Stubbornness of Pain

Chapter 4: The Uniting of Sorrow

Night was falling and most of Everfree Forest was left in shadows, the only light source that existed was the long timed passed sun that succeeded to brighten up some of the dark clouds.
But that wouldn’t last forever when the sun completely had disappeared far pass the horizon and only would be seen again the next day at morning on the other side of the land, if the clouds now allowed that. Stars and the moon would most likely neither be any help in lighten up the forest during the night thanks to the filthy sky having its dense filter of black smoke. But something else that maybe would provide with some light but at the same time wouldn't be too much appreciated was lightning, because that started to awaken in the same direction as Ponyville and would most likely follow with rain towards the whole forest. Twilight and Applejack at the foot of the small mountain and next to their little cave, sat down outside it and looked up towards the lightning in the distance.

They both were silent and only held their eyes stuck to the sky, they had been searching for Pinkie Pie over a large area around the mountain but not found a trace of her. But for the moment they were more concerned about Rainbow Dash and wondered for her safety.
“Twilight... where do you think Rainbow Dash is... shouldn't she have returned by now?”
Applejack asked while playing and tearing lightly up the ground in front of her with her hoofs and Twilight only sighed extremely slowly and said.
“I wish I knew.”
“You thing something have happen?”
Applejack added while turning her head towards Twilight and the answer she got wasn't the one she hoped for.
“I know something have happen... or otherwise she would have been her by now.”
In a bright flash everything lightened up around Twilight and Applejack by a lightning that wasn't that far away.

It didn't scare them however because the time between the light and the sound was so far apart that they could prepare themselves and expect the loud explosion in the distance. They watched were the sudden bright light came from and just waited out its following echo, the second after that, rain started to fall but only in a dripping amount.
“Let’s get inside the cave... there's nothing we can do than wait for Rainbow Dash... if she is on her way over her... she will find us.”
Twilight said downhearted and turned around towards the cave, Applejack decided to stayed a bit longer and just let Twilight fall back to the cave. But the moment Twilight did that, another lightning struck pass the sky far away from them, the only different now was that when the lightning threw its flare over the forest and made everything bright as day for a short half second, Rainbow Dash who stood right behind Twilight and Applejack scared them both almost to death.

Twilight pushed herself back in a short girlish scream and landed on her back, Applejack almost jumped out of her skin by Twilight's scream and turned in a twitch backward. Rainbow Dash just stood there while holding a stone face and didn't even flinch by the reactions she got from them, Twilight and Applejack however was far out on edge and didn't at first recognize Rainbow Dash in how that she looked like.
“D-Dash... is... is that you?!”
Twilight was still laying on the ground after a while asked frightened and unsure with another lightning brighten up the place. Rainbow Dash held her halberd in her mouth but dropped its bloody and heavy piece shortly to the ground in front of her two friends. It putted them even more out on edge when she did it so suddenly but the fact that Rainbow Dash continued to stay quiet without a single word and only stared at them empty made a cold wind pass down their spines. Blood was pouring down Rainbow Dash's shoulder from her right wing and other open wounds. The rest of her whole body was covered in dry blood from who knows how many other creatures, her mane was a mess and the same with her tail. The gaze that was upon Rainbow Dash's face was horrifying, she looked like a brainless, tired creature with her jaw shaking.

“D-Dash?”
Applejack just as scared as Twilight added carefully and went up closer to Twilight. Once more Rainbow Dash didn't express any kind of words, all her strength had been taken from her by just getting here and now when she was here, she could finally relax. She did so also by just simply passing out like a sinking rock to the ground with her eyes rolling back to her skull and her body in to birth position. Everything went black for Rainbow Dash but in her darkness she could swear on that she heard the sound of fire. It was like a never ending nightmare with flames of destruction in the background, tormenting her heavily. She could feel her heart burning in panic inside her body and she wanted it to stop, she tried to scream but couldn't, her whole body was stuck in a black void with her lungs and mouth filled with hideous mud. By pure fear Rainbow Dash broke loose from her nightmare and opened her eyes while checking her surrounding while breathing on top of her lungs.
The first thing she saw was fire immediately reflecting in her eyes, paralysing her right away.

But before Rainbow Dash's mind total went to madness, Twilight showed herself and appeared above the fire.
“Rainbow Dash!”
She shouted and got all Rainbow Dash's focus and continued after that with saying more calmly.
“You’re safe.”
Rainbow Dash right away started to throw her gaze all around her and discovered then that the fire in front of her just was a camp fire. Twilight had done as she said earlier and expanded their little cave significance and also adding with help from Applejack a rather large fire in it. Applejack was on Rainbow Dash right side, sitting next to the fire looking directly at her. She looked surprised but it was nothing compared to herself, Twilight went quickly around the fire up to Rainbow Dash and sat down next to her saying.
“Calm down... take a deep breath.”
Finally Rainbow Dash started to pull herself together and see the fact that she was indeed in safety.
She continued to not say anything but did pull of a relieved face while making a deep sigh towards the fire.

“What kind of trouble exactly did you pull yourself in to?”
Applejack asked caring without judging Rainbow Dash, Twilight immediately after Applejack's words reached a hoof to Rainbow Dash's neck and added lightly amazed while touching her Element of Harmony.
“And how in the name Celestia did you get this?”
Rainbow Dash looked down at her Element around her neck and also reached up a hoof to touch its small shaped red lightning. She then looked back up at Twilight and Applejack and really saw how they hungered for an answer. What was she going to say she wondered, the actually truth was that she didn't want to tell them anything she had been through. But at the same time as she looked down at her Element of Harmony she saw something else. Her whole body was clean from blood and her wounds had been taken care of with simply made bandage, most likely with help from Twilights magic.

