Fluttershy didn’t understand what had happened at first.

There was a sudden flash of magic and a few seconds later Applejack had fallen to the ground with two handles sticking out of her chest. Fluttershy gasped as her wings flared up of their own accord, lifting her away from potential danger into the tree crown. She gripped a branch tightly, observing the shocking scene unfolding below.

Applejack was grasping at her chest, illuminated by the unicorn’s glowing horn. The stallion said something as he approached and Applejack cried out in pain when he yanked his blades out of her. Every fiber of her being demanded that Fluttershy ease the mare’s pain, but the only thing she could do was helplessly watch as the pony she had promised to help was being slaughtered.

Fluttershy had considered intervening. She had been taught how to protect herself against dangerous creatures of the forest, so she knew how to use her spear. But one look at the unicorn’s intimidating bulk and his metal armor, along with his glowing horn, had made her body tremble.

An enraged scream sounded from the side and a moment later a blue shape smashed into the unicorn, causing him to stumble backwards. Quickly regaining his footing, he swung his dagger in front of him, preventing the rainbow-maned pegasus from advancing.

“Have you gone nuts?!” Rainbow Dash shrieked, spreading both of her wings in agitation. Fluttershy winced — she knew that one of her wings had been injured.

“This is a damn mutiny,” the unicorn snapped back and Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she noticed his second weapon — a knife — launching into Rainbow’s exposed side.

Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut, but there were no screams of pain like she had expected. The sound of a fight was what she heard instead. Still gripping the branch tightly, Fluttershy dared to open her eyes to see the unicorn and the pegasus struggle.

At that moment, Fluttershy was glad she hadn't intervened — she wouldn’t have stood a chance against this unicorn. Rainbow Dash, however, was a different matter. She was circling her opponent, raining down a hurricane of strikes at him as the unicorn’s weapons were dancing in his magic, flawlessly blocking Rainbow’s hoofblades.

But one moment he slipped. Rainbow seized the opportunity to leave a deep gash on his foreleg. The unicorn lost the grip of his magic, dropping his weapons, but jumped back just in time to escape the second hoofblade from piercing his neck.

His horn flared up, hitting Rainbow with a blunt wave of energy and launching the mare into a tree. She slammed into it with her back, grunting in pain, but managed to land on her hooves. Shaking her head, Rainbow took a fighting stance once again.

“Why are you fighting me, you dumb twat?” the unicorn asked, picking up both of his weapons again. “You barely even know her!”

An animal-like growl escaped Rainbow’s throat as she leaped at her enemy. The struggle resumed with new strength.

Even without using her wings, Rainbow Dash was as quick as lightning. Her opponent was barely able to defend himself against her aggressive attacks, having abandoned any notion of counter-attacking long ago. It was blatantly obvious that in close quarters the unicorn was inferior to Rainbow Dash. It was only a matter of time until his defenses finally fell.

Unfortunately, the stallion seemed to see that too.

Jumping back in a brief moment of respite, he yelled: “Catch that!” and hurled his knife at Applejack’s unmoving form.

Fluttershy clutched her mouth to stiffen a gasp, but Rainbow Dash’s reaction was faster. Throwing herself after the knife, she caught its handle with her mouth before it could further harm Applejack. Rainbow landed with a roll, turning to meet the unicorn’s inevitable attack, but it didn’t follow.

Instead, Fluttershy saw his tail disappearing behind the trees.

Rainbow Dash leaned to the ground as she steadied her breath, while her ears swiveled around at every little sound. A few minutes passed like that, but there was no sign of the unicorn returning. Even Fluttershy with her enhanced night vision and hearing saw no sign of him.

After another minute of silence, Rainbow finally turned her attention to her bleeding friend. Retracting her hoofblades, she rushed over to her and began removing Applejack’s armor, muttering something Fluttershy couldn’t quite catch.

Now, injuries were something Fluttershy could help with.

Releasing the brunch she'd been clinging to, the pegasus gently glided to the ground. Rainbow’s ears perked up in alarm and she turned to the mare sharply, causing Fluttershy to freeze in fear, but Rainbow quickly relaxed when she recognized her.

“Help me,” Rainbow ordered curtly, her words snapping Fluttershy out of her stupor.

“Okay, sorry!”

Working together, they released Applejack from her armor in no time in order to have access to her wounds. Fluttershy gulped when she saw what they were dealing with.

It was just as she had feared.

