Doctor Jekyll and Mister Shyde

Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she stretched her wings, her feathers fluttering softly. Even though her life pretty much sucked right now, she was excited to finally get out of the Ponyville Hospital. Of course, she still couldn't fly like she wanted to, but she was coping (with the help of Daring Do).

She felt a familiar twinge of pain as she remembered that she couldn't stay at Sweet Apple Acres; it was just too painful for her. Sighing again - though not nearly as happy as before - Rainbow started walking towards Twilight's castle.

As she plodded along, her mind wandered. Once more, she found herself thinking about Applejack. She couldn't help believing that it was somehow her fault that she was dead.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking like that. It wasn't healthy.

As her friend's castle came into sight (it was surprising that the enormous crystal tree wasn't visible throughout all of Ponyville), she slowed down. Rainbow had always loved the fresh air; that was second nature to a pegasus. So, she wanted to spend as much time outside as possible.

As she took in her surroundings, though, she was sure she saw a glimpse of vibrant orange fur behind a tree.

Scootaloo? Wait, no. That's not possible. She's dead. And it can't be Applejack because she's dead too. Then who...?

"Who's there?" She asked as she approached the tree. She slowly approached and walked around to the opposite side.

There, in front of her, lay Applejack. She had curled herself up to seem as small as possible and had pulled her trademark Stetson down until it was covering most of her face

Rainbow Dash stared at her supposedly-dead friend. Her face paled as if she had seen a ghost. Although, in her eyes, she was seeing a ghost. “A-A-Appleja…” She trailed off, too stunned to even finished her sentence.

The earth pony peeked out from behind the brim of her hat. Her emerald eyes were shining with unshed tears. She slowly stood up and dusted herself off while her friend stared at her, slack-jawed.

"Uhh, hey RD. How're ya doin'?"

Rainbow opened and closed her mouth a couple times, though no sound came out. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak. "How are you alive? I held your heart in my hooves! Keres killed you!" She was yelling, releasing her pent-up anger and confusion at her friend.

Applejack winced as she underwent the verbal assault. Rainbow Dash just kept yelling, not holding anything back. She finally broke down, sobbing. The farmer walked over and draped a foreleg over Rainbow's shoulders.

The athlete turned and buried her muzzle in Applejack's shoulder, her tears immediately soaking her fur. Applejack slowly ran her hoof through her friend's multi-colored mane, as her body was wracked with sobs.

"Shh. Everything's gonna be fine. Ah promise," she soothed her friend in a calming tone.

It was several minutes before Rainbow Dash could speak, but Applejack didn't care. She just kept comforting her. When she finally pulled herself out of the embrace, she faced the formerly-dead earth pony. "But Keres sent me your heart... I don't understand."

Applejack gave a short chuckle. "Ah know. And Ah'll explain everything. But first, let's go to Twilight's. Ah could really use a meal. Made by Spike, o' course. An' I ain't ready to go back to the farm yet."

Rainbow Dash gave a slow nod and stood up, only then noticing the bad shape her friend was in.

She looked pale all over, except for her neck. There, the skin was mottled with bruises. Her formerly vibrant eyes were empty and lifeless, drifting slowly.

As they walked to the castle, Rainbow Dash wondered what Keres had done to her friend. The Applejack she knew was a strong, proud earth pony. That Applejack was nothing like this battered mare walking next to her.

She shook her head. Twilight would be able to fix things.

As the pair approached the crystal doors, however, they suddenly burst open. Twilight rocketed out, holding the end of a long piece of paper in her magic and letting the end trail behind her. She was shouting "She's not dead!" over and over. That is, until she crashed into Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Twilight groaned and shook the stars from her vision. As everything swam back into focus, she realized she was looking directly at Applejack. "You're not dead!" She exclaimed, tackling their newly-resurrected friend in a bear hug.

Twilight released Applejack and enveloped her in her magic, levitating her off the ground. "You need to come inside right now. I have to know everything that happened since you disappeared. Especially Keres. You have to tell me everything about Keres." Twilight trotted back inside with Applejack in tow.

Rainbow Dash followed, muttering, "I'll never understand that egghead."