“How... how did you wash me of?”
Rainbow Dash asked surprised in seeing her actually turquoise colour of hers, it felt like it was ages ago she did that.
“We took you to a lake not too far from her.”
Applejack answered and after that Twilight steeped in and added.
“We did that this morning... it's already closing in on sunset and... we have still not found a single trace of Pinkie Pie.”
Rainbow Dash felt how a tear forced itself to leave her eye and both Applejack and Twilight saw that, they followed her tear extremely surprised to run down to her chin and then fall off and disappear at the cave floor. Rainbow Dash struggled not to break out in more tears but she knew she had to tell them, they deserved that much.
“She... she's dead.”
Rainbow Dash simply said with grief while lowering her head, the mood in the cave suffered some substantial, Twilight and Applejack looked over at each other slowly but not to surprised, they had just kept the futile hopes for Pinkie Pie as Rainbow Dash had over Cloudsdale.
“How do know that?”
Applejack after a while in the silence asked, Rainbow Dash pulled in a quick sob and said.
“I... I just know.”

Another moment with nothing else than the fire to fill the empty air passed, Twilight must have made the largest sigh in her entire life and also got the most miserable face ever. Applejack went wobbly away from Twilight and Rainbow Dash and leaned towards the cave wall, she cried gently for herself but hid that from to be seen or heard. She then cleared her voice to cover up her cry and pretending it never happened and asked total wretched.
“What are we going to do now... how can we possibly do anything towards Queen Chrysalis when we barely can stay alive as it is?”
“We continue.”
Twilight simply said without hesitate, Rainbow Dash turned abruptly her head to her and added in a weak voice.
“Twilight?”
Applejack didn't turn around or move at all, only her ears got tensed up and sharp for the coming words from Twilight.
“We make our way to Ponyville tomorrow... and then... we see what happen.”
“Count me in.”
Rainbow Dash said a bit tired but still determined in her tone, Twilight looked over at her a bit shocked like she didn't expect at all Rainbow Dash to say what she did.

But how could Rainbow Dash not, she kept hearing her promise she yelled out across Everfree forest echoing in her head and setting her blood on fire.
“Applejack?”
Twilight then asked while looking at her together with Rainbow Dash.
“Don't be ridiculous!”
Applejack only said in a snort and quickly turned around, she looked at them a bit frustrated at first but calmed down and added.
“Like I wouldn't follow ye two to the end.”
A small but warming smile reached upon Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's faces and with that it was decided.
Nothing else to do than wait for the night to fully break out was left, the three of them crawled in together close to the fire but with a short distance between each other. The sun disappeared once more over the horizon, but regardless for Rainbow Dash that had been sleeping for most of the part, so was she still tired and couldn't wait to fall asleep. But even though it was night, she was tired, felt warm and safe so was it difficulty for her to feel relaxed.

She leered at Applejack discreet and felt her tongue tingling behind her teeth.
“Applejack?”
She awkwardly asked while looking in to the fire, Applejack turned her head and simply reply.
“Aye?”
Rainbow Dash stayed silence then for a while with her eyes still stuck to the fire and felt an incredible embarrassment embracing her.
Even Twilight looked more carefully and curious at Rainbow Dash across the flames by Rainbow Dash's acting.
Rainbow Dash herself even blushed when she accidentally caught up an eye contact with her through the fire and turned down her gaze even further. Rainbow Dash's eyes were now completely covered in shadows by her mane that fell over her forehead and she then swallowed and asked ashamed.
“Is it... is it okay if I can sleep next to you?”

Applejack pulled her eyebrows up in surprise by what Rainbow Dash just had asked for and also Twilight shaken her head tenderly by shock.
“I... I guess... if you want to.”
Applejack answered and the second after that, Rainbow Dash stood up with her head low so the shadow across her eyes still remained and then went over to Applejack.
Applejack thought that Rainbow Dash just was going to lay down next to her, but she didn’t expect her to do it so close as she did. Rainbow Dash literally pushed herself into Applejack and pulled in her legs like a little filly to its mother, she then adjusted her head and leaned it towards Applejack's shoulder with her mane like an airy pillow.

She tried not to look up at Applejack's face or over at Twilight because she knew they would have given her a strange face. They did also do that, both Applejack and Twilight was staring into each other’s eyes confused but shortly after that, Twilight also stood up and went over to her two friends. She did just like Rainbow Dash did but only differences was that Twilight did it to her, she crawled up next to Rainbow Dash and really squeezed Rainbow Dash between her and Applejack. Finally Rainbow Dash dared to look up and saw how both Twilight and Applejack smiled wide towards her. She blushed even more which of course amused Twilight and Applejack greatly, they were just not used to see Rainbow Dash like this, so soft and vulnerable so speak of. But even Rainbow Dash manage to get a little unsure smile on her face and after that, it didn't take long till all three of them was in a deep sleep.

The following morning was the first day in a long while with the sky almost completely clear from clouds and the sun actually warming the land with its beams. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had got up early and had the plans to not linger to long before moving. They left the little cave and were just about to parry their way through the forest and hoped to reach the outskirts of Ponyville to the evening. But just before they was about to leave, Rainbow Dash stayed behind with a bit confused face which of course Twilight and Applejack saw and Twilight asked.
“Rainbow Dash... what is it?”
“Where’s my halberd?”
Rainbow Dash added and started to look around, but she didn't need any help in finding it because she turned her head to the right and saw then immediately how her halberd was standing against the mountain next to the cave.

“Come on Rainbow Dash... leave it... it will only slow you down.”
Applejack said but Rainbow Dash ignored her and went anyway up to it, she stopped right in front of it and whispered to herself.
“I have growth far too close to this thing.”
The halberd was still covered in blood and dirty from everything that it had been through, but Rainbow Dash could understand why Twilight and Applejack left it behind and didn't wash it of at the same time as they washed of her. She anyway grabbed it and went up to her friends and said with a neutral face while holding her weapon.
“I'm done now... let’s move.”
Both Twilight and Applejack gave away a not to pleasant facial expression while watching Rainbow Dash, after all, Rainbow Dash did hold in their eyes just a piece of silver, drowned in blood. But none the less they didn't say anything and just let her bring it with her and after that they finally started to move towards Ponyville. It actually wasn't too far of a walk to be honest, but thanks to that some troublesome terrain it did take more time. Twilight and Applejack went right next to each other and Rainbow Dash was just behind them with her halberd.

