Rainbow Dash sat by the fire, smiling like an idiot. Applejack grimaced as she sorted out the berries she had gone to pick and looked up towards her marefriend, rolling her eyes at her smile. "Ya know..." Applejack muttered, sliding Rainbow's portion over to her "Ya can stop SMILIN' bout' it!" Rainbow Dash took a few berries up in her hoof and shook her head, eating a few and giggling

"Now why wouldn't I smile about something so....so....amazing?" Applejack face-hoofed as she spoke with a raised voice

"That's fantastic...but could you maybe, ya know, try not to be as rough next time? Ah still can't walk right..." At this Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, nearly spitting out her berries and pointing a hoof at Applejack

"T...that's friggin' HILARIOUS! Guess you can't handle a little Rainbow Rodeo huh?" Applejack blushed a bright shade of red as Rainbow scooted close to her, nuzzling her cheek and whispering in her ear "Ah figured...that a purty Apple Mare like yerself might enjoy a little rough tusslin'" Applejack shivered and shut her eyes, impressed with Rainbow's small attempt to talk like her.

"Yer an unfair tease you know that?" she sighed, eating a few berries of her own as she felt Rainbow tug on her ear playfully and whisper

"Yeah, but I know you like it, so you're going to have to deal with it" Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a playful shove and laughed, looking at the pouting face she gave her. Applejack trotted over, putting a hoof on her chest and gently pushing her back on her back. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something but was cut off as Applejack pushed her lips against hers. As they kissed, Applejack ran a hoof down her cheek and neck, dragging it gently down across the middle of her chest and towards her stomach. The country mare was kissing her in a way that made Rainbow Dash want to lean up and push herself against her, but every-time she did so Applejack leaned back just a little. When she finally let out a small moan of protest Applejack pulled away with a triumphant smile and pointed a hoof at her, taunting her

"Ha! Who's the unfair tease now?" Rainbow Dash sat up with an evil grin on her face, getting up on her hooves and getting into a low pouncing position, whispering

"The one who finishes what she started..." It took Applejack a moment to realize what she was talking about, and when she did Rainbow Dash had already lept towards her like a predator catching prey. Applejack squeaked

"OH HORSEAP-MMMPH!!!!!"

~~~

"Oh...mah...STARS!" Applejack gasped, laying next to Rainbow on her back, her chest heaving for air. Beside her, Rainbow Dash tried to laugh but found herself cut short of air also, and instead simply poked at Applejack's side and smiled

"Y...yeah...I have that effect on ponies..." Applejack looked towards Rainbow and muttered

"Ah would hope not!" Rainbow shook her head at this and smiled, turning her head and kissing Applejack on her cheek, whispering

"You know I'm just kidding...all I have I want it to be with you." Applejack rolled her eyes as she put a hoof to her own chest, her breath slowly starting to regulate as she muttered

"At least ah was SOBER this time...ah could actually enjoy it!" At this Rainbow Dash frowned, her eyes angling in a sad look as she whispered

"Y...you didn't enjoy your first time...?" Applejack smiled and rolled over weakly on top of her marefriend, pressing her lips gently against hers and whispering as she pushed her forehead against her lover's

"Ah'm just messin' with ya Sugarcube...ah did enjoy it...was the happiest ah've been in a long time...ah promise." Rainbow smiled and looked up at her lovingly, pulling her down for another kiss.

~~~

"So where'd you learn about all this survival stuff? Did you take like a class or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, hugging Applejack from behind while she looked over her shoulder and watched her marefriend make a fancy looking knot in her rope.

"Mah pappy taught me everythin' ah know bout' livin' in the out doors. He was a VERY smart pony...smartest outta all of em' ah reckon'" Rainbow Dash nodded and asked

"Well where did HE learn it from then?" Applejack shrugged, pulling one of the strands of rope with her teeth and muttering

"Ah think most of it he learned from the old war he had fought in. There was a bit o' nasty business up north of Stalliongrad, and he was a drafted to go up n' fight. Ah don't really know what the whole thing was about, and everypony ah asked when ah was younger wouldn't speak nuttin' about it, said it was taboo or some phooey like that." Rainbow Dash nodded and gave her a small kiss on the back of her neck, whispering

"Applejack?" the country mare's eyes looked towards her right, and she asked

"Yea hun'?" Rainbow Dash let out a warm sigh, pressing her cheek against Applejack's back and whispering quietly

