Rainbow Dash shivered like mad, pulling the vine she had in her mouth tight and tightening the knot she had made around one of the rocks leading up the mountain. She took a step back and admired her hoofwork, smiling at the improvised trap she had made. A tripwire had been set up and looped around to tie back a thin tree that had wrapped vines of thorns around its trunk. If anything crossed the tripwire, which now was carefully concealed by a few bushes and leaves, the tree would come sailing forward, marking the demise of any who dared to move upwards. She had already gotten a good view of the mountain, and upon careful inspection, discovered that her path was the only possible way up the mountain. She had already made several different traps near the entrance and near the halfway point, and had been lucky to find a small cave near the top of the mountain, a good-sized plateau resting in front of it as well.

She sneezed, trudging back up the mountain as the rain continued to pour. Night had descended on the Everfree, and the night had brought a severe cold which was taking its toll on the poor mare. She made it out onto the plateau and sneezed again, whining a little as she crept in her cave. A small circle of stones sat in the center of the cave, a log and a few sticks sitting without flame. Rainbow Dash sat on her belly and sighed, placing a jagged looking rock near the rocks and picking a smooth looking rock up in her mouth. She tried for the tenth time today to create a spark by bashing the two rocks together, the voice giving her advice on this only earlier

"Once shelter has been found and the proper steps to ensure defense and safety are in place, fire is your next main objective. NOTHING could be more important then the aspect of fire, as it is used for cooking your food, providing a smoke-signal for search parties looking for you, AND the most important element of all: Warmth. Without heat, you could quickly succumb to the elements and run the risk of stage two hypothermisus, which is the numbing of a Pegasus body to the point where flight is impeded and could potentially damage your already hurt wings."

Rainbow dropped the rocks, her mouth and teeth aching from the repeated banging. She curled up and shivered, tears forming in her eyes as she tried her best to stay warm by holding herself.

~~~

Applejack got up from the ground, her body soaked in mud and her mane brown with muck. She hoisted her saddlebags back on and reattached the leg-sheath that held Apple-licious's knife, heading back to the improvised tent she had built not too far away. A lone stick had been placed in the ground, holding up a lean-to sort of wooden frame Applejack had crafted from sticks and vines. A bed of leaves rested underneath the lean-to, out of the rain, and on top of that rested a thick mat of moss Applejack had gathered from nearby trees. Combined, they made a pretty comfortable, and not to mention soft, bed and blanket. She crawled under the lean-to, placing her saddlebags beside the bed of leaves and laid down on her belly gently. She plopped herself over on her side and curled up, pulling the mossy blanket over herself with her teeth and sighing. She made sure the knife was easily accessible, in case she was attacked in her sleep.

Sleep didn't come easy for the Apple Mare, her thoughts lingering on Rainbow Dash, wondering if she was ok. Prolonged exposure to the rain could make anypony sick, and if Rainbow hadn't found shelter, then things were going to get bad for her fast. As she thought this, a Rainbow Pegasus in her cave shouted with glee, a spark emitting from her rocks and catching a few of the small twigs on fire.

~~~

Rainbow Dash blew gently at the base of the fire, getting the flames to flare up a bit. A smile spread across her face as she snuggled up close to the fire, careful not to burn herself. She had convinced herself to at least try, ONE more time, to get the fire to start, and she was rewarded for her perseverance. Warmth spread through her body and she sighed, laying her head down on her front hooves. She stared at the fire for a good while, her thoughts wandering about and her body relaxing for the first time all day. She thought about the voice, thankful that it was still around. She dwindled on her weather team, wondering if everything was going alright with the storm, hoping that they had a plan to disperse it soon. Her thoughts finally fell on Applejack, the only pony to see her crash-land. Had she organized a search party? Was she on her way? These questions weren't nearly as important as the mare herself...her heart swelling at the thought of her soft green eyes, her straw colored mane, and her gleaming orange coat.

