"Okay... I think we lost them." Twilight said in a tired and strained voice.

"Are ya sure? Cause... I can't take much more of this." Aaron's voice was cracking from the amount of physical activity.

Twilight and Aaron stopped in a small clearing in the forest to rest. They had been running all night and they were tired of it, especially Aaron who had collapsed onto the ground with his body spread about. Twilight looked away so she didn't have to look at his naked flanks. His breathing was heavy and strained, he absolutely hated running more than anything in his life and would be glad if he didn't have to do any more for a long while. But he knew full well that there was going to be a lot more to come later on.

Twilight found a stump to sit on to regain her strength rather than laying on the ground like a corpse. Though she could go for a glass of water or any other cold beverage, her mind was too occupied at the moment. She and Aaron had been rescued by her friend Applejack, or at least a mare that bore a striking resemblance to her.

She sighed and looked over to Aaron, still in the spread out position on the grass with his face in the ground. She was a bit worried at the sight. "H-Hey Aaron, are you going to be okay?" She said in a concerned tone.
Aaron's head came up and looked to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just... tired. Really, really tired." His head went back to laying on the grass as Twilight sighed with relief.

"You know, you're really out of shape."

"How do you know? Maybe all of my kind is like this. Maybe we all hate running." He said in a slightly annoyed tone. "But you're right, I'm out of shape. I absolutely loathe physical activity. I'm an intellectual, not a body builder."

Twilight giggled a bit at the remark. "I can understand that. I focus more on knowledge rather than my physical attributes."

"Speaking of physical attributes," Aaron got up from the ground and was in a sitting position now so he could better face her. "Who was that pony back there? She was cutting those things down as if it was her god damned birth right." He said with a hint of awe in his voice.

Twilight stood up and went to join him on the ground. "I'm not completely sure, but if I'm right, it should be one of my friends we are looking for." Aaron was paying her his full attention now. "Her name is Applejack. She's a really nice pony. Honest as can be and always had my back in the old days. She was an apple farmer with her family."

"So, why is she here? I'd think her family would be wondering where she is and probably worried sick about her."

"I don't know. I'm sure she's here for a good reason, and I intend to find out what those reasons are." Twilight began to look around the area once more and felt her anxiety beginning to build, hearing a shuffling in the bushes. She wrote it off as just a small rodent but took note of it just in case. "Look, just take a breather for now and we can worry about the details later." Aaron nodded in agreement.

The area went silent for a moment or so, the two just rested their aching muscles, waiting to get back to the task at hand and search of Applejack. Aaron felt it best to break the silence anyway he could. "Um...soooo...pssshh. Pterodactyls, am I right?" He always got a form of a chuckle from that for some reason from sheer randomness alone but Twilight just gave a small nod as she was stuck in her own little world. Aaron gave a small frown to her unresponsiveness as he tried again. "I said, Pterodactyls, am I-" He was cut off from a sharp and potent surge of pain going through his leg as a sharp scream of agony left his mouth, rousing Twilight from her thoughts.
When she saw Aaron, the first thing to catch her eye was a changeling applying a vice like grip to Aaron's leg, it’s teeth digging deep and nearly piercing the bone. Aaron began to writhe in pain as his blood began to trail down his leg. Making a snap decision, Twilight brought her hoof down on the beast’s skull, smashing it like a watermelon.

With the creature dead, Aaron eased up a bit but was still in a considerable amount of pain. Using the torch to examine him, she found three fangs embedded into his leg at the edge of a deep bite mark. Wincing a bit, Twilight gently grabbed one but was stopped when Aaron let out a small yelp in pain. "Aaron, I need you to hold still so I can get these out! You could get infected if I leave them in!" Aaron's breathing had become heavy as he felt his leg begin to tingle. But he was more surprised at what she saw on Twilight's. He saw she was genuinely concerned for him, a look he had rarely gotten, if at all.

"I-Its pointless Twilight. You might as well leave me to die here." She looked at him with a quizzical look on her face. "You know the stories. Once you are bitten by one of them, you turn into them. I don't want to kill you and turn you into... i-into that." He made a motion to the headless, and upon second glace, legless changeling. "I don't want to be a zombie, but I can't ri-"

"Wait... zombie? Aaron, there are no such things as zombies."