The three of them was at first completely quiet without a single words be utter, but Applejack couldn't resist in thinking what actually had happen Rainbow Dash while she was gone. Though Twilight herself nether could resist in think exactly like Applejack, so didn't she take that step in asking Rainbow Dash like Applejack did.
“Rainbow Dash... last night... you never told us what happen while you were gone... or what actually happened to Pinkie Pie.”
“Or were you got your Element of Harmony.”
Twilight added but she didn't really want to ask Rainbow Dash anything of what had happen, it felt to soon according to her, she wanted to give Dash more time. Rainbow Dash stayed quit but not because she didn't want to tell them anything, she just couldn't find any fitting words to use.
Twilight and Applejack went fast inpatient and leered back towards Rainbow Dash, but they didn't want to push her and in that didn't say anything more.

Rainbow Dash saw that and decided just to force words out of her mouth and keep her answer simple.
“I went to Cloudsdale.”
Twilight and Applejack looked discrete at each other and Applejack said.
“We thought so.”
“And how was its condition?”
Twilight added and before Rainbow Dash said anything, she sighed out with a heavy heart and lowered her head slightly.
“Empty... dark... cold... and dead.”
“We're so sorry to hear that.”
Twilight whispered out even though she kind of already knew the answer.
“You don't have to be sorry... we all have lost our homes... and friends... and I can understand that you want to know more of what actually happened to Pinkie Pie... but trust me... all you have to know it that she will not return... and that it was horrible. Rainbow Dash immediately added even more gloom than before but she wasn't the only one, Twilight and Applejack also got a depressed face and made their heads hang.

The three of them stayed quiet for a while but then, Applejack couldn't stand the silent and asked.
“What about your Element of Harmony then... how did you get your hoofs on that?”
Twilight and Applejack waited for an answer but didn't get any, they gave Rainbow Dash time but she took an awfully long one to find words to use. It even took such long time that Applejack turned her head back and asked.
“Rainbow Dash?”
But when Applejack got a good view behind her, she stopped surprised in that Rainbow Dash was gone.
“Dash?”
She silently said which got Twilight as well to stop and turn around just as confused as Applejack.
They begin with spinning around wildly, trying to find Rainbow Dash but it wasn't any question about it, she was really gone. Automatic without a single word, Twilight and Applejack split up and went in to two difference ways to search Rainbow Dash. But they stayed close to each other and always in line of sight of the other one.

Applejack held her head high towards the trees and Twilight held low towards the ground, she walked some steps back from where they had come from and while doing so she thought she heard something in some bushes next to her. Twilight locked her head in a blink towards those bushes and think she saw some movement in them as well. Unsure she turned her head to Applejack behind her, just to make sure she wasn't alone and when she saw Applejack holding her gaze up to the treetops she turned her head back to the bushes.
The sound that came from the thick leafs and branches the bush was made of was rather quiet like it was from a little mouse. Regardless of Twilight feeling her heart being a bit jumpy and unease, she swallowed her worriers and went towards the bush anyway.
The weak sound was still existing and the small movement as well and she then asked carefully.
“D-Dash... is that you?”

Applejack however a bit further away didn't feel as concerned as Twilight did at all, she jumped up on one of the trees with her front hoofs and asked up towards the top of it a bit frustrated.
“Dash... I know you here somewhere... stop playing games and show yourself... you’re just making us jumpy.”
No answer did she get and just sighed out annoyed down between her front legs, she then raised her head and looked all around the dead silence forest and added for herself.
“Were in the name could she have gone?”
Applejack jumped down from the tree and started to walk up north to the way the three of them was heading from the beginning, she still kept her head high but then all the suddenly, she heard a quick scream coming from Twilight.

Like a lightning hitting the ground, Applejack turned around just as fast and saw that further away from her how Twilight was laying on the ground with a Changeling over her.
“Twilight.”
Applejack said to herself and the second after that running in full speed towards them.
The Changeling hadn't hurt her yet but that was because it didn't need to, Twilight was so terrifying that she was paralysed in to every limb and literally couldn't move.
“Twilight!”
Applejack shouted with a tough face when she got closer, she planned in to ram the Changeling of Twilight but in her yell, the Changeling saw her and immediately took an action. It reached down its head to Twilight's throat and open it jaws and placed her neck inside its mouth. Twilight screamed absolutely in fear and horror like it was tearing her body apart and open, but it actually only did that to stop Applejack.
“NOOO!”
Applejack loudly screamed out and made her four legs work as fast as just they could and that Applejack felt how her chest started to hurt from her front legs rough movement.

“No stop Applejack!”
Twilight then shouted out and made Applejack extremely confused but she did stopped, barely.
“It's... it's talking to me!”
Twilight said while whimpering with tears in her eyes and the Changeling actually spoke to her telepathic. She could hear it foul words in her head and it wasn't either any kind words it used.
It called her things, grotesque things and that it was going to feast on her organs if she didn't do as it told her to. Twilight's throat got quickly drowned in disgusting slimy saliva from the Changeling and its caustic smell reached her nostrils all the way from her neck.
The Changeling held Twilight pinned down and right were it wanted to, it could easily close its jaws hard and kill Twilight in mater of second. Twilight held her eyes closed and tried not to sob even if it was impossible, she felt the Changeling's two enormous fangs being placed and lightly pushed just on top of her carotid with the rest of its teeth surrounding. Applejack was total frozen, she couldn't do a thing other than watch Twilight and the Changeling and it also seemed like Twilight and the Changeling held some sort of conversation.

The Changeling stayed in its position and looked passed Twilight's wet face of tears with a rather calm face, immediately after that Twilight started to twitch like her skin crawled infinity and exclaim.
“No... no... you're lying!”
After Twilight's words she screamed out with more tears leaving her eyes, the Changeling pushed its fangs harder into Twilights throat, it appeared not to have liked what she said but neither did Applejack in how it treated her.
“You stay away from her!”
She screamed furious which got the Changeling's blue eyes to change over to Applejack and look ill-tempered at her. It stared for a while at Applejack but drove its eyes once more over to Twilight, though Applejack couldn't hear if the Changeling actually was taking to Twilight so could she fell inside how it did.
“No... I won't do it!”
Twilight yelled out fully crying now and the Changeling definitely didn't like that answer, it both bit her so it scratched painfully on her skin with its teeth and also placed a hoof on top of her chest and added weight on that leg.

