Where the Heart Is

by LevelTwoWizard

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Rarity, Romance
Length: 5788

When Applejack and Rarity find themselves in a strange land, they explore more than just the road.

The Elements of Honesty and Generosity wake up in a cave with only the foggiest memory of how they got there. Not knowing where they are or where they are going, the unlikely duo must work together in order to make it back to Ponyville. However, the road ahead will be far from easy, and the two must learn to truly trust and depend on one another if they hope to make it back home. Yet, perhaps another challenge entirely will worm its way between the two, one they had no idea could even exist, and less of an idea of how to handle it.

My first piece of fanfiction. For the site, for My Little Pony, for everything, really. Mistakes will be present and I do not claim to be a good writer. Judge as you see fit.

Published 2012-08-27 21:44:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-04 01:36:32 UTC

Chapter 1: Cold and Not So Alone

Cold, piercing cold that chills your body as if a spirit were reaching through it.

Cold was what the orange earth pony experienced as she woke, though she had no memory of falling asleep recently. In fact, her entire memory seemed hazy. Normally, the mare was groggy and hard to wake, which was something she could remember, though the penetrating cold made going back to sleep difficult. Slowly, she lifted herself from her prone position that so often accompanied sleep, hooves clopping noisily against the hard ground beneath her. Her legs were shaky and threatened to give way as Applejack rose herself to her full height, which was uncommon for a pony as physically fit as her. All in all, Applejack felt terrible, as if she had been in a fight and lost, which could possibly explain her clouded memory. The mare’s condition made it far more strenuous than it should have been to open her eyes and drink in her surroundings. “What in the…” Applejack half-yawned, half-gasped, her mind seeming to find it easier to give words to her thoughts rather than try to sort them out in her pounding head.

The room was dark, though not so dark that one could not see properly. However where Applejack was could hardly be called a room, as room implies an area that was built, which certainly was not the case. A more apt description would be ‘cave’. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling were all smooth stone. The walls and ceilings curved, giving the narrow cave the appearance of a cylinder, form the inside at least. (Perhaps ‘tunnel’ would be a better word to describe the area, Applejack wondered.) A quick glance back told Applejack that she whether she was in a room, cave, or tunnel, she was near the back end of it. Ahead of the orange mare was her white light at the end of the tunnel. Quite literally, as from her distance the only hint of the outside was the bright white that Applejack’s unadjusted eyes had a hard time taking in. Without so much as a second thought, whether that was due to her foggy head or hope that the outside would give her some clue to make sense of the situation, the mare walked towards the light.

The closer she got to the exit, the colder she got. The sound of howling wind the likes of which Applejack had only heard in strong storms or blizzards became apparent; the pure white light ahead of the mare limited the possible answers as to the source of the wind. Sure enough, a thin sheet of snow greeted Applejack at the mouth of the cave, and a great flurry of white whipped about wildly outside. She was chilled to the bone and was occasionally nipped by a stray gust of snow and ice that found its way in the cave. It didn’t take much encouragement for the orange mare to retreat back within stone walls. While it wasn’t comfortable, it was certainly warmer towards the back than the front. Luckily, it seemed that the snow was blowing around the cave rather than inside it. Applejack sighed as she realized that she would have to wait out the storm, having no idea how long that would take. She was a tough pony, no doubt, but you can’t buck hypothermia. The earth pony made her way back into the cave, trying to find the warmest spot where she could still hear the wind.

Applejack heard a soft grumble from somewhere nearby. She immediately halted and looked about for the source, more than a tad nervous. Ahead of her, Applejack caught a glimpse a shadowy figure, clearly stirring. Cautiously, the earth pony crept towards the alcove she had not noticed on her way to the exit. She poked her head around the wall. The figure was clearly that of a pony, which made Applejack hopeful, perhaps this one would know where they were and why they were there. As her eyes better adjusted to the darker recess she was peering into, she was able to note that the pony’s coat and mane color: White and purple. Suspicion grew and hope sank in Applejack. Yet, before she was able to give voice to either of those, the white pony’s head turned and pair of blue eyes was soon to catch Applejack’s head, whose hat would make her shadowed head appear far from pony-like. The waking pony literally jumped and gave a shriek that confirmed Applejack’s suspicion. “Horseapples.” Was the first thought to cross the mare’s mind.

