Ah don't rightly now how it happened. One minute, we're on our way to Zecora's, everythin' right as rain, the next minute Ah realize somethin' is wrong. Very wrong. We were nowhere near Zecora's, in fact, Ah didn't rightly know WHERE we were. Ah'd been too busy listen' to Rainbow Dash talkin' about her newest trick, y'see...and Ah could listen to her talk all day, really..but...ahem...Ah digress.
Ah had put out mah hoof to stop Rainbow Dash, and Ah could tell she noticed it, too. Ah saw her feathers rufflin', and the fur 'long her spine rose like Winona's when somethin' was amiss. Then the growlin' started, and let me tell you, Ah reckognized that thar growlin'. Ah'd heard it every zap-apple season of mah life. Where was Granny Smith with her pots and pans when ya needed her? We were in trouble, and Ah could tell Rainbow Dash had known it, too. Buck.
"What do we do, what do we do?!"
Ah remember hearin' Rainbow Dash ask in a hissed tone, tryin' not ta let the panic show in her voice. But Ah wouldn't have blamed her if she had. Ah was tryin' to place where the darned wolves were, but they weren't bein' too helpful. The growls kept us on edge. It was hard ta tell how close or far away they were.
"We fight," Ah remembered sayin'. Sure did sound brave. Lot braver than Ah felt, really. As if we'd had a chance. Ah know Ah heard the bushes rustle behind me. Wish Ah could say what happened next was pure skill, but it wasn't. Was pure luck. Ah heard the bushes again, waited, then bucked mah back legs hard as Ah rightly could. Heard a crunch of wood--bone? Did those blasted things even have bone?--as mah hooves connected directly with the timberwolf's face. Pure luck. But Ah could hear more.
Yanno, standin' and fightin' had sounded good in mah head. Ah don't rightly remember what exactly Ah was thinkin' when Ah'd said it, but what Ah'd said after made more sense.
"RUN!"
We dashed back the way we came. One minute, Ah was runnin' alongside Rainbow Dash. Next minute, Ah was alone. Thinkin' on it now, Ah figure Dash's fear and instinct took over. She's a Pegasus, after all. They're made for flyin'. Once she stopped thinkin' and started actin' on her fear and instinct, she likely woulda taken to the sky. Ah can't blame her now. At least one of us got away. Honestly, Ah didn't even have much time to blame her then, either.
What's that? Oh, right. Why am Ah lyin' down. Honestly, why am Ah talkin' to myself inside my own darned head? Ah can't explain it. Guess it's just comfortin'. Though, I was expectin' an entire lifetime to flash before mah eyes, not the last little bit. Well, anyway...Ah realized Ah was on mah own. Ah could hear them behind me, gainin' on me. Mah heart was tryin' to beat its way out mah chest. Ah was sweatin' hard, and not just from the runnin'. Ah was tryin' not to panic, but see how you do when you got a pack o' timberwolves on yer flank.
At least the panic added an extra burst of speed. Not that it helped me any, really. Ah could barely see the path Ah was on. Ah felt them nippin' at my rear hooves...or was that mah mind playin' tricks on me? Ah couldn't tell. It felt real, and that's all that mattered in the moment. Ah had looked ahead of me on the path, and there were more of the blasted beasts waitin' for me ahead. What could Ah do? In mah mind, just one thing.
Ah charged. Put mah head down and charged. Ah was not gonna go down whimperin'. Not Applejack. No sir. Ah jumped into the air and twisted around, swinging mah buckin' legs and kickin' them out. Ah got a good hit in on the wolf's side. That's when the other one got me. Ah was rearin' up to buck again and it came from the side, its jaw clampin down on my foreleg. Ah think Ah screamed. The teeth...they pierced in, tore. Clamped down. Then clamped down harder, and Ah saw white. Mah bones snapped under that jaw and Ah nearly threw up.
The wolf jerked his head, tearin' more at mah leg. Ah struck with my other hoof, wildly. It finally let go and Ah tried to hobble away, and Ah ain't gonna lie. Ah was cryin'. Ah bucked at another that came too close and felt its claw dig into mah flank, right over mah cutie mark. Another had swiped across mah side. Ah had screamed again, they were deep, and Ah could feel the blood pourin' over mah flank. Another swipe took mah face, and Ah staggered.