Twilight felt how she barely could breath and how her ribs got bend towards her insides and pushing distressful on her organs. A long painful scream Twilight made in to the air, totally breaking her apart in weeping and the Changeling didn't seem to have any hurry to let her scream to die out.
“Stop... I do whatever you want to!”
Applejack then said in panic and wanted to stop the pain for Twilight to any cost.
“No Applejack... it wants you to surrender!”
Twilight then said with finally opening her eye in a long time which was currently completely red and pouring with tears. The Changeling stepped of Twilight's chest and study carefully both Twilight and Applejack but mostly at Applejack, it was curious on what she was going to say next.
Applejack looked back at it frightened but only because she was fearing for Twilight.
“I-I do it... just stop torturing her!”
She then said when she saw how the Changeling gave away an inpatient glance in its eye and how it any second again would hurt Twilight even more. The Changeling smiled evilly and while it did that Twilight once more exclaimed.
“Don't do it... for some reason it want me alive... it's just going to kill you when it can!”

This time the Changeling didn't do anything to Twilight, it just kept its eyes on Applejack and figured that she regardless of what Twilight just said would submit anyway, and it was right.
Applejack slowly laid down on the ground and pulled in her legs like a small filly, the Changeling was far over satisfied of what it saw and placed then both its front hoof on Twilight's chest.
It was standing so it didn't hurt her but enough for having her fate in its own hoofs, it then pulled away its enormous gape from Twilight's neck and straighten its body. It watched Applejack and Applejack it, the Changeling once more smiled mysterious but evil and giggled for itself with something that sounded like two voices that was of sync from each other. The Changeling looked amused but its amusement went rather unexpectedly short, because from absolute nowhere, Rainbow Dash jumped out of the thick forest surrounding them in every direction. She wielded her halberd as always and held her head high and prepared to give away a strike from her bloody weapon.

She was swinging it down with its axe blade first, hitting the Changeling right in its back and breaking through its thick bug shell and completely destroying its wings. The sound of the impact was a loud cracking that even felt painful just to hear, but the Changeling of course was the one suffering, it literally had its whole back exploded in blood. It roared out its pain to the sky in an ear-splitting sharp tone and while it was too busy dealing with the pain, Rainbow Dash twisted her halberd and broke completely of one side of its bug shell. The Changeling at this point wasn't a threat, at least not for Rainbow Dash and while its scream just continued to cleave through everypony's ear, Rainbow Dash then tackled it of Twilight. In a quick jump Rainbow Dash went over Twilight that immediately started to crawl away as fast as she could after she got free from the Changelings grasp. She headed towards Applejack in pure panic while Rainbow Dash finished her business and it was definitely not going to be clean.

The Changeling was currently laying on its side a short distance from where Rainbow Dash pushed it of Twilight and it was kicking wildly with all its legs in pain. Rainbow Dash moved quickly towards it and without any kind of delay, she drove the spear of the halberd in to its belly that was visibly. She then in a quick movement ripped up its whole chest in a clumsy small roar and backed up as its all inner organs got spilled out on the ground. The Changeling lost all its sign of life in matter of seconds and was now laying there, silent and still just as anyone would have done if they were dead. Its bloody pale intestines flowed out on the blood, together with other things that wasn't to attractive to watch. Twilight and Applejack that was a bit further away stayed down on the ground, holding each other firmly and only watched paled as ghost at Rainbow Dash. Luckily for them they didn't need to see too much of the butchering, because the Changeling had its back towards them and in that hiding its belly. Rainbow Dash however saw everything and she really wished she never had stared at the mess so long as she did.

She wanted to throw up but avoided to do so, she instead sharpen her ears and looked up to the sky and said stressed.
“More of them are coming... I can hear them... we need to move!”
Applejack and heavily breathing Twilight tried also to listens to their surrounding but they couldn't hear a thing that wasn't the leafs in the trees rustle by the wind.
“I don't hear anything.”
Applejack said which in the same second got Rainbow Dash to turn her head quickly back after hearing more.
“Their wings... I can hear them in the distance... follow me!”
Rainbow Dash said and hurried to jump over the dead Changeling and help Twilight up on her hoofs. She was shivering like she was cold and her face was still filled with sadness from when the Changeling had its way with her.
“Are you okay... I carry you on my back if I have to?”
Rainbow Dash asked Twilight but Twilight was only shaking her head while sobbing lightly in that she was fine.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack made sure to take good care of Twilight, they even leered at each other discreet to make sure that both of them was willing to do anything for Twilight.
With not too much time wasting than helping Twilight back to get a grip on her focus, they then immediately started to run towards Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was this time in the lead and Twilight and Applejack right behind her and following her every step. They trusted her and Rainbow Dash also tried to do sharp and unexpected turns through the forest to make them a harder target to find.
Sometimes even Twilight and Applejack had problems to keep up with her but if it was one thing Rainbow Dash made sure to do, so was it not to leave anyone behind. Their running however took without knowing a stop in that Rainbow Dash braked in hard and stood absolutely still.
“W-why are we stopping?”
Twilight asked and with the body of a statue and with a whispering voice Rainbow Dash simply replied.
“We're surrounded.”
“What... we're alone... how could we possible be surrounded?!”
Applejack said denying despite believing Rainbow Dash fully out.
“They are coming from every direction... they’re soon here... and... and I don't know what to do!”
Rainbow Dash said with heavy anxiety words and throwing her head to every direction for an escape.

She however didn't find any and she also could hear how the Changelings rustles wings got closer.
“Quick... hide in a bush!”
Twilight said whispering loudly and without any one defying her, all three of them dived right in to the closest bush. They crawled to its centre and kept close to each other, Rainbow Dash had some trouble fitting with her halberd but she did manage to get it in too and hide it at the bottom.
Not long after that the Changelings came from every direction and created a big group of them just were Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Applejack had been standing. They looked at each other with silence and for some reason Twilight's head started to twitch while the three of them watched the Changelings through a small gape of the bush.
“T-they are talking... I... I can hear what they are saying... barely.”
Twilight whispered out and without delay Applejack added with some curiosity in a same whispering voice.
“What are they saying?”