She had always thought of Applejack as her best friend, but there was always a part of Rainbow Dash that allowed herself to love the Apple Mare. She had always been there to pick her up from a failed attempt at one of her super cool stunts, had always offered her the best advice, and was there to listen whenever she needed to vent or simply talk about her day. She sighed, the heat of the fire bringing feeling back into her wings. She appreciated the warmth of the fire...but still wished that Applejack was there to share it with her. Her eyes drooped for a moment, the light of the fire flickering in her magenta eyes before she finally closed them, letting sleep take her.

~~~

The Next Morning

Applejack yawned, stretching her hooves out and blinking away the sleep from her eyes. She looked around with a frown, the surrounding area soaked with rain. It had stopped raining, but the skies were still black with ominous clouds and the wind was still blowing to hard for an air-based rescue. It would probably still be some time until a search party came looking for Rainbow Dash. Crawling out from under her lean-to, Applejack collected her saddlebags and turned her head towards a tree she had carved into the night before. An arrow was pointing in the direction of what she believed to be Rainbow's crash site, making sure to mark the general direction before she went to bed so that she wouldn't get turned around in the morning. She started her trot, taking in a deep breath and exhaling calmly, the forest air bringing her peace of mind amongst the chaos in the skies.

She moved through the forest with relative ease, her eyes on the lookout for any sign of Rainbow Dash. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted a break in the trees up ahead, a circular stretch of land just beyond.

"A clearin'?" she muttered questionably to herself, moving towards the treeline. She approached the edge of the trees and looked around carefully, checking for any signs of life. She didn't see any animals...but she did see SOMETHING odd about the clearing. A large quantity of sticks had been gathered in the center of the clearing, forming letters and what looked like the number '2'. Approaching the make-shift sign, she muttered quietly to herself "M...D...2, P, D? The hay does that mean?" She frowned and thought for a moment, scratching her chin with her hoof as she whispered "Sounds familiar...but where...OH, WAIT!" Her eyes widened as she remembered the day way back when she was a filly, the day at school where they were learning about the weather team. Her teacher had explained to them how the weather team worked, and how they depended on one another for survival. They even got to take a field trip to the local weather office in Ponyville, learning all about how the weather was scheduled for the area. It was on that day that she remembered a Pegasus had come bursting through the front doors, nearly running right into the class who were listening intently to the tour guide. The mare was screaming so loudly it nearly hurt Applejack's ears

"M D 2 P D!!!! Pegasus Down!!! Pegasus Down!!!"

Applejack gasped, looking up from the custom built sign and shouting at the top of her lungs

"RAINBOW!!!! RAINBOW WHERE ARE YA!?!? RAINBOW DASH ANSWER ME!!!!" She listened for a response and frowned as silence answered her. She dipped her head and sighed but suddenly froze, a twig snapping nearby. A low growling emitted from somewhere behind Applejack and she raised her head, eyes wide and her ears fully perked. As she looked up, she caught sight of a black pillar of smoke in the distance, stemming from a medium-sized mountain. "Rainbow..." she whispered, her eyes shifting to the left and her head turning slightly to look behind her.

A large wolf was standing at the edge of the trees, its yellow eyes gleaming with rage and hunger. After a moment another wolf appeared next to the first...and another...and another...and another. Soon enough, there were ten wolves staring down the country mare, who had this point slowly positioned her hooves to push off against the ground and bolt. "So..." she whispered, her eyes narrowing slightly and her voice dripping with determination. "Ya'll think you can catch me?" The wolves growled and got into a low pouncing position, their ears tilting back and their fangs peeking out of the top of their mouths. "Alright then, if you think you got what it takes....PONY'S ON EVERYWOLFY!!!" She shouted and bolted, rushing into the trees and in the direction of the smoke. The loud noises of barking blasted forth from behind her as the pack of wolves gave chase, rushing into the trees after Applejack.

She kept her eyes forward, darting around trees and leaping over logs, trying her best to take complicated routes through the foliage in attempts to slow her pursuers down. She gasped as she saw a thick wall of thorns just ahead, the wolves starting to catch up behind her.Her eyes caught sight of a small hole near the middle and she pushed forward, jumping forward with her front hooves extended and her aim set on getting through. She felt sharp pain rake up her left side and she let out a shrill cry, her voice echoing across the forest.

~~~

Rainbow Dash nursed her sore hoof, the throbbing pain making her wish she had watch where she was going. She looked up from her stubbed hoof as a cry rang out from far away in the distance. She blinked and looked towards the cave entrance, whispering quietly

"A...Applejack?"

~~~

Applejack grunted as she galloped forward, her left side feeling as if it were on fire, her breath coming out in ragged gasps and her coat thick with sweat. She spotted a break in the trees up ahead and pushed forward, the pain on her side intensifying as her body stretched the gashes from the boost of speed. She burst through the tree line and gasped, skidding to a halt and stopping just short of sailing over the edge of the deep ravine that stretched out in front of her. She looked back behind her, the sounds of barking drawing closer. She snapped her head back forward as she suddenly heard faint shouting on the wind

"Applejaaaack!!! Applejaaaack!!! Where are you!!!?"

Applejack gasped, her eyes widening as she heard the distant frantic yells of Rainbow Dash. She looked down at the ravine, then back towards the wolves who sounded like they were getting very close to the treeline. She narrowed her eyes and let out a sharp puff of air through her snout, galloping back towards the trees and turning around, facing the ravine.

"Can ah make it...?" she whispered to herself, the sounds of padding paws approaching rapidly. She narrowed her eyes and stared towards the other side of the ravine, pawing at the ground with her front hoof. "Ah have to make it...for Rainbow!" She bowed her head and pushed off with her hooves, galloping forward with all the speed she could muster, letting forth a furious scream as she approached the ravine. She kicked off with her back hooves and sailed up into the air, her world slowly down all around her and her front hooves reaching out for the edge of the ravine on the other side.

She had to believe that she could make it, that she would find Rainbow Dash. In the air, self-doubt had creeped into her thoughts, betraying her to the deadly ground far below in the ravine. The next few seconds of Applejack's life would be the longest she had ever experienced as she drew ever closer to the other side. She had placed a lot of faith in Rainbow's ability to survive, and now tried to place as much in herself as well.

There was no turning back now, as Applejack prepared herself to try and catch the edge of the ravine. She had made her choice, and it was now time.

She had accepted her trial to be reunited with Rainbow Dash, and had come too far to simply die now. She took a chance, gave it her all, and prayed with all her might that she could make it.

She had taken, for better or for worse, a leap of faith.