"Then what the fuck is that thing?!" He motioned to the changeling once more. "You saw them. No pain, limbs missing, constantly wants to eat us. If that ain't a zombie then I don't know what is." The two heard a chuckle come from behind them as they slowly looked over to see two glowing green eyes staring back at them. Worried that it might be another changeling, Twilight was ready to defend her new companion with what little she had.

"Oh no, don't mind me. I don't wanna ruin your moment or anything." They heard a familiar southern accent as Twilight stood up straight and brought the torch closer to the mare to confirm her identity. "That's kind of bright, it's blocking my view." Grabbing the goggles with a bronze hand, she removed them to reveal deep green pools that were her eyes. Aaron forgot the pain for a moment as he stared at the new pony’s eyes for a moment. Once her goggles were off, her expression changed dramatically from amused to surprised as she saw Twilight before her.

The two said nothing to each other, just staring in disbelief at the ponies that were before them. Twilight had suspicions as is that Applejack was here, but this was the first time she knew, let alone suspected, one of her old friends was here. "T-Twilight?" Applejack said in utter disbelief. Twilight just nodded her head slowly as tears started to form in the bronze pony’s eyes.

Without warning, Applejack brought Twilight into an Ursa hug as she started to sob silently into her shoulder. Twilight didn't know what to make of the situation, she had never seen Applejack like this before. It was a foreign experience to her. "I-I thought I lost you. I thought I l-lost all of you." Twilight gently embraced her friend to comfort her.

"N-No, I'm still here and I won't be going anywhere any time soon." They stayed like that for a few minutes, basking in the reunion as Aaron made sure not to break their moment. Three minutes and forty five seconds later, Applejack finally broke her hug and looked at Twilight with a smile as she wiped away tears.

"Ah reckon ya want ta get outta this place. I've got a safe place for us to chat to our heart's content." Twilight nodded happily as she looked to Aaron.

"A-Aaron, can you move?" Applejack looked over her shoulder to see the stranger as she looked on with curiosity.

"Yeah... The pain stopped a while ago. In fact, I don't really feel a lot in my leg at the moment." Applejack didn't know what to make of the stranger, but if he was traveling with Twilight, that's all she needed to know. When she heard that he was not feeling anything in his leg she giggled to herself.

"I take it that ya got bit by one o' those changelings? Yeah, the bites are pretty nasty. Their fangs pack a numbing toxin that paralyzes their prey as they dine in. I see ya got a nice dose yourself from one o' my stragglers." Before she could forget, she took note of their previous conversation. "Oh, and don't worry. They ain't gonna turn ya into the walking dead. So no need to worry about biting us." She stood over him and took note of his naked body in the dim light, giggling to herself. "Though, ah might bite a little." She said in a playful tone, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder. Aaron didn't know how to register that remark but just decided to forget it, as hard as it was. "Okay, y'all. Lets get outta here."

