Chapter 7 - An Apple Farmer

Edited by Clavier

The black dragon glanced down at the unconscious Spitfire at his feet, and let forth a laugh.

Applejack had retreated slowly to Twilight, never taking her eyes off the dragon.  "Twilight, are you alright?" she whispered.

Twilight's eyes also were held on the dragon, but they were filled with fear.  There were so few problems she could not face with magic, so few enemies that could not be bested with her knowledge.  And now she was face to face with one of them.  "I... I think so."  She shook her head.  "I'm having trouble concentrating.  I think... I think he's absorbing my magic."    

Applejack took in her surroundings.  He was too fast and too strong– not to mention, now that Spitfire was unconscious, he was the only one who could fly.  They would be easy prey if they stayed out in the open.  Not to mention having him stomp around their unconscious friends could be very dangerous.

"Twilight, we need to draw him away from Rainbow Dash and Spitfire."  Applejack took her eyes off the dragon for a single moment and looked at Twilight so she would understand the gravity of the suggestion.  "We need to bring him back in the cave."

Twilight swallowed at the notion of facing the black dragon in the dark, but nodded in agreement.  

"On three, we turn and run for it.  Fast as you can, now."  Applejack prepared herself for the sprint.  "One."  The dragon eyed them curiously.  "Two."  He took a step towards them.  "Three!"

The pair turned and sprinted back to the cave.  Twilight was going half as fast as Applejack would have liked, but luckily for them, the dragon was not making chase.  Applejack glanced over her shoulder and saw him slowly ambling towards the cave.

"Running, Applejack?" he boomed with a laugh.  "I thought you were the hero of our story!"

The two ponies entered the blackness.  Twilight was already winded.  

"Twilight, listen to me," said Applejack.  "He likes toying with me, but it's you he's after."  Her eyes were still adjusting to the dark.  "You've got to play it safe, alright?"  There was no answer.  "Alright, Twilight?"

"Alright," she answered hesitantly.  "Okay."  She suddenly began babbling nervously.  "How do we defeat a black dragon, Applejack?  I've never heard of one being defeated before!"

"Quiet!" said Applejack, glancing at his giant form approaching the mouth of the cave.  "We can do this, alright?  Don't start panicking on me.  We need to keep our cool, okay?"  She paused.  "For Spitfire.  And Rainbow Dash."

Twilight nodded, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down.  "What should I d—"

"Little ponies?" gently asked the black dragon, who had reached the entrance of the cave.  "Aah, hide and seek, eh?  I used to play this with my mother, when I was a little hatchling.”  That edge returned to his voice.  “Before she was killed."

He began to silently slither into the dark.  It was amazing how little noise he made moving considering how huge he was.  "Come out, come out wherever you are..."

Twilight looked frozen in fear.  Applejack pulled her further into the enormous cave.  Applejack needed more time to think, to figure out a plan.

"I can taste your magic, Twi."  His voice echoed everywhere in the cave despite how quietly he spoke.  They had no idea where he had gone in the dark.  "I can feel your magic.  Can you feel me?  The vast emptiness?"  The more he spoke, the more frozen in fear Twilight became.  

"Don't listen to him, Twilight," whispered Applejack urgently, still running with Twilight.  Running was nearly impossible in the dark, but they needed to buy more time.  "He's just messing with your head!"

"You can, can't you?" he continued.  "The cold nothingness that surrounds me?  Like I am Death’s given form."  His laughter shook Twilight to her core.  She glanced nervously about the cave, trying to figure out where the echoing voice was coming from.

Applejack stopped them.  She needed to figure out where he was.  She peered in the darkness.

His laughed stopped, and for a few terrifying seconds, there was complete silence.  Both ponies held their breath.

Suddenly an enormous claw split the two of them.  Sweeping the ground, the claw flung Applejack away from Twilight.  She rolled on the ground and managed to stop herself just before slamming into one of the cave walls.

Applejack looked about her.  In the dark she could make out only a few rocks, about the size of apples.  An idea struck her.

Twilight screamed.