"I love you..." Applejack smiled a little and whispered back

"Ah love you too...now come on, let's get this rig set up." Applejack moved out of Rainbow Dash's hold and made her way over towards the cliff. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at the the rope she had tied up with all of her knots and asked

"What's this thing for anyway?" Applejack tied one end of the rope to a large boulder and looked towards her marefriend, smiling and proclaiming

"It's a rappel line! Or...sorta. Ah tie you up, ah lower you down onto one o' them smaller cliffs down there, and you hop the rest of the way down. Ah spotted a path you can head down from the cliff, so in case of emergencies, you can get away!" Rainbow Dash nodded but suddenly frowned, muttering

"But...what about you?" Applejack dropped the rope by the rock and headed back towards the cave, the new fire she built and started roaring just outside the entrance. She looked up into the clear, beautiful blue sky as she spoke

"Ah made it fer only one, you're the most injured so you're gonna be goin' down that thing in case somethin' bad happens. Ah got mah pappy's knife and mah strength so ah'll be fine." Rainbow Dash walked over to her as the black plume of smoke rose up high into the sky.

"Look's like the storm's over..." Rainbow Dash whispered, leaning against Applejack "Do you think they're looking for us now?" Applejack nodded, her fire creating a giant smoke signal in the sky. Rainbow Dash suddenly yelped in surprise as The Voice shouted out in her mind

"Search Parties looking for me will need whatever visual and directional aid they can get to pinpoint my location. Smoke Signals and my large survival sign are two good ways to signal them, but I need to be cautious about NOISE and the Smoke Signals. The Search Parties won't be the only ones who see or hear the smoke signal or cries for help, so a quick escape plan or a defensive plan is a good route to take."

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as she heard the voice talk as if...it was her own voice. Applejack looked over and noticed her shocked expression, hearing her yelp as well.

"You alright Sugarcube?" She asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder. Rainbow Dash looked over towards Applejack and whispered

"Ok...just so we're clear, I'm NOT crazy! I've been...hearing a voice, that's been telling me what to do, where to find water, where to find shelter, how to deal with animals..." Applejack blinked and instantly said

"Ah, recallin' information...Eeyup, figures." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Applejack who sighed and explained "Ok, knowin' you, you were probably dosin' off, but yer ears were still listenin'. It's like you hear somethin', but ya don't really think bout' it unless ya really need it. With you crash landin', your mind probably went inta overdrive or somethin', starting bringing back all the information you were processin' while you were dosin' off." Rainbow Dash nodded and put a hoof to her chin, muttering

"Kinda like...subconscious thinking or something?" Applejack nodded and poked at her fire, making sure the smoking tower kept traveling higher.

They sat together for a moment, staring at the fire and closing her eyes, enjoying the light breeze that passed over the mountain. Their eyes snapped open however as the loud sound of howling echoed out from nearby. Applejack whipped her head towards the path and shouted

"Horseapples! The wolves found a way around the ravine!!!" The two of them rushed over to the cliff, peering over and gasping. The pack of wolves, now at least twenty to THIRTY in number, were running about in the woods below, one of the wolves catching sight of them and barking upwards towards them. It was then that Rainbow Dash poked Applejack on her shoulder, the apple mare's eyes flicking towards her and whispering "What is it?" Rainbow Dash was looking up towards the sky, her mouth partially agape as she asked

"Do you...hear something?" Applejack sat up, trying to hear over the sounds of the dogs barking. It took her a moment but then she finally gasped, whispering loudly

"Wings!"

A moment later a purple orb of magic shot out from one of the clouds, detonating near a group of three wolves that had begun to trek up the mountain path. Applejack looked up and gasped, watching as a golden chariot burst from the cloud, pulled by two royal guard ponies, three unicorns situated in the back. They flew over shakily as a brown-coated colt shouted below

"...TO YOUR SIGN!!!! CAN'T....WIND!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted back to them

"SAY AGAIN!?!" The Chariot banked lower but another gust of wind had them rocking violently for a moment, the unicorn shouting again

"RUN TO YOUR SIGN, WE CAN'T LAND BECAUSE OF THE WIND!!! RUN!!!!!!!!!" Rainbow Dash nodded and gave a loud squeak as Applejack pulled her roughly towards the rope rig she had tied together. Bolts of magic flew from the sky, trying their best to disperse the wolves as Applejack tied Rainbow into the harness. Rainbow Dash was pawing at Applejack's side, shouting in protest

"Applejack don't let me go alone! We can both make it! Please!!!" Applejack shook her head and gave one of the ropes a tug, making sure the rig was secure. She turned and held Rainbow's face in her hands, tearing up and giving her a deep kiss. She held herself there for a moment before speaking quickly

"Ah told you in case of an emergency! You get to yer sign, ah'll be right behind ya ah PROMISE!" Before Rainbow Dash could say anything else, Applejack shoved her off the cliff at an angle and held the rope tightly in her mouth. Rainbow screamed as she swung dangerously below, her marefriend gently letting the rope slide through her teeth and dropping the Pegasus slowly down towards the cliff. After a moment, Rainbow Dash had touched down on the cliff and quickly began to tear herself out of the harness, spotting the path Applejack had mentioned.