Twilight nodded carefully and target the Changelings with her eyes, she stared at them deeply and concentrated like she was in some sort of trance and soon words started to exit her mouth which was what one of the Changeling was saying.
“They are not far from here... search for them... and remember... don't hurt the purple one... to much that is... our queen wishes for her at a consciousness level.”
All of the Changelings nodded except one and then all of them spread out over the area.
They searched high and low and the situation didn't look good, they were many and slowly but carefully worked their way over to the bush were Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Applejack was hiding in.
“They are going to find us!”
Applejack frightened said and looked at Twilight which in the same second added just as scared and still a bit shaken from the encountering with the Changeling.
“I-I don't know what to do!”

Both Applejack and Twilight then looked over at Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash clearly saw how they putted all hope on her and Rainbow Dash just couldn't understand why.
“Dash?”
Twilight asked with a dreaded facial expression, hoping for that Rainbow Dash had some sort of plan. Rainbow Dash just stared shocked at Twilight and soon also on Applejack, Applejack also like Twilight hopped for the best from Rainbow Dash. They left everything on Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash just wanted to cry by the extremely heavy burden she got on her shoulder.
She looked at her friends, caring more for them than herself, she also looked at the Changelings from the bush and saw how time was thinning out.
She bit her tongue inside her mouth and felt the pressure overwhelming her, breaking her mind.
”I...”
Rainbow Dash said and in that single word, both Twilight's and Applejack's eyes got bigger and they even leaned forward to Rainbow Dash extremely inpatient for her to continue. Rainbow Dash once more wanted to cry by the feeling of them putting their lives in her hoofs. She looked quickly down to cover her sadness and fear in her own eyes but made it short when she felt how she of them all needed to be the strongest one.

“I... have a plan.”
She then said and Twilight and Applejack went completely still like two frozen statues in Rainbow Dash's words, they didn't say anything, they didn't move a muscle and carefully focus on Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash then in a sigh, smiled some while looking at them and then saying.
“I'm sorry.”
Twilight and Applejack didn't understand but they soon unfortunate they would, because in the next moment, Rainbow Dash exited the bush together with her halberd and yelled to all the Changelings with cocky face.
“You looking for a battle... you found one!”
All of the Changelings turned their head to Rainbow Dash and just watched her surprised, Twilight and Applejack almost got their hearts exploded in what she did and Twilight from the bush whispers immediately to her.
“What are you doing... you're insane!”
Rainbow Dash leered at both of them in the bush and said also in a whispering voice so the Changelings couldn't hear her.
“Look... I can lure them away... it's more important that you two make it.”

“Why!?”
Twilight added almost too loud for her and Applejack's own good, Rainbow Dash noted after that how all the Changelings started to move carefully like predators towards her and she quickly whisper out again.
“Don't you understand Twilight... you're the only one who can do anything towards Queen Chrysalis... you was after all Princess Celestia's student and your magic maybe is the only thing that can do something.”
“No... don’t do this.”
Twilight added while shaking her head hopelessly.
“I left my Element of Harmony in the bush... take it... and do whatever you must with it.”
Rainbow Dash said and in that, Twilight and Applejack looked down and there they saw Rainbow Dash element. Total destroyed and lost to mind Twilight touched it and then looked back up at Rainbow Dash.
“You're wrong.”
Twilight said with tears leaving her eyes but it was just the beginning for her.

“No... she's not.”
Applejack all the sudden said and also exited the bush next to Rainbow Dash and yelled to the Changelings insulting.
“What are you waiting for y’all barn-yard skunk-sprayed beetle-headed coxcombs?!”
Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash didn't expect Applejack to do what she just did and Rainbow Dash even said to her not to happy but still quietly.
“What are you doing?!”
“Rainbow Dash is right Twilight... out of all us three... you're the most important on.”
Applejack added and Twilight didn't approve on one single thing she hear.
“Don't do this to me... don't leave me alone!”
She said and while there was still some time, Rainbow Dash whispered out with two angry eyes on Applejack.
“I don't need you help!”
“Yes you do... just look at them all... there is at least a dozen of them.”
Applejack said and it was now also things started to heat up, the Changelings looked inpatient and some of them even hissed aggressively towards them.

“No... no!”
Twilight started to repeatedly say and wanted to cry fully out, Rainbow Dash saw how the time went to an end in standing still and she in a sigh said.
“Listen Twilight... stay were you are till you're alone and then make your way to Ponyville as fast as you can and then... finish this... we trust you.”
In the next second all the Changelings roared loudly and openly ran towards Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
“Run!”
Rainbow Dash screamed and in a flexible movement both Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned around and ran away from the bush Twilight was in. The last thing they saw Twilight do was to lower her head and disappear in bush and then they only had to make sure all of the Changelings was after them.
“It worked!”
Applejack said after a while to Rainbow Dash who was running next to her and saw how not a single Changeling stayed behind, they all was after them.

“Good... but we still need them further away from Twilight but... why did you follow me... I can handle myself!”
Rainbow Dash expressed furiously to Applejack but she only smiled with a tough face and added.
“You wouldn’t survive a second against all of them... you thing only because you have a weapon you're unstoppably?”
“Who said anything about surviving... and trust me when I say I know how to handle a Changeling!”
“Why are we even fighting in a moment like this?!”
Applejack then finally broke the dilemma on their conversation and started to breathe heavily from the running.
“I... I don't know... just continue to...”
Rainbow Dash started to say but her sentence got a quicker end then she thought.
While Rainbow Dash and Applejack was running they didn't spend as much attention to where they was heading as they should have, because after a thick wall of bushes and other plants and small trees the forest just ended in a extremely steep dirt ramp.

