Resparked

Many hours before the sun went down, Rainbow Dash and Applejack galloped along the path described by the mysterious stallion. Along the way, there were many forks in the road. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure which direction the stallion had meant. She almost believed that he was just a figment of her imagination.

They hurried along until late afternoon. The mosquitoes flew low and the air was thick with the smell of an approaching thunderstorm. Every now and then, a low rumble could be heard behind the gray clouds that lay melancholy over the rocky landscape.

Rainbow Dash looked straight ahead. She couldn't even see exactly where she was going. Applejack galloped behind her and called her again and again, to no avail. Rainbow Dash could not be quietened. She disappeared behind the rocks. Applejack was able to catch up with her there later. Rainbow Dash lay snorting on the uneven ground. All her limbs were twitching as if she was trying to fight back her weakness.

Applejack rushed to her and gave her a bottle of water. When Rainbow Dash felt the cool water on her lips, she reached for the bottle and would almost have drunk it all if Applejack hadn't taken the bottle away from her in time. To make matters worse, Rainbow spilled most of it.

“Pull yerself together, Dash! We ain't got much left!” Applejack scolded.

“We have to find the others!” gasped Rainbow, writhing on the ground.

“And how in tarnation we gonna do that? It’s gonna be dark soon, and we don’t even know where they are!”

Rainbow grabbed Applejack by the neck and shook her in panic. “They are in danger! We have to hurry! We have to...”

Applejack looked at her reproachfully. “How would you know that?”

Rainbow Dash began to stammer. She put her hooves together, intimidated. “The... the black stallion told me! He meant...”

“Oh, snap out of it,” Applejack shouted. Rainbow Dash fell silent, surprised by her reaction.

“I saw ya talkin’ to yerself, plain as day! Ya ain't in yer right mind anymore, even if it pains me to say it!” Applejack’s voice softened, but her worry stayed. “I just wanna help ya, but ya gotta help yerself too! Please, stop spoutin’ nonsense!”

Applejack looked towards the sun. Then she suddenly realized that they had lost their way. A real disaster! You could only sigh at that. She wondered how they could get out of this mess. The longer they stayed here, the more difficult it became to keep Rainbow under control. The earth pony looked at her again with a worried expression. Rainbow Dash chewed her hooves, then winced and stared around.

“We've been trottin' along for what feels like a half hour since we left that jungle,” Applejack thought. “How much longer can she hang on?”

Then she finally said to Rainbow Dash, “Come on now, RD! Get them hooves movin'!”

Rainbow reared up, growling like an animal in severe pain. Her posture seemed very unsteady and she buckled almost every other step.

“C’mon now! The others are waitin'!” Applejack said.

Rainbow shook her mane; the six colors of her hair strands were dark due to the dirt. She slowly followed the apple farmer, who had already trotted a long way ahead.

It turned out that the path wasn't getting any easier. Applejack and Rainbow Dash saw how dangerous the terrain ahead of them was. The area was a jumble of razor-sharp, jagged rocks. A veritable chaos, downright terrifying. Applejack knew it would be even harder with her unstable friend than it already was. “Celestia be with us!”

Rainbow Dash tripped behind her and looked down the slope. A cold wind whistled through the ravines. Applejack now tried to be the first to descend. As she did so, she offered Rainbow to hold onto her tail.

“Do we really have to go through there?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at the cliffs that had been created by the salt sea. The gray edges looked like huge dragon teeth.

“There ain't no turnin' back now, sugarcube! We’ve strayed too far off the path to leave!” replied Applejack.

Rainbow sighed and clung tighter to Applejack's tail. “Have I ever told you how much I like having you as a friend?” Rainbow Dash was almost too tired to speak, but Applejack had clearly understood her.

“I love you too, RD!”

Satisfied, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and let her friend guide her. Over the last few days, she had no other rock to cling to but her. The confused thoughts and recurring nightmares were getting stronger, as was the mental pain, and that was why she needed Applejack more than ever. When Rainbow opened her eyes again, blinded by the glare, they had already made it quite a way down the slope. A lot of gravel had come down at the bottom, the earth was sandy. The clacking sounds of their hooves echoed around every corner. Rainbow Dash stopped abruptly. Applejack noticed and turned around.

“Rainbow, what is it?”

The pegasus stared distraught at the slope. Something else could be heard besides the sound of hooves. Rainbow quickly looked around and heard the clattering everywhere, sometimes louder, sometimes quieter. Applejack feared the worst: not another seizure! She had had two the other day. Rainbow had become very sensitive to noise and recurring noises made her particularly susceptible. She kept having these anxiety attacks, often losing her balance, and occasionally slipping. In a place like this, that could be quite dangerous. Applejack did what she had done the last time she had an attack: she covered Rainbow Dash's ears.

“Shh shh shh! Everything will be fine, it's just the echo,” Applejack said. Her lost friend stared at her with a look of fear and illness. Before her eyes, the mountains grew larger and more menacing, the light around her became dark and dreary. Then she felt the ground tremble beneath her hooves.