Reaching behind her, she brought out a crossbow and some rope. Placing the goggles on, she shot at the top of one of the tall trees. With one hand and Aaron on her shoulder, Applejack began climbing the surprisingly strong rope. Tossing the torch away, Twilight began climbing up the rope with her friend, looking forward to talking in safety for a change.

~~~~~

The trip to AJ's safe house was a long but easy journey. There wasn't any dangers in the trees and maneuvering them was much easier. Applejack told Twilight that she had been doing it for a long time and even managed to make small glowing markers to guide her way out of some of the changeling blood she gathers along with other things she manages to find.

Aaron was not in the best of positions. The venom was having a strange effect on his body. His leg had gone completely numb along with most of his right side. To add onto that, he was feeling nauseous, and looking down from a height he could not calculate at the moment was making it worse. He dared not vomit because he had a straight line down Applejack's back and he didn't want to offend his savior with a warm soaking of stomach waste.

With a few close calls of evacuation, they had finally made it to AJ's home. From what could be made out, it was a run-down tree house with rotted wooden planks and faded and chipped paint. Twilight was suspicious of its foundations, but if Applejack had been living there for however long she was here, it could be trusted for the moment. She was a hard worker after all, simple construction should be a simple task for the farm girl.

Opening a door, Applejack walked in and sat Aaron on a small pillow. "It ain't much but it's homey once ya get used to it. I got plenty of food from patrols that are brave, or stupid, enough to try and come through here. Along with anypony thinking the same thing. You'd be surprised how many poor souls cut through here to try an' dodge Tirek's goons."

Twilight came in to find the place exactly what she was expecting once she had gotten inside. It was run down, though run down would be a little too generous for this place. But the floor was solid and sturdy, and as long as she didn't fall through, she had no complaints. Walking over to Aaron, she tried to get comfortable. "So, how are you holding up Aaron? That leg is looking pretty bad."
"Well," Aaron tried to get his leg to move but it remained still. "It's not moving anymore but the pain is gone. So I guess that's a plus. The pillow your friend gave me is comfortable, however I could go without the breeze. It’s causing... problems," he said with a blush on his face

"That reminds me, why are you naked, Sugarcube? Not that I'm complaining, but going into the Everfree buck ass naked is pretty ballsy of ya. No pun intended." Applejack let out a quiet giggle to herself.

"Twilight summoned me here with... I don't know with what exactly. She says its magic but in my world, magic doesn't exist. When I got here, I was nude and covered in some strange goop."

"What, Twi didn't give ya anything to cover yourself?"

Twilight looked over a bit annoyed. "In my defense, I wasn't expecting him to be... well, him. I was hoping for a fire breathing monstrosity."

"Alright, alright. No need to get your panties in a bunch. I got some spare clothes he can use from some caravans I scavenged a while back. Can't keep wearing the same thing every day after all." Applejack went scrounging through some sacks while Twilight sat with Aaron and started eyeing her friend.

"See something you like?" Aaron said with a smile. Twilight blushed heavily as she looked away.

"O-Of course not. I was just... making sure you don't have any other injuries is all." She was telling the half-truth: she did steal a few quick glances at his tools but she would never admit that. Then Aaron came out with a question that caught her off guard.

"When we were about to be eaten, why did you hold my hand?" Twilight shot up from her sitting position without hesitation.

"Applejack, do you have anything to drink? Cider if you have any?" Twilight said in a shaky voice as she did her best to dodge the question. Aaron just chuckled as he laid on his pillow.

"I reckon I do. I was saving it for a special occasion. Reuniting with my friend would most definitely qualify as a special occasion. Just lemme get your friend some garments and I'll get the bottle and some cups for the lot of us." Twilight nodded as she started to move around the tree house, looking around aimlessly.

Applejack came back soon after with some jeans and a t-shirt. "Hope this helps ya. Feel free to put 'em on when you can start movin' again. It shouldn't be for quite some time though. Oh, and before I forget." Applejack walked over to Aaron and knelt down at his leg. She gave a quick yank to each fang still embedded in his leg and tossed them out a make shift window. "There, now ya can start healin'. I suggest ya sleep cause when the venom wears off, ya gonna start feelin’ the pain again." She walks out of the house to fetch her bottle of cider.