Both of Rainbow Dash and Applejack fell forward and rolled right next to each other, they didn’t have a clue of what was happening in their surrounding but soon it took stop for them. They landed on a small dirt cliff with dust delirious all around them and they could hear regardless of being dizzy and somewhat lost in their minds how the Changelings were getting closer.
“App... Applejack... are you okay?”
Rainbow Dash said stressed while trying to get a grip of reality.
“Yeah... maybe... I think so.”
She reply while trying like Rainbow Dash to stand up, in a short moment both of them was standing wobbly and started to cough by the dust in the air. When their throats then was clear from the dusty powder and everything had been fallen back to the ground, Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked up to where they had fallen from.
“The Changelings are here any second... what are we going to do?!”
Applejack said and Rainbow Dash immediately threw her head to look around her for a option of action.

The cliff they were on was rather big but it was a dead end everywhere, at the cliffs end another just as steep ramp of dirt led to a thick part of the forest. Rainbow Dash saw her halberd in front of her hoofs and without hesitate she grabbed it and said clumsy while playing with her tongue around the halberds rod.
“We make our last stand here!”
Applejack looked concerned at Rainbow Dash but she didn't say anything against Rainbow Dash words, she just did as Rainbow Dash and looked up to the top of the dirt ramp. In just matter of seconds later, the group of Changelings appeared from the forest but they didn't do any better at the abrupt downfall as Applejack and Rainbow Dash then what they did. Like a bunch of boulders rolling, the Changelings closed in on the platform were Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood and there Rainbow Dash saw an opportunity to do some damage. She rushed up the dirt ramp towards the Changelings but Applejack stayed behind and didn't know what to do. When Rainbow Dash then later encountered the Changeling, she manage to slit up half of the head of one Changeling with the hook on the halberd but at the same time lose her grip in all the small stones and fall back with them.

In an explosion of body’s, the Changeling group got scattered all over the cliff and some even fell off and continued to roll even further. The dust cloud around them once more made an appearance but this time more dense then before, the remaining Changelings on the cliff was now in the stadium that Applejack and Rainbow Dash was in and took themselves a couple of second to get up. But before they had time, Rainbow Dash struck down another one with her halberd with a carefully swing that landed in its neck. She almost got its head to come off as she cut through its thick and hard skin to the flesh and making its open throat to a fountain of blood. But Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one doing things, when Applejack finally could see pass the powder smoke in the air she notice how a dizzy Changeling was on the ground right in front of her and with its back turned to her. It was slowly standing up but before it had time to do so, Applejack turned quickly around and launched her hind legs right in the back of its head.

Applejack had some serious strength in her legs but the fact if she killed the Changeling or just putted it out for the moment was unsure, regardless it fell to the ground with its whole body relaxed. The Changelings that now had landed on the cliff and was still alive, started to get a better approach of the situation as all of them now stood up and had Rainbow Dash and Applejack surrounded. Rainbow Dash and Applejack was touching butts and had half of the view of the platform for them self. They were both breathing so heavily that they barely could talk but Rainbow Dash actually manage to get an idea and said.
“You thinking what I think?”
Applejack took some extra breath before answering but her voice was steady and clear.
“Covering the other ones way... just give me the signal.”
It was a total of seven Changelings remaining and still standing. They tried to spread out but the cliff was rather thin but long so they had only one direction to attack Rainbow Dash and Applejack from and that was head on. While thinking that the tiredness that Rainbow Dash and Applejack was in to a advantage, one of the Changelings from Rainbow Dash's way rushed towards her with two others behind him.

Rainbow Dash didn't react to much, she just stood still with her muscles tense and when the Changeling in the front was close enough, she yelled and jumped a step to the side.
“Applejack!”
Without looking Applejack once more launched her hind legs and by that the Changeling that went for Rainbow Dash missed her, it got hit by Applejack's brutal kick. It flew back and hit its two friends, taking them all down to the ground for the moment, but at the same time one of the Changelings from Applejack's way did the same thing and they dealt with it the same way.
“Dash!”
Applejack shouted and Rainbow Dash immediately after.
“Dodge!”
Applejack cast herself down on the ground and Rainbow Dash swing her halberd back in a wide motion.
She hit the Changeling in its lower jaw, breaking in it in half and with to power that followed, she managed to throw it of the cliff. Before Rainbow Dash had time to recover from her attack backwards, two of the Changelings that just a moment ago was on the ground with a third one, jumped up in the air with a few flaps with their wing and then they landed grossly on Rainbow Dash's back.

She dropped her halberd and started to jump and just make it as difficult as possibly for them to stay on her. They were persistent to get off but at the same time they couldn't do anything to hurt her, Applejack of course saw this and in a quick moment of planning she for the third time kicked with her hind legs and managed to get of one from Rainbow Dash. But now Applejack was total open and vulnerable and the Changelings took that to their advantage. Two of them jumped on Applejack, pulling her of the cliff together with themselves.
“Applejack!”
Rainbow Dash screamed in fear as she saw them disappear rolling down the second dirt ramp.
The Changeling on Rainbow Dash just didn't want to get of her no matter how much she moved or jump.

There were three more Changelings in Rainbow Dash's present but they all for a brief moment went up to the cliffs edge and looked down to see what happen to the others. Rainbow Dash thought they were going after Applejack so she felt the adrenalin hit her body in a second, igniting her anger at the same time.
“I had enough of you!”
She screamed to the Changeling on her back and turned her head back as far as she just could while making small and annoying jumps for the Changeling. Just by pure luck she reached to the Changelings neck and bit firmly it right on the throat. She then pulled it off and held it down on the ground. It was struggling and Rainbow Dash had to change that fast and she knew what she had to do. She stepped over the Changeling, placing it under her and then, she sunk her teeth in to it.

Its skin was rough but she managed to penetrate it and then warm blood taste spread through her mouth. Like a dog she started to shake the Changeling like a toy and thanks to her solid grip of its throat, she pulled of a major part of its front side, seeing how that was enough for making it bleed to death in time. Rainbow Dash immediately pitted out that bloody flesh piece she had ripped off and stared for a half second on the Changeling. Its pain was easily spotted and how it reached up to its neck with its front hoof which immediately got drowned in blood. It looked surprised and even scared at Rainbow Dash while dying and without the slightest sympathy for its life Rainbow Dash yelled with pure hate towards it.
“That was for Rarity!”

