?" Applejack looked over at the unicorn, hoping for an answer. The specter replied instead.

Celestia is indeed wise beyond her years. There are a great many things she has seen or predicted, and this may possibly be one of them. I cannot know for certain, however. I apologize for being unable to answer, Element of Honesty.

"S'alright. Where are we goin' anyways?"

The Tree itself.

The orange mare felt her heart leap with excitement. "Yer takin' us to th' Tree? Ya coulda just pointed us in th' right path an' stayed behind. Why are ya comin' with us?"

This is a rare honor, Child of Earth - you two shall be the first mortals to gaze upon the Tree since its discovery. I must admit, I have longed for the day when one would finally arrive and prove themselves worthy of the fruit. And at last, that time has come. I wish to witness the event myself.

Upon the horizon was faint glow, and from a distance, one might have mistaken it for the lights of a town. As they drew closer, however, they quickly realized that this was not a town at all, but instead was something much more. Twilight Sparkle audibly gasped as they drew closer and closer to it. "Is that... what I think it is?"

It is, Child of Magic - the Tree of Life.

Off in the distance was a tree of gargantuan proportions, much larger than either of them had anticipated. By Twilight's guesses, the tree itself must have been taller than some of the spires of Canterlot, and engraved upon every inch of its gnarled bark was a glowing golden rune of some sort. From the roots to the tips of its branches, every little piece seemed to glow with a light of its own, the light gently ebbing away before bursting back once more. The entire spectacle made it appear more as a colossal beacon rather than an actual tree, and both mares found themselves speechless. For the unicorn, she had never seen magic of that variety - runic magic was considered to be a lost art, and yet it had been perfectly preserved here. For the earth pony, she felt positively dwarfed by what lay before her. Applejack had no idea that something natural could grow to be so big, and a part of her wished her family could be here to view such a thing.

This... is what I wished to show you. Beautiful, is it not?

"I ain't seen nothin' like it..." Applejack found herself both entranced and excited to finally see the Tree itself. She didn't realize it would be so beautiful.

"He Who Watches?" The golden figure glanced down to see Twilight Sparkle looking up at it. "Is that... real runic magic etched into the tree? I've seen examples of it, but I didn't think I'd ever actually see it myself."

It is indeed. Runic magic is very potent and lasts an extraordinarily long time - those runes have been around since before she arrived.

She blinked at him. "Wait, you mean to tell me that the Tree and the runes have been here since before the Princesses ruled Equestria?"

Correct. I will answer more questions for you another time, if you would like. For now, however, I think your friend wishes to take that which you both have sought. Follow me. The specter turned and began to slowly fly away once more, and both Applejack and Twilight followed it. The closer they got, the more monstrous and intimidating the tree seemed to become - even before they reached the base of it, it loomed above them. They both felt woefully insignificant in its presence. As they neared it, the runes themselves seemed to acknowledge their presence, glowing brighter than before and faintly humming. Something about it seemed unsettling to the unicorn, however.

"He Who Watches... why is it so quiet? There's no birds, no breeze... nothing at all. It's just the runes, and it's like... they know we're here."

I do not know, Child of Magic. It is possible that the runic magic engraved upon the Tree drives all wildlife away, and disrupts the very air around it. I cannot say with any certainty.

Applejack was far too concerned with figuring out how to even get the fruit down - it was on a branch far above her, and certainly out of her reach. "Hey Twi, ya think you could pluck th' fruit down fer me? I can' reach it."

"Sure thing, AJ. Gimme just one mo-"

Stop.

The lavender mare turned to look at the golden specter. "...what? Why?"

You have aided the Child of Earth in her journey, that much is true. But the fruit is for her to claim, and her alone. She must do this on her own.

Twilight's ears flattened, and she looked towards Applejack, shaking her head. The earth pony sighed and nodded her head as she cautiously approached the Tree. The runes had flared up in her presence and were glowing more brightly with every passing second. The hum reached a fevered pitch. "Alrighty... Bucky McGillycutty an' Kicks McGee, you two know what ya gotta do. Let's do this." She turned and leaned on her forelegs, sending a powerful kick into the Tree's trunk - in response, the runes angrily flared up, and the humming slowly began to turn into ominous rumbling. The fruit refused to budge.

"C'mon, ya darn fruit!" Applejack gave the tree another kick, and the runes responded with a more intense reaction. Something about the magical reactions were making Twilight Sparkle feel increasingly more ill - she knew it was ancient magic, but the kind of magic they were giving off now simply felt 'wrong'. It felt twisted and corrupted. It felt impure. An overwhelming sense of dread began to overwhelm the young unicorn, and she couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Applejack, wait!"

One final kick sent every rune upon the tree shifting from yellow to red, and the magic lashed out against the earth pony, sending her flying through the air. As the fruit fell to the earth, so too did Applejack's unconscious form as it tumbled about before coming to a halt. Twilight Sparkle dashed off, and He Who Watches simply looked on with a mixture of pity and curiosity. The unicorn stared down at her friend's motionless body and leered back up at the specter, tears in her eyes. "You... why didn't you warn us?! Why didn't you warn her?! You did this! You... you and your damn trials!"

The golden being floated above the earth pony's form, eying it with curiosity. ...how odd.

She leaned down and placed an ear to the orange mare’s chest, shutting her eyes tight upon hearing no sound - no breathing, and no heartbeat. "Odd? Odd?! You got her killed!"

I did nothing, Element of Magic. I could not warn her of something I did not even know existed. Your friend is not dead - merely dreaming.

"B-but..." Twilight blinked at the specter, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You... you didn't know it would do that? And she's not dead?"

This Tree and the magic engraved upon it both existed before either myself or Celestia came to this area. None have ever been able to claim the fruit, and so I was not aware that an event such as this would occur. It appears whoever placed the Tree here had one final safeguard in place. The specter gestured downwards at the dreaming Applejack.

Twilight Sparkle collapsed beside Applejack and gazed up at the golden being. "So I... I can't do anything to help?"

Perhaps. Perhaps not. The runic magic appears to have initiated one last trial. From what I can see, your friend will either succeed, or she will never wake again.

The lavender mare nodded feebly and placed a wing over the slumbering earth pony once more. "I... I understand."

Over by the tree itself, the fruit had come to rest against one of the roots, and it seemed unimportant now compared to what had just happened.

None of it seemed to matter anymore.

When she awoke, Applejack found herself in her bed back at Sweet Apple Acres. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed at her temples - she could have sworn she was with Twilight, and yet now she was back home. It seemed to be mid-day however, and it was quiet. Way too quiet, considering it was a farm. She rolled out of bed and grabbed her hat, taking a step out of her room before freezing in place. The entire house was covered in dust and cobwebs, and almost all of it was in disrepair. There was no sign at all of Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, or Apple Bloom. Nervous, she headed downstairs towards the kitchen, shattered plates and glasses awaiting her. How long they had been there, she didn't know. The earth pony rushed out the door, and the first thing that caught her attention was how still everything was - like with the Tree of Life, everything was eerily quiet. No wind, no birds, no sounds of applebucking or anything else.

She knew what this was all too well. She had this nightmare before, and it was the same one she had confessed to Twilight Sparkle, except this one was far more vivid than normal. The earth pony galloped off towards Ponyville, her heart racing and mind reeling. Twilight. She needed to find Twilight. She last remembered being with her, and if anypony knew what was going on, it would be her. Upon arriving in Ponyville, the entire town was absolutely deserted - it was hardly surprising, given how her nightmares had played out, but it was still unnerving. Desperate, she raced off towards the library and knocked upon the door, and was pleasantly surprised when Spike actually opened the door.

"Spike, I'm so glad ta see ya. Where's Twi? I need ta talk ta her right away."

The little dragon looked at her, worried. "...AJ? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Spike." She glanced about nervously. "I jus' need ta see Twilight. Where is she?"

"...Applejack, her funeral was just last week. You were there. I know it's... difficult, but you seemed to handle it so well."

The orange mare's eyes went wide, and she felt her heart drop. "F-f-funeral? No... no no no... I need ta get outta here. I need ta get away from here." She already felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she took off, setting out for a place she was reluctant to even visit - the Ponyville Cemetery. Applejack was growing more hopeless by the second, and as she raced past the headstones, she hoped and prayed she would be proven wrong. Something caught her eye, and she stopped to investigate.

She soon regretted it.

In a neat little row, side by side, were three headstones - Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and even Apple Bloom. She felt her legs give out from under her, and she felt physically ill as she lay on the ground. "No, it... it ain't true. It can't be true."

"And why not?"

Applejack glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see Princess Celestia herself standing there. "P-Princess? Oh, of all th' ponies I could hope ta see... yer a sight fer sore eyes. Princess Cele-"

"You failed them, Applejack."

The earth pony blinked, shocked. "...w-what?"

"You failed them all, you miserable cur. You got them and my prized pupil killed, and for what?" The alicorn's voice trembled with rage, and Applejack found herself at a complete loss for words. "So you could save yourself? Be thankful that I'm as merciful as I am, or I'd be tempted to strike you down where you are. They deserved better."

Slowly, the earth pony shook her head. "I... n-no! I wouldn' do that! I wouldn' leave mah family or Twilight behind! That's not like me!"

"Oh really? Why don't you go look at her grave, then!" The Princess glared and spat upon her face, taking off and leaving her in stunned silence. Why? Why her? Why was this happening? She slowly got to her hooves, her body shaking the entire time, and walked over to the grave that had been pointed out by the Princess. Upon it, in plain lettering, was the news Applejack didn't want to see.