“Whoa, Rarity, calm down. It’s me, Applejack.” The farmpony tried to sound as calm as her agitation would allow her. Of all the ponies in Equestria to be stuck in a cave with it had to be it had to be the prissy princess who always found a way to annoy her.

“It’s not like I hate her or nothin’.” Applejack thought, trying to wipe the nasty mental comment about Rarity from her mind. “But she doesn’t got to be so persnickety all the time. And bein’ lost in Celestia-knows-where with her? She can’t handle gettin’ a bit of dirt in her mane, how’s she gonna handle this?”

“Wha- Applejack? Oh thank goodness.” The white unicorn visibly relaxed, which was clear by the way she had stopped pushing her body against the wall of the cave as if she were trying to move it. She looked around, as if she had just realized that she was in a cave. “Um, Applejack,” Rarity whispered with what seemed to be a combination of shock and horror, “Where are we?”

“I... I don’t know.” Applejack said with a sigh.

“You don’t know?” Rarity asked, though with how softly she was speaking Applejack would’ve thought she was talking with an accented Fluttershy had she not been looking right at the unicorn when she spoke.

“I- no. No I don’t know.” Was the only response Applejack could come up with. “I take it you don’t either?”

“Well, no.” Rarity responded, looking steadily at the ground. “But Applejack,” the unicorn began, looking back to the other mare, “how did we get here? I can’t seem to remember anything from the past few days.”

“I don’t know, Rare. I don’t remember much either.” Applejack said, her voice laced with sincere concern. Rarity sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down into tears, and was worrying the earth pony.

Rarity did indeed break down, though not quite in the manner Applejack had expected. “Then we’re lost!” She cried aloud, her voice echoed by the cave. “We’re in some cave and have no idea where we are or how we got here!” Tears brimmed along the unicorn’s eyes as she spoke.

“I noticed.” Applejack said flatly, all traces of her initial worry dashed with Rarity’s first overly-dramatic word. Rarity seemed not to notice.

“We don’t know where Ponyville is, we don’t even know where Canterlot is from here!” Rarity wailed.
“Hence bein’ ‘lost’.” The orange mare commented, still unheard by the unicorn.

“We could be on the other side of Equestria and we wouldn’t know a thing about it!” The white mare continued.
“Or we could be right outside Ponyville.” Applejack wasn’t sure why she continued to talk, Rarity clearly wasn’t listening.
“We must find out where we are, we must!” The hysteric mare cried before dashing towards the cave’s exit. Or at least she would’ve had a strong orange foreleg barred her path.

“Rare, there’s a snowstorm outside. We ain’t goin’ anywhere ‘till it blows over.” Applejack noticed that the unicorn didn’t put up much resistance, the sudden contact and raising of Applejack’s voice seeming to snap her out of her episode.
“A snowstorm? But Applejack, it’s late summer.”

“Yeah, I know. I think we’re on a mountain or somethin’.”

“Or maybe,” Rarity’s eyes began to widen as she spoke, “maybe we were unconscious and now it’s winter. Now we can’t remember what happened to us because-“ Applejack’s hoof cut off the unicorn before she could begin on another tirade.

“Rarity, you gotta calm down, you’re startin’ to sound like Pinkie. It don’t matter where we are or how we got here, fact is we’re stuck here for now, and no amount of whinin’ is gonna make that change. We just need to wait out the storm and go from there.” Applejack tried to control her nerve as she spoke, which should’ve been easy because the farmpony considered herself down to her last.

Rarity scoffed. “You think I’m whining? I’m not whining, I’m worried for my-our lives here.” The unicorn stressed. “We could be in very serious danger here and you’re telling me to calm down? There are plenty of times to be calm but let me tell you this is not one. In fact, this is the perfect time to not be calm!”

“You don’t think I’m worried too? Yeah, I know we’re lost. Yeah, I know we could be in danger. But you know what? There ain’t nothin’ we can do ‘bout it right now. The only thing we can do is keep cool ‘till we can go outside and assess the situation.” Applejack let her words hang in the air for a few moments, before flatly adding “No pun intended.”