"So, that’s Applejack, huh? She seems pretty nice."

"Of course. Applejack is as nice as they come. Though, Fluttershy is pretty much the kindest pony anypony could hope to meet. You'll meet her after we rescue Dash." Twilight took a seat on a small chair and began looking around the dimly lit room. Looking up at the ceiling, she found the source of light. It was a pan hanging from rope. Inside was a bright green glow coming from whatever was held in it. She would have to ask what was in there later.

A few minutes later, Applejack had returned with a large bottle and three plastic cups. Not exactly glasses, but they would do for the moment. "Alright y'all. I've been wantin' to open this bad boy for a long time. An' frankly, ah couldn't wish for a better opportunity." She looked over to Aaron, holding a cup his way. "Hey, ya want some too?" Aaron nodded as Applejack began pouring the cider into the cups, handing one to Twilight and Aaron.

"To friendship." Applejack raised her cup to Twilight, who soon tapped her cup with Applejack's. Aaron raised his from his pillow and the three down the cider at once. Twilight and Applejack shook their heads from the amount of alcohol in the drink, Twilight even letting out a belch.

"Whoa AJ, that's...that's a strong brew you got there."

"I know. That's why I've been saving it for a while." Applejack poured herself another cup and drank it on the spot. Aaron was rather confused. He could barely taste the alcohol, if that's what he was tasting. He had never tasted alcohol before and if the tingling taste he felt was that, he didn't think it was that bad.

"So, how have you been Applejack? It’s been a long time last we saw each other."

Applejack chuckled at the question. "I've been doing fine, really. Got this place, plenty of fruit to eat, not to mention the second rule of survival is finders keepers." She poured herself another glass of cider.

"Well, how about your family? Do they know where you are?" Things got unusually quiet in the little shack. Applejack didn't want to think of her family at the moment, if at all. She took the cider and drank it whole, not answering the question for as long as she could. Twilight was getting a bit worried. "A-Applejack? Are you okay?"

She just looked up to her friend with a mournful look, recollecting past events that have caused her great pain in the past. "Twilight... do you know where your ma and pa are?"

Twilight didn't know where she was going with the question but answered regardless."Y-Yes. They left Equestria to Trottingham once things were getting bad. Why, is something the matter with Granny and Big Mac?" The silence returned once more as Applejack leaned back in her chair, struggling not to cry again. She was strong, but sometimes strength can only do so much.

"They're dead Twilight. They're all dead." Applejack said, drinking her thoughts away. Twilight looked on in shock. She had seen enough death and destruction on her travels, but she had no idea that some of her closest friends had met such an ill fate like this.
"I-I'm sorry to hear that Applejack. Wh-what about your other family? Have you heard fr-" She was interrupted by the sound of AJ's fist hitting the wall in anger, startling Twilight and Aaron.

"They're dead Twi, as in all of them! I want to leave it at that! It... It hurts too much." Her lip began to quiver as her tough composure beginning to fail. "Look, I'm glad to see ya again and all. But... I don't want to bring up deep wounds. All you need to know is that... Granny Smith, Babs, Big Mac and... A-... A-." She was struggling with the last name and it was apparent to Twilight and Aaron. "The point is they're gone and I live on so that they have at least somepony to remember them." She took one last glass of cider and stood up. "It’s getting late. You two can have this room. I got another one down below I can use." AJ began to walk over to the door and looked back with a weak smile. "No funny business you two." She tried to diffuse the situation with a little humor, only to make things a bit awkward.

Aaron smiled to her and nodded. "Y-Yeah. We won't." With that said, Applejack went down below to another room to rest. Twilight and Aaron stayed in silence, trying to comprehend the situation. Twilight tried to comprehend the words spoken by her friend. If what she was saying was true, then she was the last of the Apple-family. A terrible thought to think of but it was a truth that kept coming back to her. Aaron sat back in his pillow and looked over to Twilight.

"Twilight. Get some rest. We both know you could use it." Without much response, Twilight grabbed a second pillow from a pile of cloth and laid on the floor in a corner. She soon tried to fall asleep as Aaron followed her lead. It had been a very long night for them all. The near death, Applejack, and Aaron's whole situation had taken a toll on them all and they could not wait to get some well-deserved rest.