HERE LIES TWILIGHT SPARKLE
BELOVED DAUGHTER AND PRIZED STUDENT
MAY YOU LIVE ON IN OUR MEMORIES FOREVERMORE

She desperately wanted to wake up, to know that none of this was real and that none of this had passed. She simply wanted to wake up so she could see her family and friends once more.

And yet she couldn't. Try as she might, she couldn't. There was no escape.

No hope.

"She's in pain!" Twilight glanced down at Applejack's body, a worried expression upon her face. Her friend was trembling and gasping for breath, and it was driving the unicorn mad that there was nothing she could do to help.

I know, Child of Magic. Your friend is losing her fight. Even now, the magic contained within those runes is beginning to eat away at her. If she does not turn things around soon, she will be lost.

"No... no, there has to be a way for me to help. There has to be something!" Desperate, she looked up at the golden specter. "I'll do anything. I just want to help her."

Anything? There is but one spell I can think of, but it is not without its own risks. There is a chance that you would perish. Would you still attempt it?

She nodded. "I said I would be willing to give my life for her or any of my friends. I'm willing to risk it. I just... I can't see her like this. This isn't a fight she can handle alone."

Your words ring true, Element of Magic. Strong as she may be, her inner-demons are far too much for her. Without aid, she will fail, and so shall you. Are you ready?

"Do it."

Applejack couldn't bring herself to move. She didn't even want to move. After all, if they were all gone, what point was there? The orange mare silently stared at the headstone, unsure of what to even think anymore - she knew it had been a dream at first, but if she couldn't wake up... what if it wasn't? What if this was actually reality, and everything she did with Twilight and the fruit had been the dream?

There was a gust of wind behind her, sending her hat sailing away, and her ears twitched ever so slightly as she heard the sound of hoofsteps behind her.

"Applejack?"

"Heh... Spike's right, I probably ain't right in the head. I mean, I've got Twi talkin' in mah head, an' her grave is right here."

"Applejack, I'm not dead. I'm right here." Twilight cocked her head as she watched the earth pony. "Just turn around."

She glanced over her shoulder, smirking as she saw the unicorn. "Well look at ya, yer even an angel now! With yer wings an' all, looks like ya did well enough."

"AJ, what's gotten into you? I'm not an angel, I'm still me! None of this is re-"

"Well I know that. I mean, I'm hallucinatin' ya right now."

Twilight growled with frustration. "Okay, do you want me to prove to you that I'm real, and that the rest of this isn't?"

Applejack idly shrugged, still feeling a bit numb from everything else. "I don' care. It ain't worth it anymore. None of it is."

"Fine. We're going for a flight then." The unicorn grabbed the earth pony from behind and took off, sailing skywards as she gradually pulled Applejack closer and closer to herself. As the two of them spiraled towards the heavens, Twilight leaned in towards her friend and whispered into her ear. "Don't give up like this, Applejack... Don't give up, and don't give in. Please."

"Why? Why should I keep fightin'? It's pointless, ain't it?"

"It's only pointless if you give up! Your family needs you, AJ! Your friends need you!" Her wings began to ache as she steadily soared upwards, but she still held her grip on her friend. "I need you, Applejack - I can't do this without you. Just... trust me. You need to trust me. And if you don't, I'll tell the girls about how much you bawled in front of me."

That last sentence caused the earth pony to blink. That was something only Twilight knew about, but... that had been in the dream. If this Twilight knew about it as well, maybe it hadn't been a dream at all. "I... but... it really is you, ain't it?"

"Glad you saw reason, Applejack." She smiled as the two of them broke through the clouds, and for once, they were actually in sunlight once more. "We need to get out of here, but we can only do that once you conquer... whatever this is. Looks like a nightmare."

"It is, Twi. It's mah worst nightmare, where I'm all alone. You an' all the others are dead or gone, an' it's all my fault." The earth pony looked positively hurt to admit such a thing in Twilight's presence, no matter how comforting it was to be around her.

"Applejack, it's only a nightmare if you let it become one. This is your dream, and dreams can end however you want them to. You just need to take control and show yourself that you're not afraid anymore."

She blinked and looked over at Twilight. "But... how?"

The unicorn giggled and grinned, leaning over to whisper in her ear once more. "I'll show you". She promptly let go of Applejack, sending her plummeting to the earth, and the orange mare screamed the entire way down. She knew not why Twilight had done it, but she resented her for it and part of her felt as if she had been abandoned. From above her, a lavender streak rocketed towards the ground, grabbing the earth pony in midair and holding tight onto her as they sailed just a few feet above the ground. Applejack was understandably upset with the 'lesson'.

"What in th' hay was that 'spose ta teach me?! How ta scream?!"

"No, Applejack. It was supposed to teach you that, whenever you feel alone and abandoned, you never truly are. There will always be somepony there for you." Twilight blinked at her own words, then raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that didn't sound nearly as deep in my head."

Applejack was nearly as surprised as she was. "Yeah, that was... I dunno, really. I've never thought about it like that... I guess you an' th' girls never really have abandoned me, have ya? Ya'll have always been there fer me, no matter what."

"Mhm. We'd never abandon you, AJ. None of us would."

"...us?" Her hooves touched the earth once more as Twilight set her down, and the unicorn soon landed as well. "What do ya mean by 'us'?"

"Let's just say that I found a few things within your dreams." The lavender mare smiled mischievously, and from behind her, more figures began to materialize - they were slightly translucent, but appeared real nonetheless. Fluttershy stepped forth, as did Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Then came Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith... and the entirety of the Apple family. Aunt and Uncle Orange were also there, and even Princesses Celestia and Luna were present. There were two other figures that caught her eye, however, and she already felt her legs begin to tremble at the sight of them.

"...M-mom? Pop?"

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and stood at Applejack's side, draping her wing over her in a comforting gesture. "They loved you, Applejack. They were so proud of you, and they never would have abandoned you. None of us would have."

The earth pony chewed on her lip and nodded knowingly, a faint smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I... I think I get it now, Twi. I'm ready ta leave when you are."

"Right. We've got a fruit to collect." The unicorn nodded, and slowly, the figures vanished from view. Even as Applejack ended the dream and the world began to tear away around them, the earth pony turned to look at her.

"Thanks, Twi... fer keepin' mah head on straight an' all. Dunno what I'd do without you."

"That's what friends do, Applejack." Twilight giggled and smiled in return.

And then they both woke up.

Good. You both still live. It seems you have succeeded.

She had a splitting headache from it all, and she groaned as she got to her hooves, but Applejack seemed to be in one piece. The fiery red runes of the Tree had ceased glowing entirely, and were simply runes now, the magic within them seemingly gone. Twilight Sparkle woke up not long after, and the golden specter nodded with approval.

It is good to see that the spell did not kill you, Element of Magic.

"No, it didn't." The unicorn smiled up at it, though her eyes still seemed to be a bit heavy. "Thank you for doing that for me."

Applejack blinked and glanced over at her friend. "Lemme guess, more stuff yer gonna tell me later?"

"Mhm... hey, look at the runes! They're not glowing anymore!"

Indeed. It seemed your companion unleashed whatever magic was present within them. Whether it will return again, I do not know. However, I believe it is time for the Element of Honesty to claim her prize. It awaits you upon the ground, young one. He Who Watches gestured over towards the Tree, and the earth pony looked over at it - upon the ground sat a single golden apple. She cautiously approached it and cocked her head as she inspected it. Applejack had been expecting a bit... more out of mythical fruit, but she could feel the power radiate from it by simply standing in its presence. Carefully, she bent down and grabbed it by the stem, carrying back over to the others. Twilight helped her place it within her saddlebags, and they both hopped up to hug one another - they finally had what they came for, and could now begin the trek towards home. "We did it, Twi! After everythin' we've been through, we finally got it. I couldn't 'ave done it without ya, sugarcube."

"And I couldn't have done it without you either, AJ. We did it together. Ready to head home?"

Applejack smiled and sighed. "You have no idea, Twilight. Let's get movin' as soon as we can. I uh... I guess we should be thankin' ya, He Who Watches."

The figure waved a limb dismissively. I simply did my duty. The two of you were the ones who truly put forth the effort. With your prize in your possession, it is time for you to depart - I will escort you back to your camp, and from there, you may do as you wish.

They both nodded and quietly followed the floating being away from the Tree, walking side-by-side as they made their way back to their camp. The two of them were more than ready to head back home after such an arduous journey, and so after returning to their camp they packed their things. With their morale boosted, they were escorted to the entrance of the fortress, where He Who Watches bid them farewell.

I cannot go with you any further, young ones. I am bound to this place, and so I cannot leave. However, I wish you the best of luck with your journey - it is rare to meet individuals such as yourselves. Be proud of all that you have accomplished.

Twilight Sparkle smiled and nodded. "We will. Thanks for everything you've done for us."

"Likewise. It was mighty interestin' meetin' a friendly spirit. 'preciate th' help." Applejack nodded as well, and the golden specter bowed to them before sinking into the ground and returning from whence he came. The most difficult part of their journey was behind them. Now it was a simple matter of returning home in order to cure Granny Smith. The two mares headed off towards the horizon. From within the fortress, the being watched on. Part of it felt... troubled by things.

Are you sure this is wise? I could have warned them of what is to come.

We'll have to wait and see.

You are honestly willing to sacrifice such innocence?