Rarity lightly smiled, acknowledging the unintentional and horrid joke. “Oh, you’re right, Applejack. I’ve been overacting. It’s was unladylike of me and I am truly sorry.”

“Nah, you were just scared, so am I. And I may have snapped at you, so I’m sorry too.” Applejack told her friend, relieved that the ordeal seemed to be coming to a close. Really, it wasn’t that much different from most of their other arguments as of late. Sure, the two got into disputes now and again about one thing or another, but at the end of the day they were still friends who made up quickly. Applejack couldn’t rightly say what it was the kept the two as friends, they were so different that it seemed like they would never even talk to each other. And for the longest time, they didn’t. The two mares had lived in the same town for years but never bothered saying more than two words to one another until Twilight Sparkle showed up and united them along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony as friends. Maybe that was it. Maybe the mutual friends between the two was what kept them together.

“Applejack, how long do you think it will be until the storm passes?” Rarity asked.

The orange mare sighed. “I don’t know, Rare.”

Rarity echoed the earth pony’s sigh and sat down against the stone wall of the cave, falling silent.

Chapter 2: Almost a League Above the Sea

The wind could be heard howling and shrieking outside the cave, reminding the two mares sitting idly and silent near the back of the cave of their imprisonment. Considerable time had passed since the two had discovered their predicament, though neither could tell how long they had been sitting. In fact, it seemed to the two that no time had passed at all. The wind still wailed outside, their only exit still a solid wall of white that taunted them with potential of warmth and escape though both mares knew better, and their only protection from the outside world was still dark and confining. Yet there was nothing to fill the void of waiting. The only thing that spoke was wind, any conversation between the two in the cave nothing more than a simple ‘Do you think the snow has passed yet?’ or ‘How much longer?’ the only purpose of which was to let the ponies hear a voice for a brief moment. Sleep, despite the still-aching muscles of the two, was an impossible feat, a mix of cold and worry keeping them pinned in the waking world. A sudden stray gust of frigid air swept through the cave, as it was specifically chosen by some unknown force to accent the hopelessness of the situation.

“So cold.” Rarity managed to murmur the words from her chattering teeth and shivering body. The only times she had been in temperatures anywhere near what she was in now the dressmaker had been wrapped in several layers of thick jackets and sweaters, and it’s not as if her dainty physique was in any way helping her tolerance of the chilled air.

“Yeah, I know.” Applejack sincerely said to the freezing white unicorn. The farmpony had curled herself into a tight ball, her back towards the cave’s exit in an attempt to keep herself warm. Rarity had mimicked this, but it clearly did little to help her. “Just try not to think about it.” She told her friend, moving herself so that the bodies of the two mares touched. Rarity flinched when she felt the orange pony’s side against hers, but graciously accepted the warmth that it had brought. She pushed herself closer to the earth pony. Applejack felt the unicorn’s soft coat, as well as the shaking muscle and bone beneath it. It was nearly as cold as the floor beneath her which had not yet been warmed by her body. Rarity continued to shake violently, her eyes shut so firmly that tears formed around the edges, her head on the ground, allowing her long styled mane to drag along cave floor. She looked absolutely tiny to Applejack, and she did genuinely feel bad for her friend. She draped a hoof along her shoulders in an attempt to put the unicorn at ease. The two were closer than they would ever allow themselves to be under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were anything but normal. “It’s not cuddlin’, it’s survival!” Applejack’s mind yelled at her.

“How did we get here?” Rarity whispered after a time, her shivering had become less of a problem though she still kept her eyes closed and her head on the ground.

“You still on that?” Applejack questioned. “Look, it don’t matter how-“

“There has to be a reason.” Rarity continued, not seeming to hear Applejack or notice that she had cut her friend off.

“Rare, it-“

“Something happened, something important, something different. I just can’t remember what.” At this point, Rarity was more so thinking aloud to herself rather than actually talking.