"Twilight, put your shield up!" hollered Applejack, preparing one of the rocks.

The black was gently lit with the magic shield that surrounded Twilight.  Its light was weak, but it revealed to Applejack two forms.  The first was Twilight, who, completely terrified, was cowering on the ground.  The second was the dragon's head, only inches away from the shield.  His mouth was open and drool dripped from one of his enormous fangs.  His eyes were wide, staring at Twilight hungrily.

This was it, thought Applejack.  One shot.

She flung a rock in the air, and using all the force she had in her back legs, bucked it at the dragon.  The rock whizzed through the air like a bullet, losing itself in the dark.  Applejack looked looked over her shoulder, praying that it found its mark.

With a horrifying sound, the rock embedded itself in one of the dragon's hungry eyes.

The dragon let forth a terrible scream, lifting his head into the air, grabbing at his eye with one of his claws.  In his anger and pain, fire erupted from his mouth, spreading over the ceiling of the cave.

The fire revealed the entire cave for the first time: the enormous stalactites, the giant boulders, a pool of water in the back of the cave.  It was even larger than Applejack had thought.  

She pulled her rope out of her saddlebag, and dropped the bag on the ground.  Applejack finally had a plan.  

***

The dragon held his useless eye socket for several seconds before speaking again.  “You insignificant insect!” he raged, the humor completely drained from his voice.  “You’re going to pay for that!”  He swiped one of his massive claws and flung Twilight away, no longer interested in her, his mind only filled with vengeance.  Twilight slammed against a wall, and promptly passed out.

Applejack was worried for her friend, but she needed to keep her cool.  “Insect, huh?” her voice echoed around the cave.  “Well, this insect just managed to take out one of your eyes, so maybe I’m not so insignificant as you think.”

He looked around the cave with his good eye.  “You are nothing compared to me, pony!  You hear me?  Nothing!”

“Is that so?” her voice echoed back.  “You are really so powerful and strong, that ah’m nothing compared to you?”

He started sliding around the cave, looking for his prey.  

“See, ah’ve just been thinking,” she continued, casually.  “You’re an ancient dragon.  You feed off of magic.  You probably need a lot of magic to get back to your full strength after sleepin for so long.  And how much have you had?  One tree, ah saw that.  Now, sure, it’s a nice, big tree, but how much magic could there be in a tree?  And one little non-magical pony.”

“What are you getting at, insect?” he spat, still looking for her with one eye.

“Ah’m just saying that maybe you ain’t as strong as you’ve been boasting.”

He raged, slamming a claw into the cave wall.  The rock crumbled under his strength.  “I am the most feared creature in Equestria,” he boomed.  “Do not presume to call me weak!”

“Yee-eesh, layin it on a little thick?”  Applejack chuckled.  “Here’s another thing I’ve been thinkin about: you can feel magic anywhere.  I bet you could find Twilight with your eyes closed.  Well... eye closed.”  The dragon’s rage increased tenfold.  “But ah bet Twilight is throwing off all sorts of magic in the air.  So I bet it’s pretty hard to find me in the dark, huh?  Tain't much magic in a lowly earth pony.”  

He froze, shocked at her ability to read him so well.

“Yep, I’m guessin between losin an eye and not being able to feel my magic, you have no idea where ah am right now.  Plus it’s pretty hard to tell where sounds are coming from, what with all the echoes.”

“I will find you, Applejack,” he threatened in a low voice.  “I will find you, kill you and devour whatever is left of your friends.”

“Oh?” This time Applejack’s laughter echoed in the cave, and caused more fury in the dragon.  “What’s takin so long?”

He breathed fire on the ground, lighting up the cave, hoping to reveal her and burn her at the same time.  He didn’t see her.  He turned around and did it again.  Still nothing.

He blew fire behind rocks, around corners of the cave, around the pool, but each time he could not find her.  With each successive failure, he grew more angry.  His rage was beginning to blind him.  “Where are you?!  Where are you, you insignificant creature?!  Show yourself to me, coward!  Face me like a hero, so I can kill you!”