Don't talk to me as if this was an easy decision, spirit. You know how much they mean to me, especially after all they've done. I wish it hadn't come to this, but... I see no other way.

You seem troubled.

Because I am. I'm purposely sending them into a situation that could have been avoided if they knew.

Because you wish for her to overcome a fear? I fail to see how this will accomplish your goals, nor do I know what you hope to achieve in the end.

I know how she is. It'll work. And as horrific as it sounds, the ends justify the means. This will benefit all in the end. I refuse to discuss this any further - this is difficult enough as it is.

Reluctantly, the being nodded.

As you wish, Daughter of Sol.

Interlude: Back Home

Coffee. He had always disliked coffee - found it much too bitter for his tastes. As of late, however, he had been drinking more and more of it, if only to compensate for the lack of sleep he had been getting. Big Macintosh sighed and pulled the spoon out of the mug, giving it a cautionary sip. "Ahh, much better. Two cubes. Gotta remember that." The stallion took another sip and set the mug down, making his way over to the kitchen window. Even with Apple Bloom's help, he still struggled to get more than three or four hours of sleep a night. With the moon still making its flight across the sky, he knew it would still be a few hours until dawn.

"...Big Macintosh? What are ya doin' up?"

"'spose I should ask th' same fer you, Apple Bloom." The red stallion glanced over his shoulder and smiled at the filly. "Yer probably up for th' same reason as me, though. Couldn' sleep?"

"Nope." Apple Bloom rubbed her eyes and slowly walked over towards her older brother. "Did ya have a bad dream or somethin'?"

He shrugged and grabbed his mug, taking another quick drink. "...somethin' like that."

"Ya miss AJ, don' ya?" Despite her age, the filly had a great deal of common sense and an uncanny knack for figuring things out on her own. Slowly, Big Macintosh nodded - he knew he couldn't hide it from her.

"Yeah... I do. I know her an' Miss Twilight are doin' jus' fine, though. They'll be home soon enough, an' when they do get back, we can get Granny Smith back on her hooves. Everythin' is gonna be a-okay, lil' sister."

She frowned and trotted up beside him, peering up at her brother. "Big Mac, what happened down in th' cellar a few days back?"

"I... really don' think I ought ta be tellin' you, Apple Bloom." Big Macintosh idly rubbed at his face and took another sip, setting the mug down upon the kitchen table. "Applejack keeps things between me an' her fer a reason."

"C'mon, Big Mac. You can tell me! I'm old enough, right?" She flashed him a grin, and the stallion couldn't help but laugh upon seeing it. He nodded again and took another quick sip of coffee before replying to her.

"I 'spose you are. I ain't gonna give ya the full story, though - yer not gettin' that until yer a lil' bit older." He reached down and placed a hoof at the filly's side, pulling her in a bit. "Let's jus' say that... some ponies can handle bad news better than others. Now AJ, she's a mighty strong girl - can take a whole lot of punishment. But everypony has a breakin' point, and she hit it. She had ta turn ta other stuff, jus' so she could vent her frustrations an' keep herself from blowin' up."

"What kind of stuff?"

Big Macintosh sighed. "Applejack is gonna kill me fer sayin' this, but... she started drinkin', Apple Bloom. With everythin' she was dealin' with, it was probably th' only thin' she thought would help her feel better."

At that, the filly frowned and looked down at the floor. "She... she's not gonna yell at us no more, right?"

"Nah, she won'. She was jus' havin' a hard time is all. Deep down, she's still the loyalest an' most dependable pony in Equestria - an' she's our sister. Now get back ta bed." He grinned and ruffled her mane, and the filly soon ran back up the stairs and to her room. With her gone, Big Macintosh finished up the last of his coffee and placed the mug in the kitchen sink. The stallion idly paced about, unsure of what to even do. He felt restless, and he wanted nothing more than to simply see Applejack running back home, just like she had when she was a filly. Big Macintosh returned to the kitchen window and glanced up at the moon, sighing as he watched it.

"Love ya, AJ. Come home soon."

Homeward Bound

They made surprisingly good progress since leaving the fortress. It was only mid-afternoon, and already they had passed their old rock shelter and were continuing on towards the forest. Applejack felt good - no, better than good. She felt great. She had the fruit, conquered her fears, and now she was headed back home. And she couldn't have done it without-

"Hey Applejack? Could we stop and take a break real quick? I'm getting kinda thirsty."

"Sure thing, Twi." The earth pony picked out a shady spot under a tree and took a seat beneath it, and Twilight Sparkle soon followed. The unicorn's horn glowed as she pulled a water bottle out of her saddlebags, taking a quick drink before setting it upon the ground.

"Ahh, much better! At least we've got some beautiful weather, right AJ?"

"Mhm." She was right - they had been fortunate enough to have clear weather conditions for the past day or two, and it was certainly better than the storm they had to endure a few days prior. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would hold out. Hopefully it would last until they returned to Ponyville, but that might simply be wishful thinking. "What do ya plan on doin' once ya get back ta Ponyville, sugarcube?"

During the time it took Applejack to ponder over things, the lavender mare had already pulled out a journal and was writing in it once more. No doubt taking more notes about the wings. She soon put down the quill, however, and looked up at the earth pony. "I'll probably spend some time with the girls and Spike. Maybe send a letter to Princess Celestia about our trip too. I'm sure I'll figure it out. What about you, though?"

"Well, I got ta thinkin'... we've been through an awful lot out here, so I think I might actually take a day off or two."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh at that. "Applejack? Taking a break? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were some creepy doppelganger."

"Hey now, I think I deserve it after everythin' th' two of us have done, ya know?" She flashed a grin in return and took off her hat, setting it on the grass in front of herself. "Besides, I don' think I've ever slept in at all. I kinda wanna try it."

"Fair enough. It's nice sleeping in sometimes." The unicorn quickly returned to her notes, jotting down some more lines and leaving Applejack in peace. Soon, however, she spoke up once more. "Say, Applejack... Big Macintosh is single, right?"

Her eye twitched. "Did... I jus' hear ya say what I think ya said? Yer honestly plannin' on askin' mah brother out on a date?"

Twilight let out a snicker and had to hide her grin. "Nah, I just wanted to see the look on your face. You've been so serious the entire time we've been out here, that I've hardly ever seen you smile. Loosen up a bit!"

"Loosen up, huh? Bah, fine." With a huff, she undid both of the bands keeping her mane and tail tied up, and it didn't take long for her hair to sprawl out all over the place. "There, ya happy?"

The unicorn set down her quill and looked up, blinking at her friend. "...Applejack, that's... not quite what I meant by 'loosen up a bit'. I don't know why you don't let your mane down more often, though. It looks good on you!"

"Twi, I keep it tied up 'cause I'm a workin' pony - keeps it outta th' way. Ya oughta know this by now." Applejack sighed and blew part of her mane away from her eyes. "I kinda... forgot it was this long, ta be perfectly honest. You really think it looks good, though? It ain't silly-lookin' or nothin'?"

"Why would I lie about that, AJ? Are you just trying to make sure you look your best for that special pony?" Twilight giggled and took another sip from her bottle, and her friend did her best to hide a blush.

"I ain't lookin' yet! I jus'... wanna be sure, is all." Applejack coughed and idly pawed at the ground with a hoof, then looked back over at the unicorn. "Hey Twi, you were jokin' about th' whole 'Is Big Mac single' thing, right?"

"Maybe."

"...Twilight."

"Okay, fine." She rolled her eyes and grinned, peering over at the earth pony. "Yes, Applejack, I was joking. I don't think I'm quite ready for that just yet. But if I decide to hit on your brother, I'll be sure to have your permission!"

Applejack groaned and laid her head down upon the ground. "Gee, thanks."

"Any time!"

It was nightfall once more, and though they had made even more progress after their break, it was time to set up camp. The two mares already had everything set up - the tent, the sleeping bag, and a roaring fire. Surprisingly enough, Applejack had actually decided not to tie her mane and tail back up after the break. It felt rather refreshing to have the air blowing through it when it wasn't completely tied together. Twilight was in the middle of some more notes, no doubt about the wings. The wings wouldn't last much longer, and she wanted to document as much as she could before they disappeared. The unicorn set down her quill and glanced up at her. "Applejack, is the whole 'wild mane' thing starting to grow on you or something?"

Applejack already had her harmonica out, and was in the midst of playing a song when her friend spoke up. The orange mare looked up and stopped playing, setting the harmonica down. "Kinda. I mean, I don' think I've ever had it untied like this fer this long - only time it's like this is when I'm sleepin' or takin' a bath. It feels kinda... funny, but in a good way, ya know?"

"Yeah, I think I do know." Twilight glanced over her shoulder and watched her wings as she gave them a good stretch. "I think I might have to sleep behind you again, just on account of the wings and all. I would've switched, but... I don't know if you'd want to put up with these for an entire night." She gave them a brief flap, as if to prove her point, and the earth pony nodded.

"There ain't any way ta make 'em go away? They're just kinda... there?"

"Yep. Once they're there, they're there - at least until the three days are up, anyways. Sorry, AJ."

The lavender mare picked up her quill once more and resumed her writing, and Applejack went back to her song. It was certainly much more cheerful than what she had been playing, as the song itself sported several high notes and a much faster tempo. She heard Twilight close her journal, but paid no mind to it and kept on playing, keeping her eyes shut and slowly rocking back and forth as she played. Her ears twitched as she heard the unicorn softly cough, and she stopped playing. "Ya need somethin', Twi?"