“But we-“

“Come on, think! What were we-“

“Rarity!” Applejack raised her voice, taking her turn to cut off the unicorn. “How we got her don’t matter, we’re here now, and we gotta be thinkin’ of how we’re gonna get back home.” She said, her voice becoming level again, the last thing she wanted was for another outburst.

Suddenly, Rarity’s eyes shot open and widened, she didn’t seem to react much to the orange mare’s snap at her. “Home…” She murmured, then trailing off. “Home…” The white mare repeated. There was a long pause as Rarity thought. “Applejack, we weren’t home, were we?” She suddenly asked.

“What? Of course we were… wait.” Applejack trailed off in a fashion similar to Rarity. “No, no we left for something.” Applejack’s volume and pace of speaking increased as memory came flooding back to her.

“Yes!” Rarity suddenly said loudly. “Quite hurriedly, as I recall. I had to literally throw my things into my bags.”

“Yeah, Twi seemed right excited ‘bout it, told us we only had a few hours to get ready.” Applejack recalled the frantic purple unicorn bursting into through her front door while the family was still eating breakfast, practically yelling at her to get pack her things as soon as possible. She smiled. “I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen her so off her rocker.” Suddenly, Applejack’s face darkened. “Well, y’know, ‘cept that one time. But this was different.” She quickly added, trying to get the incident involving a particular doll and unicorn that the entire town had kept an unspoken agreement to never speak of again out of her mind.

“She was quite… enthusiastic.” Rarity remarked, having less-than-fond memories return to her of a positively ragged Twilight Sparkle teleport into the bedroom of a still-sleeping dressmaker just to tell her to have all of her things together in the shortest amount of time possible. Of course, she had failed to mention how long the trip would be and what type of clothes she would need, even telling Rarity where they were going seemed to slip Twilight’s mind before she teleported to Celestia-knows-where. “I had to do all that packing.” Rarity thought aloud, remembering how she had attempted to throw together a week’s worth of outfits that would be suitable for any occasion in a rush.

“You sure did.” Applejack snickered. “Didn’t you have to send half of it back ‘cause it wouldn’t fit in the carriage?”

“Yes, and I had to sort through all of my things again and try to figure out what to bring and what to leave.” Rarity huffed. “We had to take a train to a carriage to a boat, it was a disaster.”

“We had to do all that travellin’ just to get on a boat that was goin’ in a circle!” Applejack laughed.

“Well, yes. That is what you do on a…” Rarity’s eyes abruptly widened as she cut herself off, her mouth hung open. “On a… on a…” She stammered.

Applejack gave a confused look at Rarity. Throughout the conversation, she had stopped shivering entirely and now held her head off the ground, her now-dusty mane that was slightly ruffled due to being draped on the ground now hung in its proper place. Though the two were still close together, Applejack had long since removed her hoof from her friend and the two had distanced themselves, though neither of the two recall actively doing so.

“You okay, Rare?” AJ asked the seemingly awe-struck unicorn.

“Gold Sun.” Rarity whispered as if she were having an epiphany.

“Pardon?” Applejack questioned, Rarity’s two words doing nothing to clear her confusion.

“Gold Sun.” Rarity said with more emphasis, as if the words should mean anything to Applejack, which they did not. “As in the Gold Sun Royal Cruise.” Rarity explained, though the title seemed to only faintly resonate with Applejack, if at all. “As in the triennial cruise that Princess Celestia has been hosting for years, the one she personally attends to for a whole week with little over one hundred other ponies, making it one of the most exclusive events on the planet. The one where only the most elite ponies from all over the world show up, known to pay through the roof to get on. The first one ever to have Princess Luna in attendance. The one the princesses had invited all of us to.” Rarity explained quickly, clear admiration in her voice. She had to take a breath by the time her spiel was completed, giving Applejack a chance to respond.

“Oh yeah, that. I remember now. Guess that explains why Twi was so worked up ‘bout it.” The earth pony said matter-of-factly. “Not sure what the big fuss is over that cruise, though. Sure the princesses are there and all, but the whole thing just seemed a little, y’know…” Applejack paused, trying to think of the right word to use. “Borin’.” She eventually decided on, looking down to the ground to avoid Rarity’s glare that was far colder than the snow outside. That pony could be downright scary sometimes.