Applejack also noticed this trembling; it became ominously stronger. The flat stones wobbled and slid inexorably down the slope. Then there was a terrible thud. The ponies looked up and saw dozens of rocks rolling towards them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and cried out at the same time. Now it really was time to go through.

“We're going to die! Damn it! We're going to die!” gasped Rainbow Dash.

“Not today!” gasped Applejack, who was running alongside her. The stones caught up with her like a pack of wild predators. The avalanche took more and more stones with it. Some smashed on sturdy rocks, which turned into small, dangerous projectiles. The ponies were lost in the chaos. Rainbow Dash screamed loudly for Applejack as she dodged the large rocks.

“I'm here! Come over here!” Applejack stood on a ledge, not far from Rainbow Dash. The pegasus mare leapt through the roaring stream, getting closer to the safe end. She stumbled over the smaller stones and dodged the larger ones. Then she leapt up onto the ledge with the last of her strength. Applejack grabbed her front hooves and pulled her towards him. Rainbow hung her head, exhausted. Thanks to Applejack, she had survived. The dizziness almost made her faint. She could only give her friend a tired smile. Applejack smiled back.

“Safe at last!” she thought. But unfortunately, she was wrong.

Out of nowhere, a football-sized stone shot towards Rainbow Dash. Applejack saw it and dashed between them. The stone hurled her off the safe rock with immense force. Everything happened incredibly fast. Rainbow Dash could see the earth pony rolling over and disappearing in the rocky turmoil. She still had enough strength to scream.

“APPLEJAAACK!!!”

“Applejack!” the echo replied twice after all hell had broken loose.

Applejack was dead, Rainbow Dash thought. No one could survive something like that, and yet she hoped she would rise from the rocks again. Anything else was not allowed. Not another unfair victim of fate. She slithered down the rest of the slope, whimpering and sobbing, after strapping on her pack. But nothing heavier than this situation could weigh on her back.

“Please don't! I don't want it to be true...” she begged through clenched teeth. She was getting closer and closer to the foot of the slope and the worry for Applejack was growing. She knew that feeling of not knowing whether a friend was dead or alive all too well. Behind her, the thunder of the evening storm rumbled as she ran across the gravel, calling out for Applejack again and again.

The earth pony was lying on its back, its mouth was full of dust and it was difficult for her to breathe. A thick cloud of dust had settled over her.

She was lying on the rock that had come down as an avalanche. At least she hadn't been buried, for which she thanked Celestia. The pony had reached the foot of the mountain, that much was certain.

Everything hurt, especially her right leg. She had lost her hat and her head was bleeding profusely. A laceration, it didn't have to be that bad because Applejack had seen worse, so she dared to lift her head to see why her leg hurt so much. With a red haze before her eyes, she realized that it was bent unnaturally. It was bleeding profusely from a large gash, and a splintered bone protruded from between the flesh and tendons at the hock. Applejack felt even more dizzy and wondered if this was real.

Minutes later, the panting Rainbow Dash rushed to her. Applejack lay motionless on the stones and stared up at the white sky. Rainbow Dash laid her head on Applejack's chest.

“I'm still alive!” Applejack said in a low voice, as if she regretted it.

“AJ! Oh, no! What happened to your leg!” Rainbow Dash grabbed his head. It looked like someone had hit Applejack's leg with a blunt axe.

“Ah know... Kicks McGee looks horrendous!”

“Help! You need help!!!” cried Rainbow, breathing heavily as she gnawed on her hooves and ran her hands over her face, shivering.

The drizzle fell on Applejack's. “No! It's over!”

Rainbow stared at her, puzzled. At last, she saw that endlessly tired look on her friend's face. The expression put a thick knot in her throat and threw her back to her severe trauma.

“Please don't look at me like that! Twilight did it when she died too!” cried Rainbow.

“She gave ya that look? Then I know just what she was feelin’,” Applejack said, looking up at her, who was rubbing her eyes sore.

“What? I don't understand!” she asked.

“Look, this here’s acceptance talkin’! I’m done. This can’t be fixed. Twilight must’ve seen it too and accepted it. Y’all go on without me. I’ll keep up as best I can” Applejack said and her eyes darkened.

“What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense!”

Applejack stared wearily at the sky. She knew it would take a long time and the pain wouldn't get any less. But she could wait, she took her time.

“Maybe Braeburn was right after all... Maybe you gotta be dead to get into this paradise,” Applejack said, her voice weak and resigned.

Rainbow Dash revealed her red face wet with tears and yelled at her. “AJ! I can't believe it! You... You’re lying!!!”

Applejack laughed, sounding almost fake. “Heh, Rainbow Dash... I was the one who kept sayin’ we'd make it through, that we'd get Twilight back and all come home safe. Guess I was just foolin’ myself, huh?

Rainbow Dash gritted his teeth in anger and shook his head. “Stop it! Stop saying things like that!”