"Yeah, um..." Twilight looked down at the ground and nervously tapped her hooves together. "I was wondering if... you could teach me?"

The earth pony blinked at her. "Teach ya what? How ta play the harmonica?"

"Mhm. I've always liked music, but I've never known how to actually play anything. I know the other girls can sing too - we all do, really. You're the only one I know that actually plays an instrument, though... aside from Pinkie Pie, anyways." The lavender mare looked at her with pleading eyes and a huge smile, and Applejack simply sighed in return.

"Ah ponyfeathers... ya know I can't say 'No' to ya, Twi. Not when yer makin' that kinda face, at least. C'mon over here." The unicorn clapped her hooves together and hopped up, quickly walking over and taking a seat beside Applejack. The earth pony held the instrument in front of Twilight, letting her get a good look at it. "Alright sugarcube, firs' thing's firs' - this is a harmonica, but ya already knew that. This end here is all th' low notes, an' the other is all th' high notes."

The lavender mare took the harmonica from her and eyed it curiously. "And you just... blow into it to play the notes? That's it?"

"Yeeeep! Go ahead an' try it, Twilight."

"Okay, let's see..." The unicorn took a deep breath and blew into the harmonica, playing a single low note. She gasped with surprise and quickly recoiled. "Ooh!" Grinning, she took another breath and played several notes in sequence. It certainly wasn't a song at all, but at the very least, Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself. The mare attempted a few more notes before passing the harmonica back to Applejack. "That was... surprisingly fun. Could you teach me a few songs?"

"Oh, I dunno about that, sugarcube. Like I told ya before, I don't really know any songs. I jus' kinda... play whatever. Jus' sorta do what mah heart tells me ta play." She eyed the harmonica for a moment and glanced back up at her friend. "Still, I 'spose I could play somethin' for ya if ya want me to."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "I'd like that, Applejack. Play whatever you want."

"Good thin' too, 'cause I was plannin' on it." The earth pony chuckled and pressed the harmonica to her lips as she began to play once more, keeping the same lighthearted tone her earlier song had. She closed her eyes and began to slowly rock back and forth once more as she played, thinking of friends and family with every note she belted out. Twilight Sparkle soon caught on to the beat, softly clapping her hooves together in-time with Applejack's song. The orange mare couldn't help but smile as she heard her friend join in, and she continued on with the song, picking up the beat to see if the unicorn could keep up. When she managed to pull it off, Applejack decided to simply play rather than continually push it further, and the earth pony soon found herself tapping one of her own hooves along with the song. She played song after song, Twilight always clapping her hooves along with it, and Applejack actually found herself enjoying the company - though the unicorn's hooves technically weren't an instrument, it was still nice to have someone playing at her side. The earth pony finished off one last song and set down the harmonica with a sigh. "Whew. Haven' played that much in an awful long time. That was kinda fun, Twi."

"It was, wasn't it? I didn't think the beat would be that catchy. It's like something Pinkie would come up with." The lavender mare took a quick sip from her bottle of water, holding it in front of Applejack after she finished. "You probably need this more than I do."

Applejack smiled and took the water bottle from the unicorn, taking several drinks from it before placing the cap back on it and wiping her mouth with her foreleg. "Thanks, sugarcube. I reckon we should probably get ta bed or somethin', huh?"

Twilight looked up at the moon and slowly nodded. "Yeah. Looks like it's starting to get late. Go ahead and get in the sleeping bag, and I'll move all our stuff inside." The unicorn stood up and slowly wandered about their camp, gathering up their belongings. Applejack had already made her way inside the tent and was nestled in the sleeping bag when she remembered something - she had never tied her mane or tail back up. She sighed and simply lay there, unable to do much about it now. Even as Twilight brought their belongings into the tent and sealed it shut, the earth pony glanced up at her.

"Sorry Twi, I... kinda forgot ta tie mah mane an' tail up again. It's jus' kinda all over th' place now. Push it aside if ya need to."

"Eh, that's alright. Not like it's gonna bother me much anyways." The lavender mare wiggled in behind Applejack once more, making sure to keep her wings neatly folded the entire time. She carefully blew Applejack's mane away from her face, ignoring her tail entirely. Without a second thought, she threw both forelegs around the earth pony and snuggled up against her with a sigh. "Night, Applejack."

The earth pony grinned and gave a quick glance over her shoulder before settling down herself. "Night, Twi."

They would both likely dream of the same thing tonight.

Home.

Unchained

"How close do ya reckon we're gettin', Twi?"

"To what?"

"Th' river, of course."

"Oh!" The unicorn pulled out the map and took a quick look while they walked. Since daybreak, they had managed to make a remarkable amount of progress, and had already passed the cemetery. They were no doubt getting close to the river, but neither knew just how far away it truly was. "Uhh... looks like we might still be a day away. Maybe less, if we're lucky."

Applejack sighed. "Bah, horseapples."

"It's not that bad, AJ - we're still making good progress. Still, if we can't cross the river by nightfall, we might want to just set up camp and wait until morning. It's probably safest, and I dunno about you, but I really don't want to go through a near-drowning again." Twilight rolled up the map and stuffed it back in her saddlebags, turning her attention back to the path ahead of them. The two of them, throughout their entire journey, had slowly gone from walking in a line to walking side-by-side. It had been a subtle change, but a noticeable one nonetheless. Neither of them were really complaining, however. It felt like they were doing things together, as opposed to one of them seemingly doing most of the work and the other simply following. "I can't wait to get back to Ponyville, though. I just wanna sleep in my own bed again, and see Spike and the girls... and I kinda miss my books too."

The earth pony blinked and glanced over at her friend. "Wait, ya miss yer books? Did I hear that right?"

"Well, I don't miss them as much as I miss Spike and the others, of course!" Twilight laughed nervously, glancing back at Applejack for a brief second before turning away once more. "It's just sorta... my comfort zone, you know? I grew up with books and spent a lot of time around them. It's my own little bubble of sorts."

"Ohh, I getcha now. Yeah, I can understand that a lil'. I used ta always hide in th' barn's loft when I was real little - would just hide up there an' take naps in th' hay. 'Course, Big Macintosh didn't 'preciate that at all."

The lavender mare giggled at that. "I think I can imagine why."

"Hey Twilight, how much ya wanna bet we can reach th' river before sundown?" Applejack glanced over at the unicorn and grinned.

"I dunno, Applejack... that might be hard to pull off, unless we-"

The orange mare broke into a sprint and ran off ahead, causing Twilight to huff. "-sprint for it. You wanna play that game, AJ? Getting fifth place in the Running of the Leaves wasn't a fluke!" Grinning, the unicorn broke into a sprint as well and charged off after her friend. At the very least, she was planning on giving Applejack a run for her money. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a pair of eyes had been watching from a nearby bush, quickly retreating to report what they saw.

"Two mares, an orange and a purple one."

"Mares? Out here? Well, shoot - what'd they look like?"

"One was an earth pony, definitely. The other, the purple one... looked like she had wings and a horn."

"...you're tellin' me you saw a bonafide alicorn? What's royalty doin' all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"No clue, but... instead of the usual deal, what if we just capture her and try to ransom her off? She's royalty, so they gotta be willin' to pay big to get her back!"

"I like your thinkin', kid. Alright, we'll shake things up a bit - wait for nightfall, then go after 'em. Be as gentle with the alicorn as you can, we need her in one piece if we wanna get our bits."

"And the earth pony?"

"The usual."

Neither of them could believe it, but they had actually managed to make it to the river - and before sundown, no less. The two mares had quickly set up camp, and were now going about their business. Twilight Sparkle was taking more notes on the wings, and Applejack was playing another song on her harmonica. "Say Twi, how about we play another song together la-"

Her ears twitched, and she quickly began to glance about. Whatever it had been, it was likely just some critter, moving about in the forest. The earth pony heard another stick break, and she began to look about once more.

"Applejack? What is it?"

"I swear I'm hearin' things. That, or somethin's out there." Just as she began to settle down, she felt that nagging feeling once more - the gut instinct was back. Applejack chewed on her lip and set the harmonica down before looking back over at Twilight. "Twilight, I'm startin' ta get another one of them bad feelin's."

The unicorn stared at her. "AJ, you always get bad feelings."

"But how many times has it been wrong? Never!" The orange mare stared back, and Twilight quickly flattened her ears.

"Okay, so you have a point... maybe it's just an animal, though?"

Applejack huffed, her nostrils flared. "Maybe. Jus'... keep an eye out fer anythin'. Or an ear." Twilight nodded and returned to her notes, but the earth pony had no such interest in returning to her activities. Every single time she had gotten one of her gut instincts, something bad had happened - she wasn't about to get caught by surprise, not this time. Her ears twitched again as she heard another sound, and then another... and then many sounds, all at once. These weren't just sticks breaking anymore, or rustling leaves. These were hoofsteps. "Twi... I'm thinkin' we ain't alone."

"Alone? What do you mea-" Twilight looked up from her notes and was stopped midsentence after being struck in the back of the head with a billy club. She let out a pained groan and struggled to stay conscious before passing out. Applejack was quick to hop to her hooves in an attempt to come to Twilight's defense, but was stopped as stallion after stallion began to emerge from the shadows. It was evident that they were highwaymen, and though most of them were earth ponies, a few unicorns were scattered amongst their ranks. One of them gave the lavender mare's motionless form a prod, something that provoked Applejack to the point of yelling.

"Get away from her! You touch her again an' I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?"