“Well it’s true.” Applejack said to the floor, feeling the unicorn’s eyes bore into her skull. “It was just a bunch of fancy-dressed ponies sittin’ around all day eatin’ expensive food and listenin’ to fancy music. I guess it’s just not my type of thing.”

“Applejack, you are absolutely hopeless.” Rarity sighed. “Besides, the ship made several stops in some of the most beautiful places along the east coast, surely you can appreciate that.”

“I don’t remember that boat makin’ any stops.” Applejack said plainly.

“What? But that’s impossible; there were at least four scheduled stops.” Rarity’s brow furrowed as she frowned.

“Oh yeah? What did you do at them then?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well I- at the first one, no. And then-“ Rarity fumbled over her words, lost in confusion.

“Exactly.” Applejack cut in.

Worry returned to Rarity’s face. “I know we got on that ship; I remember it clearly.” The unicorn said, squinting as she tried to remember the trip to even the tiniest detail. “And I know for a fact that the ship was supposed to make stops.”

“Rare, seriously, let it go.” Applejack told the white pony, who looked almost pained with thought. The farmpony knew that her words wouldn’t get through to her friend, though not trying to ease her distress seemed wrong to Applejack. It seemed clear as day (Though that might not be the most appropriate simile given the current situation.) that the ship made no stops while the two were on it, but the earth pony couldn’t stop her mind from wandering, trying for herself to piece together exactly what happened on the cruise.

“It’s,” Rarity muttered, clearly thinking out loud. “It’s as if we only took half the cruise.”

The words made something go click in Applejack’s mind. A new wave of memory rushed through the mare’s head as if a great valve had opened. She tried to speak, tried to in some way communicate the sudden surge of memory that was so vivid that the earth pony seemed to experience the recalled events once again, but only stifled noises could escape her lips.

“Darling, are you quite alright?” Rarity questioned a trace of concern evident in her voice. “Did I say-“ The unicorn began, but cut herself off with a gasp. The mares stood perfectly still as they simultaneously relived their time on the Gold Sun Cruise.

Cloudless, bright blue skies complemented the blue seas the Unity sailed upon. The sun was bright and warm, though not unpleasantly so, and its rays were somewhat reflected by a well-polished deck. The very bringer of the great ball of light stood near the center of the deck in all her radiance, flanked by her dark blue sister, a set of gold and black armor-clad guards positioned like statues behind the two. The princesses were surrounded by dozens of ponies as well as the occasional griffon, all of whom reeked with high society and fame. The alicorn sisters spoke with a privileged few, though it was clear the patrons were far more interested in talking to the bringer of the sun than that of the moon; and Luna, despite her sister’s urging, did little to change the fact. The rest of the group either seemed content to be within the presence of royalty or were trying to find a way among those speaking; among these a lavender unicorn trying to worm her way through the tightly-knit crowd.

Towards the bow and a set of stairs from the princesses yet still on the upper deck of the ship was another, albeit smaller, crowd stood, chatting among themselves and looking over a railing at the sea. This crowd was not without its celebrities, however, as a congregation was well-situated around a small group of pegasai wearing their trademark blue uniforms. A cyan pegasus who left a rainbow trail in her wake as she zipped about the group, trying to pull aside as many blue-clad ponies aside for as long as she could. Another pegasus, this one yellow in color, stood away from any group, peering over the railing and staring intently at the ocean as to avoid eye-contact with anything else.

Opposite the yellow pegasus, two ponies, a white unicorn and an orange earth pony, watched the crowd with their backs to the railing that divided them from the water. “I told you, Rare; I ain’t goin’ to no spa.” The earth pony said.

“Applejack, don’t be that way.” The unicorn responded. “Were on one of the best cruise ships in the world and you’re not going to try out the spa?”

“Don’t plan on it.” Applejack said plainly.

“But it’s so relaxing, you couldn’t even imagine. You have no idea what you’re missing.” Rarity was trying to sound as persuasive as she could.

“It’s plenty relaxin’ up here.” Applejack responded, clearly not impressed.

Rarity scoffed. “As if you would know anything about relaxation. Tell me, when was the last time you took a vacation?”