Applejack's teeth hurt as she dropped the rope, turning as the chariot was forced to move away, the wind becoming too much for them to handle. She trotted calmly over towards the fire, her knife laying next to it. She took it up carefully in her mouth and looked over towards the entrance to the path, three wolves coming over the top and growling savagely at Applejack. The country mare sucked in a breath and mumbled through the handle "Alright puppies...ya wanna dance? Ya'll done joined a rodeo that most uh ya'll ain't gonna be walkin' away from!"

~~~

Rainbow Dash was a multi-colored blur in the forest, bounding through the trees, bolts of magic crashing down around her as they tried desperately to keep the wolves at bay. She was fast approaching the ravine, one of the Unicorns spotting it and aiming a bolt of magic towards a tree near the edge. The colt aimed his horn and shot, the blast crashing into the base of the tree and sending it toppling over the ravine. It landed with a thunderous boom, creating a make-shift bridge over the chasm. Rainbow Dash lept onto it, barreling across as the wolves followed. She stopped in the middle, bringing her hind legs up and bucking a pursuing wolf in the face. The wolf gave a loud yelp and fell from the bridge, howling as it descended into the ravine's chasm. She shouted upwards

"There's still another pony back there!!! We can't just leave her there!" The chariot circled back around, a yellow mare shouting down towards her

"We'll hold the bridge! Just RUN!" Rainbow Dash stamped her hoof out of frustration and continued onwards towards the clearing that held her sign. She panted, doing her best to make her hooves go faster. As she reached the treeline she gasped, the sight before her simply unbelievable. Twenty chariots, ten on the ground, five circling around in the air, and five coming in for a landing, were taking up the clearing. Unicorns jumped from the chariot, sending bolts into the trees past Rainbow Dash, keeping the wolves at bay. A familiar voice cried out as she made her way towards the chariots

"RAINBOW DASH!!!" Twilight Sparkle had run out from behind one chariot, her horn aglow with a purple aura and her eyes filled with tears. Rainbow Dash rushed towards the unicorn who gave her a giant hug as she reached her.

A loud yelp made Rainbow's head turn, and what she saw next nearly broke her out. Applejack burst from the trees, knife bloody as well as her body. Long claw marks ran up her side, her face bloodied and her mane a total mess. A wolf pounced from behind her as Rainbow Dash screamed

"APPLEJACK!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!" The wolf bit into the back of her neck as Applejack cried out, falling forward and hitting the ground with a loud thud. Twilight Sparkle shoved Rainbow Dash back, turning her head and aiming her horn quickly. An arrow shaped burst of purple magic shot forth and caught the wolf in the face, making the beast fly back into a tree. Rainbow Dash was held back by Twilight, unable to reach her bleeding Marefriend who was being dragged towards the chariots by other unicorns. Her cyan hooves gingerly felt along Applejack's body as she was brought over to them, the rest of the ponies already getting back on board their own chariots and preparing to leave. Twilight stepped up onto the chariot holding Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the rest of the chariots rising up and turning in the air, heading back towards the direction of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash held Applejack tightly, shaking her as she tried to get her to respond or wake up "Applejack!!! APPLEJACK!!! No! Don't be dead, PLEASE! PLEASE!!! Don't leave me!!! I love you!!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! APPLEJACK!!!!" Applejack's eyes were closed, a blank expression on her face and her mouth partially agape, the knife falling from her teeth and clattering on the chariot floor.

Twilight felt tears in her eyes as Rainbow Dash wept, muttering weakly "A...Applejack, we made it! We're going home! P...please wake up!!! Twilight's here! You were right, she did come for us! Please wake up!!! Baby PLEASE!!!" Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, whispering

"R...Rainbow...?" Rainbow Dash didn't hear her, tears flowing form her eyes as she pressed her cheek against Applejack's left eye and sobbed.

"APPLEJACK!!!! APPLEJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!"