Applejack stopped and turned to confront the voice, glaring at the figure. She was downright furious that somepony would have the nerve to do such a thing, let alone to one of her own friends. "I'll beat every last one of ya within an inch of yer life!"

The stallion spoke once more, and it soon became apparent that he was the leader of the bunch. He was certainly taller than the average stallion, but still proved to be shorter than Big Macintosh. With a stormy gray coat and a missing eye, however, he was still an imposing figure. "Look, miss. I don't know if you saw, but you're outnumbered. Just make it easy for all of us and give it up."

"I ain't doin' a damned thing ya say. You got th' nerve ta pull this off on me an' mah friend, an' now you want me ta surrender? Buddy, if ya think I'm goin' down without a fight, yer just plain crazy." She stomped a hoof on the ground and flared her nostrils, growling and staring down the leader. He idly shrugged instead.

"You got courage - I like that. I'm afraid that's all you got, though. Get 'er, boys."

Even as the first stallion charged at her, Applejack was quick to retaliate with a kick - years of applebucking had greatly developed the muscles on her hindlegs, and she hit the stallion upside the head, knocking him out cold. Another rushed her, and she turned in place, kicked this one in the side. The kick packed enough force to audibly break bones, and the orange mare knew she had cracked several ribs with the resulting kick. She hated hurting others, but this was for self-defense, both for her and Twilight. Stallion after stallion rushed after her, and she valiantly fought on, but soon found herself getting tired. Applejack knew full-well she couldn't keep this up for long, but she had to try. She wasn't about to give up, not when so much was at stake. She had managed to take down several of them, but one of them eventually slipped through, kicking her in the gut and knocking the wind out of her. Despite her best attempts to regain her momentum, she was quickly overwhelmed, and her forelegs and hindlegs were tied - one of the stallions hefted her up onto his back and began to carry her off.

"TWILIGHT! TWWIII-" A gag was hastily shoved into the orange mare's mouth, and she watched in horror as Twilight was picked up and carried off in an opposite direction. This was it. The end of the line.

They had lost.

I think I'm going to be sick. I just... I wish it weren't this hard.

I know it pains you to watch, Daughter of Sol, but you said this was for the good of all. The ends justified the means.

They... they do. I've done this for centuries, though. I've put so many ponies through pain and heartbreak because it would help all in the end. At what point does that loss begin to justify it, though? I always tell myself that some day it'll end, and yet it doesn't.

It will end some day. It must. I simply hope your plan will work.

It will... I know it will.

Twilight slowly came to her senses, groggily watching an orange shape disappear into the distance. Her head was killing her, and she didn't know where she was. All she remembered was sharp pain to the back of her head, and then slowly waking up to see an orange... something disappear. She could have sworn she heard a pony call out her name too.

Applejack. It was Applejack. She grimaced and tried to move, but found she couldn't - they had bound her legs and wings.

"Looks like the princess is up."

She blinked. Princess? She wasn't a princess! She tried to yell out and tell them that it was a mistake, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from doing so. Somehow she hadn't noticed it until just now, but she wished she hadn't. She couldn't even muster up any magic either - something was preventing her from doing so.

"Hey, not so fast missy. No usin' magic on my watch!" One of the stallions, a unicorn, turned and grinned at her.

A magic-nullifying field. What a surprise. Twilight truly felt helpless at that moment, and she felt her heart sank upon realizing that Applejack was gone. Even worse, Twilight hadn't been able to help at all. If she hadn't been knocked out, maybe they could've stood a chance.

But she had been knocked out. Applejack had tried to stand against them by herself, and she had failed. And now?

She didn't know what would happen next.

"I gotta admit, you put up a better fight than I thought. Did quite a number on some of my boys. I'm impressed." The leader grinned and rubbed a hoof against Applejack's cheek, and she would have spat on his face if it weren't for the gag. He briefly wandered off, and she nervously glanced about their little camp. Almost all of the highwaymen were staring at her, but something about it disturbed her. She didn't quite know what it was, but it just seemed... horrid.

"Should we get to it, boss?"

The stallion returned and briefly eyed her with a look of pity. "Yep. Just remember to take care of things when you're done - after all the trouble she's put us through, I'd say you can probably drag it out a bit."

One of the bandits nodded and picked up Applejack, slowly carrying her off. She struggled as much as she could, anything to make their lives more difficult. As they drew away from the camp, however, she began to recognize that look in their eyes. It was one of hunger, not for food, but of another kind. She then knew what they intended, and the realization caused a look of horror to spread across her face.

"Take 'er gag off. It's more fun that way." The cloth was quickly yanked off, and Applejack found herself forced against a tree, whimpering feebly as her captors began to surround her. In that single moment, she whispered into the darkness - what she hoped to accomplish, she did not know. She simply knew she needed to.

"...I'm so sorry, Twi. I'm so sorry..."

Her ears twitched. Twilight looked up and stared out into the night, and though she couldn't truly hear anything, she felt something instead - anguish. Applejack's anguish. Something within her snapped.

Something she had hoped was buried and forgotten.

Something that should have remained dormant, and was instead coming back to life.

Something that had been set free.

"Oh... oh, that ain't good. Hey, uh... something's up with the princess." The unicorn who had been maintaining the magic-nullifying field was growing more nervous by the second. This... this was not normal.

"What do you mean 'something's up with the princess'? What could possibly be... oh. That can not be normal."

The mare looked at them, her eyes ablaze and glowing pure white. Her bindings burst into flame and quickly turned to ash, just from proximity alone, and the stallions who had been assigned to watch over her quickly began to back away in fear. The magic-nullifying field had failed, and Twilight turned to face them, a sadistic grin on her face as her wings flared up. One of the guards stared, wide-eyed, as she began to approach them.

Twilight's fury had been unleashed.

"She's gotten loose?! How could you let her do that!"

"I dunno, sir! She just... she just went crazy!"

"I don't care! Find her! Now!"

She would spare them the trouble. Twilight teleported into the midst of their camp, signaling her arrival with a deafening roar. As the wave radiated outward, fires were snuffed out and tents were toppled. Almost immediately, the bandits attempted to detain her once more. To her, however, they were simply pests, and magic itself was her play-thing. She threw them to and fro, sending some through trees with enough ferocity to often rip the trunk straight from the roots. The chaos of it all had saved Applejack from her fate, and she hurriedly gnawed at her bindings in an attempt to free herself. It took a bit of work, but she managed to rip through the ropes, thankful for her freedom once more. "Now I jus' need ta find Twi before that thing sees..."

Applejack caught a glimpse of the being's cutie mark, and her eyes went wide. This was Twilight - her Twilight. The one she had been through thick and thin with. Something had changed her though, and the earth pony found such a display of power to be frightening. She knew Twilight was considered to be exceptionally gifted, but this... there were no words for it. Such a thing had only been discussed once by the unicorn, an event that had occurred when she had been a filly. An event that had required a trigger. The orange mare swallowed hard as she realized what had happened. "She... she heard me. I was th' trigger."

But this... such destruction, such rage. This was Twilight, and yet it wasn't. It wasn't her Twilight. Applejack was absolutely terrified, and yet there was a soft voice within the back of her head - Twilight's own.

They loved you, Applejack. They were so proud of you, and they never would have abandoned you. None of us would have.

None of us.

She took a step forward, and then another, and another. The very ground beneath Twilight was beginning to burn, and yet Applejack continued to approach. Finally, the orange mare looked up at her and softly spoke. "...Twi, stop. Please. This ain't like you." The unicorn turned and looked at her, those white eyes piercing straight through her. Even while she held one of the bandits in the air, Twilight never looked away. Unnerved but undaunted, Applejack continued. "Twilight, yer one of th' sweetest an' most modest ponies I know. This isn't you. This ain't the Twilight I know. This ain't the Twilight I love. Jus'... stop. Yer scarin' me."

The lavender mare dropped the bandit, and he quickly limped off after landing. Most of them had already fled, unwilling to face her wrath a second time. For the longest time, she simply stared back at Applejack, neither one of them moving. Slowly, Twilight descended to the ground, and upon landing, began to approach the earth pony. The unicorn's very presence had scorched the earth and set the environment ablaze, and yet to Applejack, it almost felt like a soothing warmth. It felt... friendly. Tempered by her own friend's words, the fire within Twilight slowly began to die down, and so too did the magic that had consumed her. Her wings folded up, her eyes slowly returned to normal, and she found herself stumbling about as she regained her senses. "I... Applejack? What even... what happened?"

Applejack blinked at her, shocked. "You... you honestly don' remember?"

"Remember what? Why are you looking at me like that?" The earth pony gestured for her to turn around, and she reluctantly did so. Applejack began to regret even doing such a thing, as even now, Twilight's face was a mixture of disgust and horror. She slowly shook her head, backing away from the devastation she had caused. "N-no. No. T-this can't be real. I... I need to get away from here. I need to get back to the camp." She was shaken by what had just transpired, and Applejack slowly nodded as she lead her friend away from the ruins of the bandit camp.

Some distance from that place would benefit them both.

Twilight Sparkle stared absentmindedly at the fire. Even at Applejack's gentle insistence, she had refused to eat anything at all that entire night. She hadn't said a word since returning to the camp either, something that greatly bothered the earth pony.

"Twi, jus'... eat somethin'. Please. Ya gotta be starvin'." The unicorn slowly shook her head and Applejack sighed, rubbing her head. "I'm worried about you, sugarcube. You've been actin' awful funny since ya found out about what ya did an' all." Twilight scowled at her, and she winced - being the Element of Honesty wasn't always a good thing.