“That’s the trouble with you, dragon,” she said, dark humor in her voice.  “You are so used to towering above ponies, that you forget to look for the ones above you.”

He froze suddenly, and looked up.  Even in the dark, he could see her form.  A rope was wrapped around the top of one of the cave’s massive stalactites.  She had lassoed her rope around it, and climbed all the way up to the top of the cave.  Hanging off the stalactite, she smiled darkly.

And bucked it as hard as she could.

The stalactite cracked cleanly, and before the dragon could react, it came crashing down upon him.  Slamming on his head and back, the massive chunk of rock pressed him to the ground.  It was a clean hit.

She fell from the roof of the cave, landing on his back and painfully rolling to the ground.

She ached, but managed to stand.  She really hadn’t expected to survive that fall.

She listened and watched the dark form in front of her.  Had it worked...?

Suddenly the black dragon roared, his voice filling the whole cave.  He reached behind him with his claws, grabbed what was left of the broken stalactite on his back, and threw it into a cave wall.  He stood up, still roaring, throwing fire on the roof of the cave.  His rage was all-consuming, blinding him.

The cave shook.  Between her breaking part of the roof off, and the times he broke part of the cave wall, it was becoming unstable.

The cave’s ceiling was falling in chunks, breaking into giant rocks which slammed into the ground.

Applejack thought as fast as she ran, heading towards Twilight.  She leapt over rocks and barely dodged a falling stalactite that came crashing down next to her.

She got to her magician friend.  She had woken up, but from the look on her face, something was wrong.

“My leg...” she said, having to yell over the noise.  Applejack looked.  Her back leg was a mess, cut up and bloody.

There was no time, thought Applejack, looking back at the enraged dragon.  Never enough time.

Applejack threw Twilight on her back.  All Twilight had to do was hang on.  All Applejack had to do was make it to the mouth of the cave.

The rocks, falling everywhere, exploded noisily.  She ran as fast as she could, making a fast pace despite her friend on her back.    

She heard the booming footsteps of the dragon behind her.  He was beginning to make an exit as well.

She saw light shining through the mouth of the cave.  She pushed every ounce of energy she had left into her strides, running towards the rising sun.  She had to make it.  For Twilight.  For Rainbow Dash.

With great effort she made it out of the cave.  She quickly but gently placed Twilight on the ground, and turned back.  The black dragon was quickly making his way back outside, his rage apparent in his one good eye and snapping jaw.  She realized with a start that he would make it out before the cave collapsed.  

With a smirk, Applejack bucked powerfully against the wall at the mouth of the cave.

No one in the Apple family knew why the apples always landed in the basket, but it sure was a handy trick for the family to have.

From her hoofprint a hundred cracks grew, making their way around the mouth of the cave and through the cave’s roof.  A piece of rock collapsed directly above the dragon, then another and another.  He could only manage to get his head out of the cave before it collapsed with precision upon him. There was a crunching noise, and the dragon was silent.

Applejack had beaten him.

Momentarily she was ecstatic at her victory, before her eyes turned to the two bodies that lay near the edge of the cliff.

Spitfire was in bad shape, crumpled on the ground, but her head was up, looking at them with great relief.

Rainbow Dash had not moved.

***

Twilight limped over to Spitfire as Applejack ran over to Rainbow Dash.

“Are you alright?” asked Twilight, looking over Spitfire.

“I’ll be fine,” she said urgently, despite clearly being in pain.  “Get to Rainbow Dash!”

Twilight moved over to Applejack, who was gently talking to the limp body.

“Rainbow?” asked Applejack, tears forming in her eyes, as she pressed herself against her friend.  She listened for breath.  Nothing.  “Rainbow Dash?  Please... please, please, be alive, please?”

Rainbow Dash just lay there.  

Applejack turned towards Twilight.  “Do something!” she ordered through her tears.

Twilight obliged, magic flowing from her horn to the body that lay before them.

They waited a moment after Twilight’s magic stop flowing, but Rainbow Dash lay still.