“I take vacations!” The orange mare said in her defense. “I went to that Young Fliers Competition last year, and the Gala, and I went to Shining Armor’s wedding.”

“Firstly, the Gala doesn’t count because all you did there was sell apples.”

“I wish.” Applejack cut in on Rarity.

The unicorn sighed before continuing. “Second, the wedding doesn’t count either, you were baking for it. And you only went to the Young Fliers Competition to cheer on Rainbow Dash.”

“Still counts.” Applejack added.

“My point is, do you ever take any real vacations? Ones that are just for you, and just to relax, no work whatsoever.”

“Of course I do.” The earth pony said indignantly.

“Oh really? Name one.”

Applejack’s only response was a few stammering sounds, her eyes began shifting away from the white unicorn.

“Precisely.” Rarity declared, positioning herself behind her orange friend. “Which is why… You’re going… to the spa… with me.” She said between huffs of trying to nudge the indomitable earth pony into movement.

“No. Way.” Applejack proclaimed as she dug her hooves into the ship’s deck.

“Why not?” Rarity asked, her voice straining as she attempted once more galvanize the country mare.

“Because I ain’t no prissy pony that goes to the spa all day.” Applejack growled as she shoved Rarity off of her, which sent the unicorn stumbling.

Rarity gave an aggravated ‘hmph’. “This has nothing to do with being prissy, which it’s not. We’re talking about some of the best masseuses in Equestria, maybe the whole world. Most ponies can only dream of using their services and you don’t have to pay a single bit to get them. You’ve been nothing but uncomfortable since we got on this boat yesterday and here I am, giving you the opportunity of a lifetime, and you’re being stubborn as a mule!”

“Why don’t you just take Fluttershy? You two are always goin’ to the spa together.” Applejack said, whirling around to face Rarity.

“I scheduled for treatment for three!” Rarity declared, pouting.

Applejack sighed. “Fine, I’ll think about it.” She said, more for the sake of ending the discussion than actually being convinced.

“There’s no time to think about it.” Rarity stressed. “If we’re going to go, now’s the only time, while everypony else is too distracted with trying to talk to Princess Celestia or the Wonderbolts or whoever. The spa is completely booked at any other time.”

Before Applejack had a chance to respond the ground underfoot suddenly became shaky. Ever so slightly, the entire ship began to rock, but only for a few moments before settling out. A universal murmur swept throughout the boat, concerned glances and nervous laughs erupted between some.

“What was that?” Applejack asked, on edge due to the sudden rocking.

“It was probably nothing.” A less-than-confident Rarity assured her friend. “Don’t try to work your way out of this, Applejack. Are you coming with me or not?”

The ship shook once again, though this time it was more violent. Upright tables shook and a few passengers lost their balance. A few glasses filled with brightly-colored drinks fell from the shaken tables and shattered against the deck, causing a loud yet quickly cut-off scream from the yellow pegasus near the boat’s railing.

“I don’t like this.” Applejack said aloud, not bothering to hide her tensed muscles or nervousness in her voice.

Before anything further can be said the Unity trembled with the magnitude of an earthquake. All but the sturdiest of passengers were knocked flat, tables and chairs that still remained standing all fell accompanied with shattering glass and the combined screams of the ship. The fallen furniture rolled starboard as the boat tilted dangerously, most ramming into unlucky passengers clambering to a stand. Any guards that had managed to rise to their hooves rushed to the edge of the ship and looked into the ocean. Unicorn horns flared while the armored pegasai leapt into the air and searched the area around the boat. The ship settled, and all aboard stood in eerie silence, the entire world seemed to agonizingly slow.

Screams of terror erupted once more as a dark blue tentacle shot out from the sea and slammed down against the top deck of the ship, causing it to tilt. The sound of splintering wood and the groan of metal filled the air as a huge chunk of the boat fell away into the sea with the tentacle. The screams of the passengers were drowned out by shouts of battle as the unicorn guards unleashed blasts of arcane energy on the tentacle before it disappeared into the sea.