The last three Changelings at the edge of the cliff turned around in Rainbow Dash scream but more than that they didn't have time to do, because Rainbow Dash grabbed her halberd in a wink and threw herself at them. With help of the rod on her halberd she managed to pull all three with her and she was now on her way down the ramp uncontrollable just like Applejack a moment ago. Before hitting the bottom it was a lot of other things Rainbow Dash bumped into, some were the Changelings she was travelling with and some was bigger rocks on the ramp. When they reached the thick forest at the bottom it was still surprising enough far to the real bottom. The just passed a ceiling of leafs and branches, both thick and thin. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and felt how weak branches snatched all around her together with the Changelings but she also unfortunate hit a fully grow branch that didn't budge the slightest by her body.

She got it right in her stomach and felt how her ribs took the blow, she almost passed out or she maybe even did it for a couple of seconds for the last thing she remember was that it was completely quiet and how something warm was in front of her. Her eyes was closed but when she tried to move she felt something extremely painful stinging in her chest. She open her eyes and saw right in front of her how the Changeling that she had broken its lower jaw earlier basically was leaning towards her chest.
Rainbow Dash got scared out of her mind and fell backwards, feeling that stinging pain in her chest again. She landed on the ground and saw then how the Changeling was dead by a wooden stake that had penetrated it skull and how the edge of the stake came through its mouth. It was also the tip of that stake that had curved in to Rainbow Dash's own flesh but thanks to the Changelings body that had stopped her body to go further, her wound wasn't all that deep. Rainbow Dash tried to gather herself from what she just had seen and looked around her.

Her surrounding was a nightmare, there were some trees but not many, the main thing that was growing here wasn't either bushes or other plants, it was these strange locking wooden stakes that came from the ground. They looked like giant stings on a rose and they were exactly everywhere, it was a minefield of them. The worst part of it was that the whole area was scattered with Changelings body, Rainbow Dash could at least see four other Changelings that had suffer the same fate as the one with the broken jaw. They were dead every single one and it wasn’t a pleasant sight, one for example had three stakes driven in to its body and was hanging in the air. Blood was pouring from every entrance of the stakes in to it and the ground quickly took its red colour, the ground also was completely made of dried dirt and maybe even some sand, it looked strange and it was filled with dried cracks, making it hard and were the stakes was growing out from. Rainbow Dash stood up and in panic she looked around while screaming.
“Applejack... Applejack... can you hear me?!”

Rainbow Dash stayed quiet and she actually heard a short distance from her in a weak voice.
“I'm here!”
Rainbow Dash locked her head to the direction as the voice she heard came from and started to run immediately towards there. A couple of trees she had to zigzag through that were in the way and parry her way through numerous of these strange stake-plants. She knew she was getting close and leaped over an old fallen tree that blocked her path. When Rainbow Dash landed on the ground again the first thing she saw was another two dead Changelings, pierced on the stakes and next to them, Applejack, but she hadn't been as lucky as Rainbow Dash had. She had in her side under her left front leg, a stake driven in to her and that went through her and exited from her back.
Rainbow Dash couldn't run or utter words for a second, she just calmly walked up to Applejack shaking and then finally say simply.
“No... no.”

Applejack was laying on her side, breathing irregular and making strange noises every time.
The stake she had gotten in her was smaller than the others and she most likely must’ve snatched it on impact. Rainbow Dash carefully lay down next to Applejack, looking deeply at her and slowly express.
“Applejack?”
Applejack was breathing with her mouth wide open but slow and with her eyes closed, like she needed to concentrate in just keeping her lungs working. She didn't say anything, she just opened her eyes and leered tired at Rainbow Dash.
“I don't know how we did it... but... we did... they are all dead.”
Rainbow Dash said trying her hardest not to cry, Applejack however just smiled and added hoarse and weak.
“Would... you have been able to do this alone?”
“N-no!”
Rainbow Dash answered sobbing and was on the edge of breaking out in full crying.
Applejack just watched Rainbow Dash and continued to smile lightly.

She then all the suddenly started to cough up blood which scared Rainbow Dash so much that she forget to breath in the gaps of her sobbing. She quickly helped Applejack up but not too far, the pain the stake gave her pulsated extremely in every movement she did and made her moan in grief. Applejack cough up even more blood but this time with not as much problem, Rainbow Dash got some on her but she didn't care, she instead in panic and stress said.
“A-Applejack... the... the stake... we need to take it out of you or... or you will die!”
“No.”
Applejack just simply said which made Rainbow Dash furious and yelled.
“How can you say that... you won't survive otherwise!”
Tears leaped down Rainbow Dash's face like a waterfall but she manages to keep in her whimpering, Applejack just looked up on Rainbow Dash with a shining glance in her eye and said calm.
“Who said anything about surviving... you remember?”
“No... don't do this to me!”
Rainbow Dash said and finally let her crying out while lowering her head.

Applejack immediately steered back up Rainbow Dash's red eyes of tears and created an eye contact with her and said.
“I wouldn't survive anyway sweetheart... at least one of us did... that's more than expected... right?”
Rainbow Dash reluctant nodded carefully but she stilled thought it was wrong.
“It's not fair... why had you to and not me?!”
Rainbow Dash confused asked and Applejack just started to shake her head, losing her smile while saying.
“Life is not fair.”
Rainbow Dash shoved her head in to Applejack's mane and started to cry even louder and Applejack just let her to do so.
“Come on now... where’s that tough... and fearless Dash I know?”
Applejack said with her smile back on her mouth and small amount of blood dripping in their corners.
“I don't want to be tough... I don't want to be fearless... I just... don't want to see you guys disappear from me... I want this to end!”
Rainbow Dash screamed in to Applejack's mane, Applejack started to feel how her strength failed her and how she wanted to sleep, she knew what was awaiting her.

“Quick... you must go to Twilight... she needs your help more than ever.”
Applejack said and Rainbow Dash could hear Applejack's voice failing her.
“How about you then... I can't just leave you here!”
Rainbow Dash said breathing heavily and with her whole body twitching like needles were pushing in to every single nerve of her body, Applejack just laid down back on the ground and sighed before saying.
“Don't worry about me... I think... I'm just going to take a short nap... right here... maybe dreaming about the barn... the apple seasons... you and Twilight.”
Applejack closed her eyes and made a relieved face despite the ground being relative hard. She looked so peaceful Rainbow Dash thought, even Rainbow Dash couldn't resist to get a little smile while crying.