She tore open the saddlebags in a rage and pulled out the almost empty pouch bottle to tear it apart with her mouth. She turned it into a poorly improvised bandage, which she wrapped around Applejack's leg. Then she looked at Applejack with eyes in which a new fire flared. “I'll take care of your broken honor, because you know I'll always stay with you and that's why they call me Loyalty!”

Rainbow Dash heaved Applejack onto her back with a strong jerk. Applejack winced in pain – an earth pony was heavier than a pegasus. Rainbow Dash trotted through the mountainous landscape towards the sun with the face of a warrior. Applejack thought it was all unnecessary, but Rainbow didn't want to hear any more. This time she wouldn't let go, no compromises! Rainbow sped up. Never again would she let a friend die!

She avoided the dangerous places and quickly recognized the safest route. She ran through natural tunnels and through narrow passes. Applejack bit her lips until they turned white. Her leg throbbed wildly in sync with Rainbow's running rhythm.

“Slow down... please slow down...” Applejack cried. Rainbow obeyed. In the corner of her eye, she could see that this bandage was no good. All the blood left a clear mark on the paths.

“Hang on!” she shouted as she hurried past the foot of the cliffs.

Then the rain began, turning the path slippery and sodden. Puddles formed, tinged with the blood of the earth pony on her back. Rainbow Dash heard the distant rumble of thunder; the storm was fading, but the rain made her struggle. Drops kept blinding her, and she nearly lost her footing several times. Thoughts of Twilight weighed heavily on her. Suddenly, a headache struck her, like an unexpected blow.

“No! Not now!” Rainbow gasped; her voice tinged with desperation. She shook her head, but fear clawed at her, dragging her towards the abyss. She fought against it with everything she had, determined to reach the top of the hill before surrendering. Her mind raced, and her eyes felt heavy, barely able to stay open.

Applejack was no longer speaking, presumably she had passed out from the pain. Rainbow made it up the hill by sheer force of will. Her body slowly began to go on strike and her muscles burned like crazy. The rain poured down on her colorful mane and covered her closed eyes. The noise in her head had become louder and a little later she knew what she had achieved and where the sound was coming from.

“The sea...” gasped Rainbow Dash with a frog in his throat. Applejack opened his eyes and saw the white spray rolling over the rocks. On the horizon, the sky had turned red from the evening. The last seagulls screeched in the air.

“Rainbow... You did it...,” said Applejack. Her friend didn't react, she looked like a soldier on the hill who had been hit by bullets and was about to topple over.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash leaned forward and ran down the hill. Applejack groaned in pain. Rainbow stumbled, zigzagged towards the water and then, after reaching the slippery wet sandy ground, she fell. Applejack slipped off her shoulders and fell beside her. Rainbow's eyes drowned in tears. She ate the sand out of sheer desperation. Water lashed against her face, choking her crying into a pitiful gurgle. Now she had made it this far and yet she felt like she had lost. She had always hated losing. She was wet and completely exhausted, but the relentless will to keep going, to keep fighting, was still there. Applejack, also completely wet, wrapped himself around her and Rainbow returned the hug. Eventually she sobbed less, and the more the day ended, the quieter she became. Then they both closed their eyes.

The sea embraced them both, pulling their bodies into its depths. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a gate of light appeared on the water’s surface. The water carried them swiftly towards it, and though the gate would soon close, the ponies were on the right path. The waves surged them forward, away from the shore and towards the horizon. Rainbow Dash, through her hazy vision, caught a glimpse of the black stallion she had seen earlier, but her mind was too numb to dwell on it. All that mattered now was the comforting stillness around them. They felt a profound sense of freedom.

The calm azure waters had washed something ashore. An orange earth pony lying alone on the beach. Its hair was sticky with sand and large palm leaves hung over it, providing shade.

A breeze gently woke Applejack from her slumber. She blinked briefly, but closed her eyes again because the light was too strong.

“Am I dead...?” This question answered itself when she felt her leg and her head. She was lying on the dry sand, which was as soft as flour. In her blurred vision, she saw palm leaves and the glittering light of the white sun.

“Where am I? This isn't paradise...”

Paradise was a place of peace, she felt nothing of the sort. She turned to the side and saw two caves that belonged to a skull of death. Applejack flinched and let out a scream of horror. This dead earth pony had probably been lying here for years, no doubt to find the rest it had long since found. In any case, it made Applejack wide awake. If her leg had had a mouth, it would have screamed at the top of its voice. The bone had slipped out a few centimeters and was pressing against the nerves. The hoof had already turned completely blue in several places. She looked up and took in the surroundings.

“Another darn jungle! Great!”

Then she looked again at the pony skeleton next to her. A snake was crawling through the nostrils of the skull. Applejack shook herself and slowly crawled away. She called out to her friend: “Rainbow?”

“Applejack?” someone called out. She turned around and saw a shadow behind the leaves. It wasn't Rainbow Dash.