It took some doing, in fact it took all through the dark hours, but Applejack managed to claw her way up the cliff face of the First Circle and back onto the ground, finally resting at the ‘sanctuary’ that she and Coloratura and Autumn Blaze used to trap unsuspecting monsters.

Funny that now it really did feel like a sanctuary to Applejack, who was just relieved to give her arms a rest from climbing.

She had been carrying the small plushified form of Sunset Shimmer in her maw the entire time, and she was relieved to be able to drop Sunset and give her jaw a rest too. Granted, the enchantment keeping Sunset trapped in stuffed animal form hadn’t worn off just yet, so Applejack still needed to keep her close so the werewolf’s magic resistance could rub off on the demon.

So Applejack stuffed Sunset down her shirt. That oughtta do it.

As Applejack nestled into a cozy crevasse to rest her weary body and wait for Sunset to recover, she found herself wondering what their next move would be. And it immediately pinged her as odd that she was thinking about ‘their’ next move and not just ‘hers’.

She supposed she couldn’t run around the truth any longer. Applejack wasn’t strong enough to confront Rarity, or the Flim-Flam Brothers. She needed help to get her revenge, and Sunset Shimmer was in a prime spot to help her out.

Twilight too. Applejack couldn’t help thinking about Twilight, and wondering what Rarity was doing to her now that she was all alone. Of course, Applejack already knew what Rarity was going to do to her; hypnotize her and turn her into a drooling slave.

Awful. No one deserved a fate like that, least of all someone as swell as Twilight.

Maybe… Applejack could put her revenge aside for a moment, at least until she had rescued Twilight…

Maybe.

Applejack knew it’d be a while before Sunset was ready to fight again, and the werewolf felt that she desperately needed sleep, but she couldn’t bring herself to sleep when she felt so vulnerable. She needed to remain vigilant… although she could at least rest her eyes for a min—

What was that?

Applejack felt something, a presence nearby, and her ears perked up and she was immediately on high alert.

An enchanting song drifted into Applejack’s ears, and she suddenly realized the source of the presence; it was Coloratura, and since she gave away her position so easily, she likely wasn’t here to fight. Applejack was still wary, but she exited her crevasse and stepped out to confront the siren.

“Applejack! There you are!” Coloratura sighed in relief, placing a hand over her heart.

“Yeah, here I am,” Applejack said shortly. “Now what?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Coloratura said worriedly. “I heard about what happened between you and Coco Pommel, and—”

“Rarity send you?” Applejack asked sharply, and a cold silence washed over the two women.

That was all the answer Applejack needed.

“She did, but,” Coloratura said, putting up her hand defensively, Applejack shifting her weight to one side as she waited for Coloratura’s excuse, “I need you to listen to me, Applejack. Rarity doesn’t have any problem with us, all she wants is the soul. If we just hand over the demon to her, I’m sure that—”

“No,” Applejack said sternly.

“Wh— wh-what do you mean, ‘no’?” Coloratura blinked and stammered.

“I ain’t handin’ over anyone to that vampire,” Applejack growled. “I ain’t gonna be a part of her ghoulish slave circus! I ain’t gonna condemn anyone to a fate like that! Not Sunset Shimmer, not Twilight Sparkle, not anyone! Ever! Again!”

“Applejack, you can’t defeat Rarity,” Coloratura held her hand up to her mouth, tears wetting her eyes. “You just can’t, and certainly not all on your own!”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Applejack snapped and took a stomping step toward Coloratura. “You think I’m stupid, Rara?! Of course I know I’m no match for her! But I ain’t about to trade my pride away just to survive! I ain’t gonna be a part of what Rarity is doing here! I’m sorry,” Applejack put a claw over her face, bringing her hat down over her eyes, “I just can’t.

“This ain’t even about my revenge anymore, Rara,” Applejack drew herself up and took a deep breath. “I just can’t stand to let Rarity do whatever she wants to do. I can’t forgive someone who would strip the free will of monsters like that.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Coloratura asked coldly.

“I’m gonna kill Rarity,” Applejack growled. “And I’m gonna kill the Flim-Flam Brothers too.”

“How?” Coloratura asked flatly, staring right through Applejack, who faltered at the question.

“I— I dunno,” Applejack muttered. “I don’t know yet. Somethin’ with the soul maybe? I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

“Or die trying,” Coloratura said.

Applejack said nothing. She took a deep breath. She let it go in a harsh sigh.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“I can’t just stand by and watch you do that,” Coloratura choked out, fighting back tears.

“Then get far outta the way,” Applejack took another step forward, “or try and stop me.”

Coloratura stood her ground and looked up at Applejack, glaring and scowling even as the tears started to fall down her face. Seeing a woman Applejack cared about so much, even still after everything that had happened between them, starting to break down like this because of her actions, it made Applejack’s heart bleed.

But she couldn’t back down now. Not after everything she’d been through. Not while Rarity still drew breath.

Coloratura hung her head as her tears fell to the ground.

“I won’t stop you,” she whimpered. “I can’t stop you.”

“Then leave,” Applejack said coldly. She didn’t want Coloratura getting involved in this shit any more than she had already. If nothing else, Rara could get out of this with her life.

Coloratura nodded her head, and she didn’t say anything else as she turned back and disappeared into the grey fog of the First Circle wasteland, headed back toward the Paradise. Applejack fell to her knees and tried to keep herself composed.

She was doing the right thing. She had to be.

Thinking about Rarity and about Twilight, and about Rarity must have been doing with Twilight right about now, Applejack grit her teeth and steeled her conviction. She would rescue Twilight, kill Rarity, and everything could go back to the way it was…

And then she could get her revenge on the Flim-Flam Brothers.

oh to be a magical plush doll stuffed down the shirt of a muscular werewolf
...
sorry what were we talking about??