“I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for everything I done and said to you in the past... for picking that fight in the cave... and everything else.”
Rainbow Dash said and Applejack without looking, only giggled some and Rainbow Dash continued after that.
“Leave this to me and Twilight... we won't fail... I promise... I will protect her to the end... no matter what fate I must endure.”
Applejack gasped slowly and took some calm breath between that and before adding quietly in a whisper.
“I have no doubt in you two... I trust you for the whole Equestria and so should everypony else do too.”
Applejack after those words went quiet and didn't say anything more, she did have some small movement on her chest by her breathing but Rainbow Dash knew that wouldn't last long. She started to cry again loudly, almost screaming and she stayed with Applejack at her side while placing a hoof on her and wait till she was completely gone.

A couple of hours later towards the sunset, Rainbow Dash had managed to drag her body and her halberd all the way to Ponyville through the forest. She stopped at the end of Everfree Forest and behold its downfall, it was literally standing in ruins but without delay, Rainbow Dash started to move towards Twilight's house, it was the only place she could imaging finding her at.
Even Twilight's house didn't look to well, the tree it was made of looked like it was about to fall, placing the thing slightly on its side. A big chunk of the treetop was also missing but the actually roof looked solid an intact.

Rainbow Dash entered the house, immediately seeing how the floor was far from straight, it leaned to the right and everything was in a mess. Dozens of books were laying on the floor and in the corners were the house was tipping to. Rainbow Dash closed the door behind her and didn't realise till then how dark it actually was. Only small amounts of light came through the windows but it was sunset now and when the darkest hours was about to arrive it would be total pitch black Rainbow Dash could guess.
“Twilight... are you here?!”
Rainbow Dash yelled but didn't hear a thing responding to her.
“Twilight!?”
She repeated and the second after that she actually heard a voice coming from upstairs.
“Dash?!”
Rainbow Dash looked up at the top of the stairs and heard how somepony was running towards her, in just matter of seconds Twilight then stopped at the top, staring down at her in the darkness only seeing shadows of Rainbow Dash.
“DASH!”
She yelled and skipped the stairs and only jumped down from them on the side, she then sprinted to Rainbow Dash and landed in a solid hug with her.

“Oh Dash... I thought I never would see you again!”
Twilight was overwhelming with joy and happiness in seeing Rainbow Dash but Rainbow Dash herself didn't feel the same like Twilight, but Dash was indeed happy to see that Twilight had managed to get to Ponyville safe. Rainbow Dash hugged back Twilight but soon Twilight would notice something was missing, or in fact somepony. Twilight looked over Rainbow Dash shoulder and saw how she had closed the door behind her, Twilight lost her smile and asked without thinking the whole thing through.
“Where’s Applejack?”
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight but didn't say anything, she just started to shake her head in regret and that was enough for Twilight to understand. She immediately started to cry and Rainbow Dash embraced her as she almost fell to the floor. No more words was going to be shared for some time now forward, Twilight was in that state Rainbow Dash was in before, were she just had to realise her sorrow. But that didn't mean that Rainbow Dash stayed silent, she also started to cry, she tried not to but found no reason to hold it in and together with Twilight they shared tears in the darkness.

Later that night when both of them had calm themselves down, Twilight's whole house or what's was left of it, had a thin gloomy atmosphere to it and Rainbow Dash was actually sitting at the frame of a window on the second floor. Thanks for the house tipping, it made that window Rainbow Dash was at to be facing a strange angle up and the view it had, was nothing else than Canterlot itself in the distance. She stared empty up at it as darkness was falling and consuming everything and after a while, Twilight joined her. She sat next to her but didn't say a word, she still could get weak sobs to struck her throat but nothing major. For a long time they just stared at nothing else then the sadness of what was left of Ponyville, but there was one thing Rainbow Dash couldn't stop in thinking at, something that couldn't be ignore. She looked over at Twilight and knew very well that she was very wise and decided in that to ask when she knew the answer she would get was going to be the truth and nothing made up.
“Twilight... I must ask you something.”

Twilight looked to her left at Rainbow Dash and waited patiently at the question, Rainbow Dash swallowed before she said anything and when she did she had to look to a different direction.
“Tell me the truth... do you really think we have a chance against Queen Chrysalis and all of her Changelings?”
Even Twilight looked away after the question was finished and she sighed out heavily.
It took some time for her to answer but she did in time.
“I... I don't know to be honest.”
Rainbow Dash felt how everything was hopeless but before she fell in an infinite hole of depression, Twilight added.
“But I do know that... it's not completely impossible... it's only... very few gaps of failure that is allowed to happen.”
“Can you promise me one thing Twilight?”
Rainbow Dash asked while this time looking straight at her, Twilight also looked over to Rainbow Dash and asked simply.
“It depends... but shoot.”
Rainbow Dash for some reason started to breathe slightly heavier and she felt how her body became warmer, she didn't want to say this but decided to do it anyway and she held a most serious voice and facial expression while doing it.
“If one of us are going to die in the future... please... make sure it's me.”

“Rainbow Dash!”
Twilight exclaimed and jumped abruptly in to the house from the window frame, she was far from happy by Rainbow Dash's request and shouted at her.
“How can you say something like that!”
Rainbow Dash tried to make herself smaller and said with shame in her voice.
“I... I just don't think I could manage to go own if I was alone.”
Twilight calmed herself down, seeing what Rainbow Dash meant and said in a sigh.
“A lot have happened today... we both need some rest... luckily my bed is still intact... maybe at a strange angle but... would you care to join me?”
“In a moment... just give me a minute or two... I close the window after me.”
Twilight tried to smile but found it hard, she then just nodded to herself and went away to her bed further inside the house. Rainbow Dash felt a unbearable headache pounding the inside of her skull and she really was looking forward to sleep in a warm bed at a familiar place and also with somepony she cared for. They should be safe here she thought for herself as long as they were discreet, but with no more thoughts she also jumped down from the window frame, close the window and made her way to Twilight.