Suddenly, the boat was rammed again and a sound akin to that of an explosion was produced as another part of the ship was destroyed. The boat’s starboard end began to dip again and the ship would’ve capsized had not a yellow energy envelop the ship and rooted it in its normally-impossible position. A deafening roar drowned out all sounds and all on the ship instantly froze. Port side a huge creature rose from the ocean. Droplets of water fell from the thing’s serpentine form and glistened in the sunlight against its navy-scaled hide. The monster’s head had the semblance of a snake, with vertical pupils in its eyes that seemed small for the creature’s size, and two wicked fangs that were far bigger than anyone onboard the ship that jutted out from its huge maw that would easily fit a fishing boat. The creature’s head was topped with a mat of fleshy tendrils that were all pointed backwards. Along either side of the serpent’s head were fins that looked more like bat wings, with a leathery membrane between the long spines that extended from its head. More tentacles shot up from the water but where exactly they connected to the rest of the creature’s body was unknown. The serpent roared again as it was pelted with a barrage of magical blasts and swung its head and tentacles at the few brave pegasai who were zipping around it doing what little damage they could. A particularly powerful blast of dark blue energy that was even darker than the creature itself cut of its roar, and the serpent slunk its head back into the ocean.

Many of the passengers began to cheer at the creature’s apparent defeat, but the guards continued to scan the waters. The yellow energy still enveloped the ship and was working to slowly right the tilt. This was halted as the serpent’s tail, which was tipped in a fan-like structure that looked somewhat similar to the fins along its head, crashed into the starboard side of the ship, tearing almost a quarter ways through the boat and tilting the ship more severely than it had begun. As the tail and the yellow magic wrestled for control of the ship, the serpent’s head repeatedly slammed into the boat on the side opposite its tail, tearing apart the bottom part of the boat and slowly lowering the starboard side of the boat towards the water. Passengers were already desperately trying to keep themselves from falling into the ocean and the unicorn guards were too preoccupied with trying to keep their footing to attack with their full intensity. The ship itself began to creak and groan as if it were about to split in half.

The only thing that snapped Applejack from her fear-stricken trance was a familiar scream that had managed to differentiate itself from the others. The earth pony’s head snapped to her side, only to find that the unicorn she was expecting was nowhere to be seen. She looked around her but saw nothing of her friend. Almost instinctually she turned to the railing and backed up a few paces, being careful to keep her balance. Without a second thought Applejack galloped towards the railing and shoved against the ground with her powerful legs, lifting her into the air. The railing was rather small, compared to other things the orange mare had jumped before, that combined with the orientation of the rail made it no challenge for Applejack to clear.

Several things happened in rapid succession. The first was a call of “Applejack, wait!” from Rainbow Dash, who had seen the mare as she was getting ready to leap, but spoke moments too late. The pony in question may have heard her friend’s shout, had she not been so focused on saving a pony. Even if she had heard it, gravity was in the way of allowing her to do as the cyan pegasus told her. The second was a layer of dark blue energy which hummed loudly coating the yellow one around the ship. The third was the two overboard mares, Applejack and Rarity, being enveloped in a purple energy, which similarly hummed, though not as loudly.

Within the span of a few milliseconds, Applejack and Rarity felt the sensation of being crushed. It was as if their bodies were being shrunk until their very essence would be no more. Yet, at the same time, it felt as if their muscles were being strained and extended. Intense warmth finished the cocktail of strange feelings. The world suddenly went bright, and then pitch dark in an instant, all feeling squashed.

Both Rarity and Applejack shook themselves out of their respectful trances. The only memory they had past that experience was waking up in the cave. They remained silent and still for a while, neither one sure how to react. Applejack was the first to break the silence.

“So, uh, now we know what happened.”

“Yes, we do.” Rarity responded slowly.

Another silence passed over the two. It was only then that Applejack realized that it wasn’t supposed to be silent. Wordlessly, the orange mare rose to her hooves, and walked to the cave’s mouth. Sure enough, there was no falling snow outside. Simply a rocky plateau covered in snow which went out from the cave for a little before it gave way at a cliff to a thick pine forest. From her position, Applejack could see no signs of anything but wilderness.

“It looks like the snow stopped.” The earth pony called back to the unicorn. “We should probably be headin’ out now.”