"Just... leave me alone, Applejack. I don't know why you're still talking to me."

Applejack blinked at her and walked over, taking a seat beside her. "Twi, I'm still talkin' to ya 'cause yer mah friend, an' I'm worried about ya. Now c'mon, sugarcube - I poured mah heart out for ya so you could help me, it's high-time ya did the same. I just wanna help ya."

"You wanna know how I feel? Fine." Twilight huffed and continued to stare at the fire. "I'm disgusted with myself. Absolutely disgusted. I'm disgusted, and I'm disappointed."

"But... why?"

She quickly looked up and stared Applejack straight in the eye. "Why? Why?! I lost control, Applejack, that's why! I turned into an absolute monster! I could have killed somepony!"

"Whoa there, settle down. I know yer mighty ticked off right now, but ya didn' kill anypony."

"I could have, though. I could have just as easily killed them, and then what?" The unicorn had since returned to looking at the fire, though it now seemed to be a mixture of hatred and disgust, something hardly surprising given the situation. "I lost control, AJ. I lost control, and that means I failed my studies. I failed, Applejack."

The orange mare placed a foreleg around her in an attempt at a comforting gesture, though Twilight was quick to brush it off. Applejack frowned at her. "Ya didn' fail, though. Ya didn' lose control 'cause somethin' startled ya, like a Sonic Rainboom. Ya lost control 'cause somepony needed ya. 'Cause I needed ya."

"What if I had hurt you, though? Or worse? I wouldn't be able to live with myself!" She sighed and glanced off to the side, her ears flattened. "I'm no better than Night Mare Moon or Discord."

"Twi, don' even compare yerself ta Night Mare Moon or Discord. Yer so much better than them. You did what ya did fer th' good of others, not 'cause ya wanted ta harm anypony." Applejack smiled warmly, though it did little to help Twilight's demeanor.

"I know, I know, it's just... I don't even know. What if it happens again though, and you or the girls aren't around to calm me down? What if I really am a bad student? What if-" Twilight stopped mid-sentence as she felt Applejack give the back of her neck a nuzzle. Even as she felt her face grow hot, she glanced over her shoulder. "...Applejack, what are you-"

"I'm tryin' ta remind you of why it was a good thing that ya lost control." The orange mare quickly sat back up, staring at Twilight. "Look, sugarcube. I dunno if you realized it, but those bandits were gonna kill me an' rob us both. You losin' control ended up savin' us both. Yer spendin' so much time beatin' yerself up over this, that yer not seein' the good that's come out of it - us. We're both still in one piece, and yer scared ta death that yer a bad student and I'm not gonna like ya anymore 'cause you went all glowy-eyed for a few moments. Twi, yer not a monster, an' yer not a terrible student. Yer probably the best kinda pony a gal like me could hope ta be her friend, an' I'm lucky that I already do have a pony like you as a friend."

Twilight sighed and slowly shook her head. "You're... you're right, Applejack. I got so caught up with things that I lost sight of what's important. It's hardly surprising you'd be the one to talk some sense into me, though." She laughed nervously for a bit and looked up at Applejack, a faint smile on her face. "You're not... mad at me or anything, are you? Or scared?"

"Shucks, I can't be mad at ya or scared of ya, Twi. You oughta know that by now. Jus'... do one thing fer me."

"Anything."

Applejack chuckled and reached over, pulling an apple out of her saddlebags and placing it on the ground in front of the unicorn.

"Eat somethin'."

On the Outskirts

Itchy - that was the one thing on Twilight's mind right now. She was itchy. In the middle of the night, her wings and back had both begun to itch horribly, and it had been enough to wake her up. She sighed and stared out into the darkness of their tent, ever mindful of the pair of legs that were wrapped around her. After their ordeal, Applejack thought it was only fair for them to switch so that Twilight could be on the receiving end of the hug, and her turn was long overdue. The unicorn carefully wriggled out of the earth pony's grasp and slipped out of the tent, pacing about the camp as she tried to get her mind off that horrid itch. She knew it wasn't from Applejack - though she was a farmer, by no means was the orange mare particularly dirty. If the itch wasn't from Applejack, then where did it come from? As the answer dawned on her, Twilight groaned and closed her eyes.

"The spell."

The spell was beginning to dissipate. That had to be it. Acting quickly, she pulled her journal and a quill out from her saddlebags and hastily began to add it to her notes, scrawling furiously as she raced against the clock. "The flight spell signals its expiration with an unbearable itching sensation, which can be felt throughout the back and the wings themselves. If anything, this acts as a-" The lavender mare let out a yelp as she felt herself pulled upwards by the spell itself, dropping her quill as she ascended. She felt herself slowly began to spin in the air, and little by little, the feathers were plucked from the wings and swirled around her. Thankfully, it was a painless process - such an experience certainly couldn't be fun for an actual pegasus. With most of the feathers swirling about her, the wings themselves slowly began to withdraw into her back. It was an odd feeling, and it even tickled slightly. As the wings finally disappeared, the feathers exploded outward once more, and Twilight gently fell to the ground. The unicorn shook her head and slowly made her way back to her journal, picking up the quill and resuming her notes. "If anything, this acts as a warning and a deterrent of sorts, so that any pony under the effect of the spell is not airborne when the spell fully dissipates."

She sighed and shut the journal. As eager as she was to get back to simply being 'Twilight Sparkle the unicorn', she had gotten used to the wings. Now she would have to get used to not having them. She frowned and looked off towards the horizon, watching as the sky steadily changed from dark purples and blues to bright pinks and oranges. At least it was almost sunrise - it meant Applejack would be up soon.

Now was a good time to get started on breakfast.

As the first light of dawn began to shine upon the tent, Applejack slowly woke up. The earth pony yawned and stretched, though the sleeping bag felt oddly empty - Twilight must have already been up. She slowly pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and stepped outside the tent, rubbing her eyes as she took a seat beside the campfire. "Mornin', sugarcube."

"Good morning, AJ. I've already got breakfast made." The unicorn set a sandwich down in front of her with a smile, and Applejack gladly accepted it, returning a smile of her own.

"Thanks, Twi. How long ya been up?"

"Just a few hours. The flight spell decided that the middle of the night would be a good time for it to go away." Twilight looked over her shoulder, briefly glancing at her back before returning to her meal. "I wasn't really feeling tired afterwards, so I simply stayed up and took some notes."

Applejack leaned over and peered at the lavender mare's back. There certainly wasn't anything left of the wings. "Did it hurt or anythin'?"

"Nope! It was just really itchy, and it kinda tickled." She levitated her sandwich up in front of herself and took a bite, quickly chewing and swallowing. "I think I know what I wanna do once we get back to Ponyville and get Granny Smith cured. I wanna go to the spa and just... relax. I think it'd be nice."

The earth pony had taken several bites out of her sandwich already and put it down, turning to face her friend. "Ya know what, Twi? I think I jus' might join ya fer that. I'm not really one fer spas or nothin', but after everythin' you an' me have been through? I think we deserve it."

"Really now?" Twilight grinned and raised an eyebrow. "You hardly ever go to the spa. I thought you were going to sleep in anyways?"

"I jus' don' like goin' ta the spa 'cause Rarity is usually there. I'm not sayin' I hate her or anythin', but she can get on mah nerves sometimes." Applejack idly shrugged and took another bite from her sandwich, swallowing before continuing. "Besides, it'd jus' be th' two of us. An' I can always delay mah sleepin' in by a day or two."

The unicorn slowly nodded, the grin still on her face. "Fair enough. If we're lucky, we should be able to get to Ponyville before the day is over - or get close to it, at least. When do you wanna head out, Applejack?"

"Eh, lemme finish this sandwich, Twi. I ain't about ta let some daffodils go ta waste." She smiled and scarfed down the rest of her sandwich, letting out a belch after finishing it. "Alrighty, let's get packed up an' get movin'. I got a Granny ta save."

Twilight nodded and stood up, her horn beginning to glow as she picked up and shuffled about much of the camp. The tent was folded, the sleeping bag rolled up, and all of it was neatly placed within her's and Applejack's saddlebags. Another brief burst of magic, and the saddlebags were already hefted onto the backs of both mares. The earth pony kicked up a plume of dirt, snuffing out their campfire, and soon the two of them were on their way once more.

"Twi, are ya sure about this? I mean... I know yer awful good with yer magic an' all, but this still seems a lil' dangerous."

They had stood at this same cliff for several minutes now, on the edge of the same river they had crossed before. Both of them were feeling rather apprehensive about having to cross it once more, especially after Twilight Sparkle's near-drowning. With the bridge out, however, there was only one possible way they were both going to get across.

"Look, AJ. I don't like this either, and trust me, I'd much rather cross a bridge if it still existed. But either I try and teleport us across, or we wander around until we find a stretch of the river we can wade through." Twilight sighed and carefully walked over to the edge of the cliff, standing at Applejack's side and staring down at the raging waters below. If she was nervous during the first crossing, this second attempt was certainly worse for her. After all, she had nearly lost her life to these same waters. Still, they only had two options in front of them - either Twilight could attempt to teleport herself and Applejack across, or both mares would have to try and find another way over. The former, if it succeeded, would only take a few minutes. Failure risked death, however. The latter might potentially take them hours, or even days, before they could find a suitable place to cross. With Granny Smith's current condition, they simply couldn't afford to waste any more time. They would have to teleport. "Okay Applejack, just... stand as close to me as you can. You have to be right next to me, or the spell is only going to teleport one of us and not both of us."