Ah'd felt the tree and just slid down to tha' floor. Ah would've liked to die standin' up, but Ah couldn't. Ah hurt too much. Ah lowered mah head, restin' mah good leg over my muzzle. And that's where Ah am now. At least Ah ain't lettin mahself whimper.
"Dashie..." Ah couldn't help but say her name. Ah cared for that blasted pony so darned much. If mah life is what it took to let her outta the forest alive, Ah'd give it. Ah am giving it. Long as she keeps on....
"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU STUPID MUTTS!"
What in tarnation? Why, that stupid, pig-headed, stubborn....of all the dag-blasted stupid things to do....
Ah could feel her. Ah could barely move, let alone open mah eyes, but Ah could feel her there, between me and them. She musta realized...but she coulda gotten away....
Ah should have known. Ah should have figured once she realized Ah wasn't there she'd come back. Blasted element of Loyalty and all. But now, now we're both gonna die here. Ah could hear the sounds of fightin', though it was startin' to fade. Ah heard Rainbow Dash cry out about her wing, vaguely, and wanted to curl in on mahself. Last thing Ah remember was a whole lot o' clangin...and then...nothin.
Why in tarnation does Ponydise look like a hospital room?!
Ah admit it, that was mah first thought when Ah opened mah eyes. Well, what do ya expect? Ah thought Ah was a goner. Mah next thought was how the hay was Ah alive. And finally....
"YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! YOU'RE AWAKE!"
"Aaaaah! Not so blasted loud, Rainbow Dash!" Ah sighed and took a deep breath. Oh...that hurt. Ah took a moment and looked at the pony by mah bedside. Ah could see the bandages around her wings and felt a twinge of guilt. She was probably grounded for a while, but that didn't seem to be on her mind.
"Ah hope you realize that soon as Ah can move, Ah'm going to kill you," Ah muttered.
Ah watched Rainbow's face as that proud grin slid away and her ears drooped. Gosh darn it. At least she was standin' by the hoof not covered in an annoyin'--and dang itchy!--cast, and reached out, touchin' her cheek.
"Ah woulda died if it meant you were ok, sugarcube."
"I couldn't leave you! I'm...I'm sorry...I thought you were right there..." Rainbow's eyes filled with tears as Ah watched. "And I realized I was flying, and you were gone...I came back but...I...I thought..."
She couldn't finish, and Ah figured why. She'd thought Ah was already dead.
"But I just...I couldn't leave you...even if you...if you....I'd already left you once!"
Ah heard her hoof smack the floor in anger at herself. Then she did what Rainbow Dash is prone to do...the unexpected. She stepped close and leaned in, brushing her muzzle over mah neck and into mah cheek, well, what wasn't bandaged anyway. Ah felt mahself blushin' somethin' fierce.
"R...Rainbow Dash?"
She was blushin' too, imagine that. And then Ah noticed she was cryin', too. The unexpected, Ah tell ya.
"IwantedtotellyouIlovedyouforsolongbutIwasafraidandthenIsawyouandthoughtyouweredeadandcouldn'tletthemkillyouwithoutbeingabletosayIloveyousoifitmeantIhadtodieforthatchanceIwasgoingtodieforyou..."
Well...Ah couldn't rightly figure that out. It came out rushed and in one big ol' breath, fast as can be.
"Come again?"
Ah watched Rainbow Dash flush and take another breath. Oh, she was going to do it again...
"I love you."
Or not. Ah had waited a long time to hear those words, of course.
"Well, why didn't ya just say so?" Ah woulda laughed at the look on her face if it didn't hurt so dang much, but Ah settled for drawin' her down closer for a kiss. Ah felt her respond, nice and sweet, because quite frankly, Ah don't think Ah coulda handled anythin' else right now.
Ah settled back into the bed and sighed quietly, starin at Rainbow Dash.
"By the way, sugarcube, how the hay did we survive?"
"What, you don't think I fought them off all by myself, and got you valiantly to safety?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, putting on her best offended look.
Ah simply took a page out of Fluttershy's book and stared at her. She finally huffed and made a face, lowerin' her head.
"Pinkie Pie."
"Pinkie Pie?" Was she pullin' mah leg? Really?
"And..."
Ah frowned. "And...?"
"Granny Smith."
"...."
Ah closed mah eyes.
"Ya know what, sugarcube? Ah...don't rightly want to know right now."
And Ah let mahself drift off to sleep.