“Do it again!”

Twilight pushed more magic into her friend, but nothing happened.

Applejack desperately stood above Rainbow Dash and screamed.  “Wake up!  Wake up, damn you, wake up!  I just defeated a dragon for you!  It will all have been for nothing if you don’t wake up!”  She turned back towards Twilight.  “Do it again!”

“Applejack...” said Twilight carefully.

“Do it again!” she barked, putting her eyes back on Rainbow Dash.

Twilight let magic flow between them once more.

This time Applejack put her ear against Rainbow Dash’s chest, right on her heart, and listened.  Nothing.

“Please.  Oh, please, please, please, please, please...”

She pressed her ear even harder against Rainbow Dash’s chest, starting to sob.

It was hopeless.  It had all been for nothing.  Applejack felt the full sting of her choice to save the town over saving Rainbow Dash.  She pressed herself against the empty husk that was all that was left of her friend, and cried quietly.

Twilight and Spitfire looked on at their fallen comrade and the friend who refused to accept her death.

“AJ,” started Twilight, getting closer to her, trying to comfort her, but all Applejack did was cry harder and press herself more into Rainbow Dash.  There were no words that could make this better, no comfort that would make this hurt any less.

Applejack was drowning in her sorrow, knowing that she had sacrificed Rainbow Dash for nothing, just to satisfy the dragon’s false threat.  

Pained feelings of inadequacy resurfaced once more.  The fates had sent a worthless farmer to do the job of a hero.  Had their situations been reversed, she knew that Rainbow Dash would not have failed her.  All her friends had fame and prosperity for a reason.  All her friends had fame and prosperity because they would never leave a friend behind.

THUMP-THUMP.

Her heart!

Applejack gasped.  “It... it worked!”  An enormous and hopeful smile appeared on her face.  “I heard her heart!  More, do it more!”

Twilight continued pushing magic into her friend.  Suddenly Rainbow Dash coughed.  Applejack was laughing through her sobs when Rainbow Dash looked up at her.

"Oh good,” she said, weakly smiling at Applejack, “I was worried they’d send me to Tartarus.  I’m glad I ended up here.”

Applejack laughed and embraced her in a hug.

There was an enormous wheezing cough behind them.

They all turned and looked.  The dragon had woken up.  To Applejack’s surprise, he was alive, trapped under the mountain.

She forced back her tears, gave Rainbow Dash one more hug, and walked over to the massive head protruding under the rubble.

“You... defeated me... hero.” he wheezed, all the anger gone from his voice.  

Applejack looked at him.  She sighed, knowing she would never forgive herself if she didn’t do the right thing.  “If we get a few more ponies here, we can probably get you out of the rubble in a few hours.”

His one eye regarded her with surprise.  “You... are offering... me salvation... after all... I did?”

She nodded.

“Forgive me... I have seen... so many false heroes... I am surprised... to see... what a true one... actually looks like.”  He coughed again.  “No... the roles... have been cast... the curtain... is falling...  I have been... living... far too long... anyway.  You... Applejack... do not let... bitterness change you... as it did me.”  He gave his last laugh.  “Things are... darker now.  I think I see...”  He took in one more breath.

He was silent.  The great black dragon was dead.

Applejack walked back to her friends slowly, head and tail drooping, the death of the dragon already weighing on her conscience.  

She collapsed against Rainbow Dash, exhausted from her trials, unable to lift a hoof.  

“Sleep,” said Rainbow Dash.  “We’ll take care of you now.”

The last thing she remembered was a gentle kiss on her forehead.

***

Announcement:  Alright, hold on!    I know what you're thinking - I told you all this would be the last chapter, but clearly we have things to wrap up, and I have yet to mark this story as complete.  Clavier and I talked, and we decided to spit the last part of the story in two.  This is technically the last chapter, but we're adding an epilogue to end the story.

We worked hard on getting this ready so that we could start working on the epilogue early.  That means we'll be able to release it before my usual three day deadline.  You can expect it in the next two days.

As always, please tell me what you thought!

-Gold