Reconnection

Applejack

She was floating. She was panicked.

It was loud, and bright. Her eyes were open, but they couldn't see anything but light. And then, a loud drawn out shout of "No!" filled her ears. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she felt herself move gently by an unseen force. She tried to fight it, but it wouldn't stop.

She could see the light get brighter, even through her closed eyes. Her pulse quickened.

Her head hurt. A loud rumbling, and suddenly Applerush felt herself laying on a hard, cold, stone floor. She heard other voices grumbling around her before she opened her eyes.

She opened her eyes, and was shocked at what she saw.

"Ugh, my head..," said the very much alive Rainbow Dash. Alive. Rainbow Dash was alive and laying right in front of her. Applerush looked around slowly, confused and more than a little afraid.

Her friends were all around her. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, and -

"Oh, thank goodness!" said Rarity. She was standing next to Fluttershy, looking at her own tail.

Applerush watched numbly as Fluttershy said the same thing she said all those years ago, when together they defeated Nightmare Moon.

Applerush was too dazed and confused to stand up, let alone look down at her necklace which she knew looked just like her cutie mark. When Pinkie Pie bounced over to her squealing, "Look at mine, look at mine!" Applerush could only mumble incoherently as she tried to ask what was going on.

"Applejack, what's wrong?" said Pinkie Pie when she noticed Applerush not looking at her. Again, Applerush failed to speak.
"What's wrong?" said Rainbow Dash suddenly. "Did she hurt herself?"

"Applejack, did you hit your head?" said Twilight Sparkle as she walked towards her.

Applerush swallowed hard. "No...everything's fine."

"Indeed it is," came the familiar voice of Princess Celestia.

She was still on the floor, and so couldn't bow any lower when Twilight ran in for a hug. Slowly picking herself up, she watched in silence as the well remembered scene unfolded.

She'd had enough. Quickly, and without a word, Applerush bolted for the exit. Ignoring the calls of her old name, she continued to run, all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres, never stopping, no matter how winded she was. Only one thought was going through her mind as she ran. Where was her foal?

When she arrived, she ignored her family's confused looks as she ran straight back to where things last made sense. The place she was foaling, where Twilight was helping her have her child.

In the back of her mind, she knew what was to greet her. But she still wasn't ready for it. The area was empty. Nopony was there. Somehow, despite the impossibility, the disbelief, Applerush was just Applejack again. No Peanut. No foal. Half of her life had disappeared completely. It was like it never happened. Applerush - no, Applejack, began to cry.

It was a while before anypony found her. Her brother walked up next to her, all young like he was before.

"Uh, A.J.?" he said. "What's the matter?"

She couldn't say. How could she? Who would believe someone who said that they had lived all this already? It didn't make sense. What could possibly make such an impossible thing happen? A horrible thought forced itself into Applejack's mind, so fast Applejack almost felt somebody else had put it there. She had died.

She let her big brother lead her back to her room as she cried silently. Nopony spoke to her as she walked. They probably didn't know what to say. She gave a small "thanks," to her brother as she entered her room, but then quickly closed the door so he couldn't follow. She wanted to be alone.

Her family didn't bother her much. Every hour or so somepony would knock and she'd make a noise to assure them she was still there, alive and everything. Later, her brother opened the door carrying a cup of warm milk with cinnamon and a baked apple slice floating in it. He set it down next to her. She wasn't crying anymore, but she still didn't feel like talking.
Big Mac sat himself next to her. As she wondered to herself if she wanted him there or not, he spoke.

"Pinkie Pie stopped by. Said there was a party happening in honour of Princess Luna's return. Don't rightly know who that is, but I guess that's what the party's for. I was gonna go, but I think you need me more than some dumb ol' party."
He nuzzled himself against her for a moment. Applejack felt fresh tears begin to form as he settled down next to her.
Quietly, she spoke.

"I've got something to tell you."

Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie screamed. Almost instantly, she stopped. It was night. Sugarcube Corner was nowhere in sight. She looked around, fear subsiding.

She was in her room. Her old room, from long ago, when she was just a young mare. A thought occurred to her, shockingly quick. She had died. Twilight hadn't been lying! But...she wasn't dead. Pinkie could feel her heart beat, quick but steady. She could hear the insects chirp outside.

Rolling out of bed, she turned on her light and took a look at herself in the mirror.

She was young. Not an itty bitty thing, but young anyway. She smiled at herself, putting a hoof to her completely pink mane. It'd been a long time since she looked this good.

Pinkie then frowned. She had died, but was alive again. Not just alive, but was alive in a young body. What about her children?

She shook her head and walked out of her room. It was all here, everything as she remembered it, and more. It had been a long time, and she now knew she didn't have any foals anymore. It was hard, but Pinkie managed to fight back her tears.

She loved her little foals so so much, but if she really had somehow gone back in time, there were more important things to do than cry for herself. She could cry later. And she would. But now, she had friends to help. And a big, mean, terrible pony to stop.

She bolted out of her house before remembering it was still the middle of the night. And didn't know what day it was. Or what year. It could be too late to help everypony! Or too early. With a sigh, she walked back in the house. She could get some more answers in the morning. In the meantime, maybe she'd help herself to some crying after all.

Rainbow Dash

She was falling. She would have just let herself fall, if she didn't notice it was a bright and sunny day all of a sudden. There was no rushing wind around her, no sounds of thunder roiling, and the horrible sickening spinning had stopped. She wasn't out of control anymore.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings hard, still panicked, trying to get back into control. Pure instinct put her right again, and she found herself flying , fully in control of herself. She wasn't going to die!

"Hey Rainbow Dash!" a voice called. Rainbow Dash looked down to see Pinkie Pie running along with her. Confused, and unsure of what else to do, Rainbow Dash landed.

"Um...what's up Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash tried to act natural. Whatever had happened, it sure was confusing. But she wasn't dead, so it was okay.

"Oh it's so good to see you again Rainbow!" said Pinkie Pie as she flinged herself forwards. Rainbow Dash nuzzled back, confused, but happy.

When Pinkie pulled away there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling brightly.

"It's been a really really long time since I've seen you! How are you, is everything okay? Oh silly me, of course it is! Nothing's happened to you yet!"

Rainbow Dash was taken aback.

"What are you talking about, Pinks? We saw each other just the other day! And what do you mean nothing's happened to me yet? Is somebody planning a prank on me?"

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't remember? I was hoping you would!"

"Remember what?" said Rainbow Dash. "The last thing I remember was - " She stopped. The last thing she remembered was spinning uncontrollably, falling to her death in a terrible storm, hoping her friend Twilight Sparkle was alright. But now she was perfectly fine, standing in front of Pinkie Pie having a totally normal-for-Pinkie-Pie conversation. Suddenly, she had a thought.

"What am I...supposed to remember?"

Pinkie's ears flattened for a moment as she said, "Never mind Rainbow Dash. I just thought - well, never mind. It was good to see you again, but I've got to check up on Appleru- I mean, Applejack now!"

Rainbow Dash watched in confusion as Pinkie Pie turned around and bounced her way towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Shrugging, Rainbow Dash took to the skies again. She was tired, and wanted to find a nice soft cloud and just take a nap. Whatever had happened was over now. She was alive and everything was okay.

As she settled herself high in the sky and closed her eyes, Rainbow Dash had the strangest feeling that everything wasn't okay. It felt like she was forgetting something extremely important, something just at the edge of memory.

She yawned. Whatever it was, maybe it'd come back to her after a nap. She really was very tired.