~~~~~

An hour or so had passed as the pain in Aaron's leg soon set in once more. It wasn't terrible but it was causing him to lose sleep. But then he heard something. In a short distance, he could hear crying. It wasn't Twilight, but a bit further and coming from below their feet and hooves. Looking down, Aaron found a small hole in the floor leading to the sound. Looking through it, he could see the room below with the same green glow. But what caught his eye most was his rescuer, curled up in a ball laying on a hammock bawling her eyes out into her pillow just as naked as he was. He quickly looked up and cleared the sight from his thoughts, but looked down once more, trying not to focus on her nudity.

It was a most sorrowful sight to take in, but he could only imagine the pain this mare felt. Looking closer, he could see an object between her abs and arms. It was flat with a red frame and slightly charred. A picture frame to be accurate, most likely a photo of her deceased family.

Sitting up, he let out a small gasp. In doing so, the crying ceased. With one foot on the ground, Aaron slowly began to rise and try to move about the house. The bleeding in his leg had stopped but the pain was still there and the numbing had stopped as well so he could feel it in every step. Grabbing a near by wall, he steadied himself as he tried to go to the door. Before he could even grab the handle to open it up, he was met by a stern looking Applejack, muscles exposed and gleaming in the yellow light. "What'n sam hill are ya doing? Get back to bed!" She whispered to Aaron in a commanding tone.

"I was... coming to check on you. I heard you crying and thought I'd come to see if you were okay." He spoke in the same whisper volume, all the while trying not to focus on her breasts.

Applejack began to blush lightly once he mentioned her sobbing, "While I'm flattered at your concern for me, you need to sleep. I can handle a little emotional memories, but you got bit in the leg and nearly had it broken. Now get back to your pillow and sleep!" Her volume rose a bit as Twilight stirred in her sleep a bit. Aaron and Applejack tried not to awaken her as well.
"I'm not going to sleep until I know you are okay. I may not know what's wrong, bu-"

"That's right, you don't know what's wrong! You're just some accident that's got no business sticking your muzzle where it don't belong!" Applejack was turning a shade of red in the dim green light. Not out of embarrassment but out of frustration. "This isn't your fight and it never will be. You didn't lose your entire life in this war, you haven't lost a damn thing. So why are you here in the first place, why can't you just leave me alone!" Applejack was visibly trembling as the two stood there, Aaron was completely in shock at the outburst. He may not have known what brought out such an attack, but he would not take it laying down.

Aaron's brow furrowed as he stood his ground and responded. "I'm here, so I can help. That's what I promised." Applejack looked on in confusion as her rage was starting to simmer down. "I may not know what you have gone through, in fact I don't think anyone can ever know what you're feeling. This is not my war, that is true. But when that purple unicorn brought me here..." Aaron paused to let that sentence settle in. Shaking his head he continued. "I-It became my war. She was desperate for an ace in the hole that she was willing to risk everything on something that could not very well have worked. You should have seen her face when she found out that I was utterly useless. It was as if the last three years of her life had added up to nothing, as if she was ready for death itself to take her right then and there."

Applejack was the one stunned now as she waited patiently. Visible anger was in the human's face as he struggled to stay standing through the pain. "I may not know Twilight like you do Applejack, I may not have gone through the things you have, and I sure as hell may not know how we can fix this world. But I know one thing: keeping your feelings bottled up and hiding away from the truth is no way to remember your family."

Applejack looked onward in shock, as the alien had spoken to her in a way she had not heard in so long. Slowly, a smile cracked as she began to chuckle which slowly escalated to a hysterical laughter, confusing Aaron immensely as he started to join her in the laughter. She soon calmed down as she sat on the ground, seeing his efforts to stay up. With a smile, she looked at Aaron, who had joined her on the ground. "Do you know who you sounded like there for a second?" Aaron just shook his head, not knowing the answer. "You sounded just like my Granny. She was a wise old mare. Tougher than nails yet frailer than paper at the same time. Hell, she'd soon stare down a pack of timber wolves rather than let something bad happen to her grandfoals. She was also as wise as they came. Tell me Aaron, you got any family back where you come from?"

Aaron just shook his head. Applejack wanted more of an answer than that, and Aaron found out that with a bit of silence. "N-No, I don't. I'm an orphan. Never really had anyone to look after me say for a care taker of the orphanage. No one ever really took an interest to me. I was always that kid in the background, that guy whose name you'd forget the next day."

"Hm, you don't seem like that kind of stalli- er, guy."

"That's because I stand out in a crowd here. I'm taller than you, I don't have a coat that's a colorful shade of insert-random-color-here, and I don't have a tail."

"Alright, ya got that one." The two chuckled at the comparison. Then Aaron had a serious face on him as he looked to Applejack. She saw this and held her hand up before he could continue. "I know what you're going to ask, and before you do just know I am only going to share this with you. I'm not ready for this to be shared with all of my friends."

Aaron understood as he nodded in agreement. He cleared his throat and went into the forbidden territory. "Applejack, what happened exactly? To your family I mean." He patiently awaited his response as Applejack slowly inhaled to prepare herself to dig back into her memories for her family’s, something she had been running from for three years.