"And yer sure you can do this? Ya just need line-of-sight, right?" The earth pony glanced nervously over at her friend, still unsure if the unicorn would even be able to pull this off. She had the utmost trust in Twilight Sparkle and knew her friend was capable of spectacular feats, but this was still a risky maneuver.

Twilight eyed the opposite cliff and gulped before turning to look at the earth pony at her side. "I can do it, Applejack. I just need to try. You... you think I can do it, don't you?"

She hesitated for a moment as she thought it over, but Applejack was quick to reply. The orange mare scooted over towards Twilight, getting as close as possible in preparation for the spell. "You can do it, sugarcube. I know ya can. I got faith in ya."

"Right... okay. Here goes nothing!" The unicorn briefly braced herself and closed her eyes, her horn beginning to glow as she recited the spell. Unlike her normal teleports, in which she only transported herself, this one was a bit more complicated. It still wasn't a particularly difficult spell, but she still needed to make sure she had this right. With the spell successfully recited, the two mares both began to teleport. For Twilight Sparkle, she had done this numerous times, and it was no big deal. She knew what to expect, after all. This was Applejack's first real teleport, however - the world began to warp and stretch around her, and for the briefest of moments, she felt somewhat scared by everything that was beginning to happen around her. Twilight was still there, though. As long as the lavender mare was still there, Applejack would be fine. The earth pony felt herself hurtling forwards and over the river, with her companion right at her side the entire way, and the world soon began to return to its normal proportions. They had made it.

"There! See AJ, I told you I could do it! That wasn't so bad, was it?" Twilight smiled triumphantly, pleased with her work, but began to look around after she heard no answer from her friend. "...Applejack?"

"Maybe fer you..." The orange mare didn't necessarily feel nauseous, but her legs still felt a bit weak. She had hoped for a bit of a warning, but considering what might have happened otherwise, she wasn't about to complain. "That was jus' mah first teleport is all. I'm uh... feelin' a bit wobbly."

The unicorn sheepishly grinned, covering her mouth with a hoof to stifle a giggle. "Um... oops. Sorry about that, Applejack. I forgot that you haven't done this before. Do you maybe wanna... take a break?"

"Yes please."

The break itself hadn't taken long - Applejack simply needed to regain her footing a bit. After a quick drink and snack, the two mares continued their journey home, and they made remarkably good progress. With the sun beginning to set, however, it was time to make camp once more. As always, Twilight had set up most of the camp while Applejack worked on the fire, and it wasn't long before the two of them were playing songs together again. Their own music-making was sometimes split up by short breaks for either food or water, and during one such break, Twilight Sparkle found herself looking off towards the horizon.

"I think I can see the lights from Ponyville, AJ."

"Really? Ya think we're that close?" The earth pony, despite carrying an apple in her mouth, was able to speak surprisingly clearly. She took a seat beside the unicorn and took a bite out of the fruit, quickly chewing it before continuing. "I thought we'd have further ta go. Shoot, we'll be back home before noon tomorrow if we're that close!"

"Mhm." The lavender mare plucked the apple from Applejack's grasp with her magic, taking a small bite out of it and passing it back to her. Despite the earth pony's disapproving scowl, Twilight couldn't help but grin while she chewed. "Oh, stop that. You're perfectly okay with sharing a sleeping bag, but not an apple?"

Applejack blinked for a moment, then sighed. "Why do ya always gotta make good points, Twi?"

"That's just what I do, AJ. Besides, we'll be home soon enough, and then you can help Granny Smith get better."

"...and then everythin' will be right as rain." She paused for a moment as she realized she had just repeated a statement used by her own brother, but Applejack soon looked up at her companion. "You up fer more songs, sugarcube?"

"Maybe just one more." Twilight smiled and nodded, and Applejack returned it in kind. They both knew it was a lie, but neither felt it was necessary to correct it. 'Maybe just one more' soon became 'Many more', and yet...

Neither of them cared.

Moment of Truth

The first light of Celestia's dawn had brought a welcome sight off in the distance - Ponyville. They were so very close to finally being home and completing their journey, and Applejack had no interest in a real meal. Far too much depended on her safely delivering the fruit, and if they set a good pace, they could easily reach the town before noon. Both mares ate lightly, snacking on a few apples, and hastily packed up their camp before departing. With the river behind them and their belongings packed, both Applejack and Twilight Sparkle broke into a sprint as they raced for Sweet Apple Acres.

"C'mon, Twi! Bet I can beat ya back ta Ponyville!"

"Not a chance, Applejack! I beat you in the Running of the Leaves, I can do it again!"

As they dashed and weaved through the trees, they both knew time was of the essence, and though their legs and bodies soon began to ache with fatigue, both mares refused to stop.

They owed it to Granny Smith and to each other to try their hardest, and they intended to do so.

Nurse Redheart had been an increasingly common guest at Sweet Apple Acres, and had been at the farm for such long periods of time that she had eventually begun to stay within the guest room. Granny Smith's condition had been fairly stable for the past few days, but she had made no improvement at all. The Nurse did her best to attend to the elderly mare's needs, keeping her fed and hydrated as best she could. At the very least, it freed up Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom to take care of the other daily tasks that the orchards required.

Big Macintosh, despite almost always being 'the rock' of the family, had found himself suffering more and more from Applejack's absence. The stallion had endured many a sleepless night and gone through far more coffee than what he was comfortable with. It wasn't just stress from Granny's illness - he missed his sister. Most of all, he realized how much he needed her around and how difficult things would be when she eventually left some day. Tending to the orchards was hard enough by himself, but things had been even more difficult due to Apple Bloom. Though the filly tried her hardest to help her older brother with the applebucking, her own thoughts and worries about Applejack typically required some words of encouragement from Big Macintosh. It had been more and more difficult to bolster her spirits with each passing day, and it was beginning to take its toll on him.

"Mister Macintosh?"

He blinked, quickly shaking his head as he looked about the kitchen. The stallion had spaced out, and with every hour of sleep deprivation, it had been happening more often. "Huh? Sorry, Nurse Redheart. I was jus'... thinkin'."

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt your thoughts. You just... don't look that well." Before he could say otherwise, the mare already had her tools out and was giving him a quick look-over. Nurse Redheart muttered to herself as she went about her work, though she slowly shook her head as she finished - she was a surprisingly fast worker. "Severe sleep deprivation, Mister Macintosh. Go get some rest."

"Nnnnope."

The Nurse stared at him, mouth agape. "Mister Macintosh, your body can't handle this kind of strain for extended periods. It's already beginning to take its toll on you. Please, go get some-"

"I'm awfully sorry, Nurse Redheart, but I ain't goin' back ta bed until AJ is back."

Slowly, she nodded. "I... I understand. Just keep what I said in mind."

The stallion nodded in return and took another sip of coffee from his mug - his third cup of the day. Big Macintosh was fully aware that Nurse Redheart was right. He wasn't quite sick, but he felt the worst he had in years. He would sleep soon enough, but for now, he needed to hold on a bit longer. If Granny Smith could hold on for this long, then so could he. He took another sip and carefully set the mug down upon the table, giving Apple Bloom's mane a ruffle as the filly stepped in. "Get everythin' done, Apple Bloom?"

"Yup!" She beamed up at her older brother, and received a gentle pat on the back in return. "Everythin's all taken care of. We can take th' rest of th' day off if we wanted to!"

"Not too much slackin', AB. Work on some of yer school stuff a bit, and then ya can go crusadin' with Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle." Big Macintosh peered down at her with weary eyes, and though the filly knew what her brother had been through, she said nothing. Instead, she nodded and ran up the stairs to her room.

Nurse Redheart carefully eyed Big Macintosh throughout the entire exchange, and remained silent until the filly was out of earshot. "Mister Macintosh, I'm aware that you're trying to remain strong for the sake of your family, but... go get some rest."

"I appreciate ya bein' awful worried fer me, Nurse Redheart." He grinned and slowly turned his head to face her. "But was that an order fer me ta go ta bed?"

"Well, I'm the closest thing Ponyville has to an actual doctor, so... yes." The white mare nodded enthusiastically and gave him a warm smile. "Go to bed. Doctor's orders."

The red stallion chuckled and was about to pick up his coffee mug when Nurse Redheart intervened, carrying it over to the sink and dumping it out. She stared at him and pointed a hoof up the stairs, and Big Macintosh eventually relented. "Alrighty, Nurse Redheart. Ya made yer point. I'll get some sleep, jus'... wake me up if ya see Applejack."

"Don't worry, Mister Macintosh. I will. Now go get some rest." She watched as he slowly made his way up the stairs, breathing a sigh of relief as she heard the door to his room close. Granny Smith may have been her primary concern, but she was keenly aware of what had been happening to the other members of the Apple family. Though she understood everything Big Macintosh was willing to suffer through for the sake of others, she simply couldn't watch him slowly destroy himself - her oath of ethics prevented her from doing so, as did her own wishes for healthier and happier ponies. With her first real break in hours, the Nurse decided to pull a novel out of her work bag, and she took a seat upon one of the kitchen chairs as she began to read. Occasionally, she would glance away from the text to peek out the kitchen window, if only to see if the orange earth pony and her companion had arrived.

She simply wished they would return soon, before things got any worse.

"I recognize some of these trees, Twi. We're on Sweet Apple Acres land!"

Twilight turned and blinked at her. "Really? How can you tell?"