"Way back when, before all of this, my family and I lived on an Apple orchard. It was just my older brother, younger sister, and my granny." She paused a bit to try and stave off the inevitable as long as she could. "When Twilight came down from Canterlot, my simple little life was changed as I became an element of harmony.

"A what now?"

"You'll have to ask Twilight. I never understood it much to explain it properly. All I can tell you is that I represent an aspect of friendship. I was honesty and Twilight was magic." New questions began to form in his head as various flashbacks to cheesy cartoons flooded his mind, only to be swept away to focus on Applejack's story "Anyway, when I became an element, my friends and I faced various adventures. Our latest was the infamous Tirek. He and Twilight had gotten into a fight for the last magic in Equestria. Twilight... lost." Applejack had gotten to the part of her story she didn't want to get to.

"Once he had all of the magic in Equestria, he was at the top of the pile, and he was no fool. He knew we would find a way to take him down and he was right. We had a plan all ready to go but, he got to us before we could get to a chest beneath the old castle. When he got to me, I was a fighter. I took down soldiers left and right.”

Aaron let out a chuckle at that. "I'd imagine so. The way you were fighting those changelings, I'd imagine no force on this planet could keep you down for long." The compliment made Applejack blush.

"Why thank you, but as much as I would love to say I was," Her smile began to fade. "I-It's not so. A few minotaurs had me restrained as Tirek had come to see me off personally. Ya should have seen the guy. As big as life and just as intimidating. Those yellow, soulless eyes looking down on you.”

"I'd imagine you just stared him down. Maybe spitting in his face."

"Not exactly. If it was any other pony, I'd have done that. But his presence was... chilling." Applejack shivered a bit as she recalled the memory. "He said I was too much of a loose cannon and he said... he said I had to be broken. And then... a-and then-."Applejack gulped as she recalled the following events as she was restraining herself from collapsing and curling up into a ball. Breathing in deeply and taking a minute, she continued to speak with Aaron waiting patiently. "Using his magic, he brought himself and I to the front of our barn. With a snap of his fingers, every single one of my family was floating in bubbles and placed in my barn. Locking the door and another snap of his fingers... h-he... he lit the barn on fire."

Aaron looked on at Applejack as he could see her shake like an earthquake, failing to restrain herself from bawling out in tears right there. "I-I'm sorry Applejack. I wouldn't with that upon anyone."

"It’s fine Sugarcube. It's about time I came to terms with this." She took another minute and decided to continue on with her story. "The fire rose heavily over the span of minutes, and I was forced to watch every second of it. Tirek used his magic to make sure I watched the events. I tried not to focus on it but... i-it was impossible to. I listened as I heard everypony began to scream in terror and pain. Even... Applebloom." That when it happened, Applejack broke down and began to cry once more, soon finding a comforting hand on her shoulder as Aaron made his way to sit next to her.

She took the shoulder once it was offered. "I-I can still hear it every day... Hearing my little sister call out for her big sister to save her." Aaron continued to listen as Aaron embraced her comfortingly. "It was my duty to raise the little filly after ma and pa died. And I failed them." She spoke through her sobs as she recalled the events, Aaron silently listening so she can get it all out. "I couldn't do anything to save her. I couldn't save anypony."

"I'm sorry Applejack, but it wasn't your fault. There wasn't anything you could have done." this did nothing to help things, just to make things a bit worse as she started to cry a bit more. Looking over to Twilight, he could see that she was still sleeping somehow. Aaron turned back to Applejack and held her close. "Applejack," his call fell on deaf ears. Giving a sigh, he soon began to rock her gently like a new born. Trying his best to calm the mare from her horrid memories. Her crying was justified though. No one should go through such awful events.

Aaron rocked Applejack comfortingly as her crying began to subside, before long she was barely whimpering out of her. "Hey, Aaron. Can I sleep with you?" The question snapped him out of whatever attempt at sleep he had accumulated and looked at Applejack shocked.

"W-Well, um... Applejack you are very attractive and you're... a very full figured woman, mare. But we just met an-" Applejack gave a playful punch to his arm.

"Not like that ya idgit." She let out a chuckle as Aaron began rubbing his arm. "I know it is awkward, us being nude and all, but I don't want to be alone this time. I've spent the last three years in this damn place and for once, I'd like some company with me for once in a very long time." The situation was more than uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean he was fully opposed to the idea.

Biting the lower part of his lip, he looked over to Applejack with his answer. "If y-you want to. Just... lets try and keep this from getting weird."

"Sure. Just, put some underwear on. I can see your dangly bits and I'd like to keep it as normal as possible." She said pointing to his crotch.

"Fine. Only if you agree to put a shirt on."

"Seems fair." The two grabbed the appointed clothing and placed them on their bodies. Aaron now comfortable not being nude for the first time since he had arrived in Equestria, laid back down on his pillow, Applejack soon joining his side as Aaron felt a bit uncomfortable over a new subject. "G'night Sugarcube. Sleep well.

"Y-Yeah. You too." The room went silent once more as the two soon fell asleep next to each other. There was no sign of movement or sound from the small little house as the two finally drifted off to sleep. Aaron actually enjoying the presence of the mare next to him. It was a foreign sensation and a welcomed one.

In the corner, Twilight feigned her slumber as she lay fully awake, her face contorted to show a displeasing look. She had heard every word from her friend and felt a wave of sadness come over her. She had no clue that she had gone through such trauma. She knew Tirek was capable of such an atrocity but never considered that it would come to somepony like Applejack. She tried to banish the thoughts but she laid their thinking of the situation over and over again. Until she finally fell asleep, with the thoughts still plaguing her mind.

~~~~~

Aaron soon found himself in a new place. It looked to be the Everfree but it was much brighter than what he had gone through. Along with less trees covering the night sky. He found himself walking alone in it with no sign of life anywhere. No Applejack and no Twilight to be seen. Looking over head, he could see beams of the moon shooting through the trees, illuminating his path.
After a long walk, he soon found himself in a clearing with a pond in the middle, reflecting the largest moon he had ever seen in his entire life. Approaching to take a sip of the water, he could see his own reflection. He was in a tuxedo with a combed back hair. He looked like he was ready for a party of some kind.

"Not a bad look, if I do say so myself." A voice called out to him. Aaron began to look around the area for the source of the voice but he saw nothing. Looking back into the reflection he was met by his reflection. Soon after, a new face appeared that startled him. With a yelp, Aaron jumped back in fear as the face soon began to rise from the pond. It was a mare like Twilight and Applejack, only she was much taller, had a coat that was pitch black and a really long horn on her forehead. Another notable feature was her wings. They extended once she was all the way out of the pond and looking down on Aaron. Her blue, cat like eyes stared him down
"Hello Stranger, welcome to my domain." She said in a commanding yet loving tone. Aaron cautiously stood up and dusted himself off. He was afraid of her, but not terrified. She had a presence to her, one that was welcoming yet made Aaron cautious. "May I have the name of my guest?"

"M-My name is Aaron. Aaron Trinkle, a pleasure to meet you." He gave a gentlemanly bow to her, earning a smile from the strange mare. She drew closer to him and he found something truly fascinating about her. Her mane was flowing in an invisible wind with the night sky and stars in it. Almost as if it was apart of the night sky as well. Her dress was a shade of purple, dragging along the grass as she came closer. "M-may I know your name, Madame?"

"If that is what you desire." She soon began to rise into the air as a harsh wing began to blow and her eyes became a brilliant white. The moon began to turn a shade of red as she was soon in the path of its light. "I AM NIGHTMARE MOON! QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA AND WIFE OF HIS HIGHNESS; LORD TIREK THE MALICIOUS!" Her voice boomed through the forest and through Aaron's head. His fear rising as she mentioned that she was the wife of the enemy of Twilight Sparkle.
"W-What do you want with me? A-Are you here to kill me?"

She soon fixed her glowing eyes on him and slowly descended closer. "Nay, you misunderstand. I am not here to end your life, I am here to aid you and your friends against my husband."

Author's Notes:

-A very special thank you to Mischievous Blue for helping me with this story. Maybe we can make this story less awful.

-Yes, I know having Applejack nude is utterly pointless and may not contribute much other than sheer pointlessness that goes nowhere... Where was I going with this? Oh well.