"Well, that one's named-"

"Actually, just... nevermind. We'll be here all day while you name every single tree." The unicorn grinned, but it was met with a disapproving scowl from the earth pony. Now that they were firmly back in familiar territory, they had slowed their pace back to a walk, and they certainly deserved a reprieve from all the running they had been doing. "Applejack, do you think they're waiting for us?"

"Who, Big Mac an' Apple Bloom? Knowin' those two, yeah." Just thinking of her siblings brought a smile to her face. She'd be home soon enough, and then she could see her brother and sister once more. "I kinda wanna see Granny more, though. Jus' wanna see her up an' about again, which... ain't sayin' much, but at least she was movin' around."

Twilight nodded. "I can understand where you're coming from. Though... I am kinda curious. Not trying to be insensitive or anything, but when do you think you'll be up for that trip to the spa? 'Cause my hooves are killing me, and this is probably the dirtiest I've been in a long time. I'm about ready to be pampered a bit."

"Pampered, huh?" Applejack chuckled and grinned. "Once I know Granny's doin' better, I think I'll be ready fer that trip. Only after I know she's doin' better, though, an' not a moment sooner. Got it?"

The lavender mare nodded once more and they continued their walk. Applejack had been through these orchards and over these hills countless times throughout her life, and if she was right, then they were...

"Here! They're here!" Nurse Redheart hastily dropped her novel and scrambled up the stairs, pounding on Big Macintosh's door. "Mister Macintosh, I see them! Applejack and Twilight Sparkle!"

There was a loud 'thump' from within as the stallion presumably rolled out of bed, and the Nurse hastily backed away from the door as she heard several rapid hoofsteps from inside his room. Big Macintosh threw the door open with enough force to rip it off its hinges and he almost bowled over the white mare, though he managed to stop himself in time. "Er... sorry 'bout that, Nurse Redheart. I uh... guess we should go wait for 'em?"

"I... um... y-yes, of course! Downstairs. Right." Nurse Redheart managed to give him as natural a smile as she could muster - she had heard rumors about how he often had to keep his own strength in check during applebucking season, otherwise he risked cleaving some of the trees in two. To see it herself had been interesting, to say the least. She turned and headed down the stairs, with the red stallion following suit, and the two of them stood within the kitchen and peered out the window. Off in the distance, orange and lavender dots continually drew closer and closer.

Big Macintosh couldn't help but grin, and he slowly shook his head. "Good ta have ya back home, AJ."

Winona had already bolted out of her doghouse and had ran off towards the two dots, no doubt after catching Applejack's scent. It didn't take long for the border collie to intercept them, and she began to walk alongside both of the mares as they continued their trek towards the farmhouse, causing Applejack to smile at the dog. "Well howdy there, Winona! I ain't got time ta play with ya jus' yet, but it's good ta see ya too!"

The collie barked in return, deftly weaving in and out of the earth pony's legs before returning to her side. The orange mare chuckled and slowly shook her head as she and Twilight Sparkle neared the house. Within the window of her home, she could already spot her brother and a white pony that appeared to be Nurse Redheart, something which worked out perfectly. With the Nurse already here, Applejack wouldn't have to run off to Ponyville Urgent Care, and Granny Smith could be properly given the fruit that much sooner.

"Looks like we've got a welcoming committee, AJ." Twilight lowered her head while they walked, pointing her horn towards the farmhouse.

Applejack smiled and nodded. "Yyyyep. An' I'm awful glad ta see 'em too. It's good ta be home an' see some friendly faces... besides yers, of course."

Twilight Sparkle smiled and giggled in return, and as they approached the house itself, the unicorn stepped to the side and used her magic to open the door. "You first, Applejack. You've got the fruit, after all."

"Thank ye kindly, Twi." The earth pony nodded and proceeded through the doorway, though she was quickly met with a bear hug from her brother. "Hold on now, Big Mac! I'm awful glad ta see ya too, but it's gotta wait real quick. This is too important."

The red stallion nodded and backed off as Twilight walked through the doorway, though Nurse Redheart was quick to approach the both of them. "I've heard you two have something for me to administer?"

"We do, Nurse Redheart!" The lavender mare smiled as her horn glowed once more, causing one of the saddlebags on Applejack's back to open. From within, the fruit itself floating out and over to the Nurse. Even now, after everything they had done and been through, the fruit softly glowed. It was a faint reminder of the Tree itself, as well as the latent power within the fruit. Nurse Redheart graciously took it, grabbing the fruit by the stem. With the aid of Big Macintosh, her work bag was placed upon her back, and the Nurse quickly proceeded up the stairs to Granny Smith's room to begin her work.

With a sigh, Applejack took a seat upon the floor, sliding her saddlebags off her back and removing her hat. "An' now we wait, I 'spose. C'mere, Big Mac. Ya still owe me that hug."

"About time." Grinning, Big Macintosh walked over and sat upon the floor as well, placing himself at his sister's level. He leaned over and wrapped both forelegs around her neck, pulling her into a hug. "I missed ya somethin' fierce, lil' sis. It's good ta see ya again. An' Miss Twilight?"

Twilight blinked for a moment and then looked back at the stallion. "Yes, Big Macintosh?"

"Thank ye kindly fer returnin' mah sister in one piece. Ya lived up to yer promise, an' I appreciate that."

"After everything we've been through, I don't think I'd be capable of anything less." Twilight smiled back, but Big Macintosh had already turned away from her once more to focus on his sister. In his stead, Applejack caught sight of it, and she smiled knowingly.

What had transpired during their journey would be a tale few would ever know, but such stories are often best when few know of them. It had started as a journey to save Applejack's grandmother, and had become something much more in the end - bonds had been strengthened, fears had disappeared, and more than one pony had been given a new lease on life. In her darkest hour, when all had seemed lost, one of Applejack's first and closest friends had come to her aid. Twilight Sparkle hadn't asked for anything in return. She simply wanted to help. It was something that the earth pony would remember for the rest of her days and until her last breath.

That was a promise.

Epilogue - A Trip to the Spa

"So how's Granny Smith doing?"

"Much better, sugarcube. Took her a few days ta get back up ta one-hundred percent, but that fruit worked wonders. Nurse Redheart said she ain't ever seen anythin' like it. Some of th' fruit was still leftover, so she took some of it with her - figures maybe she can make a vaccine or somethin' out of it."

It had indeed taken a few days for Granny Smith to get back to her old self, but her health had returned. Within only a few hours after Nurse Redheart initially administered the fruit, the old mare's temperature had already dropped back to normal levels. Over the next few days, as her strength gradually returned and her other symptoms began to disappear, the rest of the family slowly shifted back to normal. Big Macintosh finally got caught up on his sleep and lessened his coffee-intake, though he never kicked the habit entirely. Apple Bloom went back to school with much of her work already completed, and her classmates were somewhat envious of her 'break'. Applejack herself had lived up to her earlier promise and slept until noon on her first day back, an especially late day for her. She had already returned to the orchards however, and Sweet Apple Acres was essentially back to the way it used to be.

Applejack sighed as she reclined in her seat while one of the spa ponies tended to the earth pony's hooves, while Twilight herself held a magazine while she received a horn filing. Both mares had decided to treat themselves, and had already enjoyed many of the spa's services - they had already had a massage and a mud bath, and now this. All that was left was to spend some time in one of the hot baths. With the filing complete, they both made their way to an open bath and hopped into the warm waters. Applejack would have been hesitant to admit it, but this was kinda nice.

"Hey AJ?"

The orange mare blinked and leaned against one of the walls of the bath. "Huh? Wha?"

"I keep having these really weird dreams. Like... about me almost drowning. And then losing control." Twilight was absentmindedly tapping her hooves together, staring down at the water as she did.

"Well shucks, Twi. Ya can tell me about 'em if it'll make ya feel better. Do you wanna?"

"I guess. I mean, in a way, both dreams are kinda the same - you always end up saving me. With the drowning, I almost died, and when I lost control, I don't know if I could have ever gone back to just... me." The lavender mare sighed and looked up at Applejack, staring her in the eye. "But both times, you saved me. It didn't matter if it was from death or myself, you saved me."

Applejack waded over towards Twilight, sitting in the waters beside her. "Twi, it don' mean nothin'. I did it 'cause that's what friends do - we watch out fer each other. Don' ferget, ya saved me a few times too. Like when I fell into that crypt, or when I got stuck in mah own dream, or-"

Twilight giggled and placed a hoof on the earth pony's mouth, silencing her. "I get your point, Applejack. You don't have to keep giving examples."

"Twi, there was somethin' else I wanted ta say too." Applejack sighed and turned to look Twilight in the eye. "I jus' wanted ta thank ya for everythin'. I mean, you didn' even ask for anythin' in return! Ya heard about Granny's health, an' ya offered to help. No hesitation, no backwards glances. Ya jus'... were there fer me."

"Because that's what friends do. We watch out for each other."

"Wait... Twilight. Did ya jus' use mah own words on me?"

The unicorn stifled a giggle and grinned. "Maaaaaaybe?"

"...c'mere you." Applejack slid through the waters towards Twilight Sparkle and gave the lavender mare a hug, though the unicorn certainly wasn't about to resist such a thing. Even with her forelegs still wrapped around her friend, the earth pony still had one last thing to say. "Hey Twi... think we should write Princess Celestia a friendship report?"

Twilight pondered it for a moment but then slowly shook her head. "Somehow, AJ... I think she already knows."

Elsewhere within Equestria, the Daughter of Sol nodded knowingly.

And she smiled.