Though her chest plate had saved Applejack from a stab directly to the heart, the two deep wounds in her chest were pretty severe. The coat around them was soaked with blood. She was slowly bleeding out — there was already a small red puddle on the ground underneath her. Her breathing was short, suggesting that one of her lungs had likely been damaged.

Fluttershy knew how to tend to injuries — she was an apprentice to Gentle Touch, their village’s healer — but she had never dealt with something quite this serious in practice. Not to mention that she had only basic medical supplies with her. Still, she reckoned it was enough to stabilize her patient.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy dropped her saddlebag on the ground and fully focused on her goal. Rainbow Dash did what she could to help, but it fell to Fluttershy to clean Applejack’s wounds and apply some temporary stitching and bandages. Finally, she fed the mare a healing remedy. It was only good for healing small bruises and cuts more quickly, but it was better than nothing.

“You think she's gonna live?” Rainbow asked after they were done.

Fluttershy sat on her haunches, wiping sweat from her brow. “I hope,” she said, looking over her work. “I've done what I could.”

“We should get her to your village,” Rainbow Dash stated matter-of-factly. “Her and Flare both.”

Fluttershy looked away with a sigh. “I know, but we can’t carry them both.” Glancing at Rainbow’s athletic form, she added, “Maybe you can, but I don’t think I’m up for it.”

“We can make a stretcher or something to drag them with us,” Rainbow suggested. “It’d be much easier that way.”

“I suppose we could try,” Fluttershy shrugged.

The two went to work without wasting any precious time. While Fluttershy gathered some sturdy branches for the framework, Rainbow rummaged through their saddlebags in search of a rope to tie them all together. Unfortunately, what she had found wasn’t nearly enough.

“Fucking sergeant!” Rainbow exclaimed, kicking a tree hard in her frustration. Fluttershy drooped her ears slightly. “He had a whole skein of rope in his bag! I hate him!”

With that plan failed, there was only one option left.

“I’m going back to my village to ask the Elder to send help,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Rainbow Dash turned to glare at her. “Why didn't you do that sooner then?!”

“I’m not sure I can convince the Elder,” Fluttershy answered, lowering her gaze.

“You were pretty sure you could before!”

Fluttershy winced, looking away. “No, I never was. It just would be harder for him to turn you away when you’re already on our doorstep. But sending our ponies to carry you to our home… I’m honestly not sure if he will agree.”

“Well, take a risk,” Rainbow Dash said harshly. A few seconds later her expression softened. “I mean, please, Fluttershy! I don’t want Applejack to die on me too.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Fluttershy assured her, spreading her wings and bending her knees. “I promise I’ll be back by the morning. Even if he doesn’t send anypony with me, I’ll be back.”

Having said that, Fluttershy gently took off. As she got just above the treetops, she tied up her remaining bandage on one of the branches to mark the spot and, after orienting herself by the night sky, flew in the direction of her home.

The moon was rising over the horizon, casting its gentle light over the dark forest as Fluttershy raced over it. Though her eyes were sensitive enough to see without the moon’s help, she appreciated it nonetheless. Slowing down a little, she looked up and whispered her thanks to the glowing sphere in the sky and its dark mistress.

A slight frown creased her face at the sight of the moon’s surface where the image of Nightmare Moon used to be. Everypony knew the story, so there had been a small panic in her village a few months ago when it had disappeared. Contrary to everypony’s expectations, the days and nights had continued as usual, but Fluttershy still had a feeling of incoming doom every time she looked up.

Right now, however, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Two lives depended on her, so Fluttershy focused on flying. She worked her wings as she had rarely done before. It had taken her only half an hour until she saw familiar landmarks. Throttling her speed, Fluttershy gracefully slid between the trees, touching the ground with a soft thud.

Even though her home village was nearby, it was forbidden to fly over it. Fluttershy didn’t know why, but it was said that doing so would result in certain death. Though she was in a hurry, Fluttershy felt no desire to test that theory.

Tucking in her wings with a sigh, the pegasus proceeded on hoof.

A few minutes later a sound of movement from behind the trees made Fluttershy reach for her spear in alarm, but she relaxed when one of the sentries from her village stepped out. His bright orange eyes with black slits reflected the dim light of the moon. The two exchanged nods of greeting.

“I've never seen you flying in such a hurry, Fluttershy,” the sentry said. “Is something wrong?”

The sentry was a winged pony like Fluttershy, but that was where their similarities ended. In place of a pegasus’ feathered wings, he had leathered ones like those of a bat. His pointed ears swiveled around constantly, assuring that nothing would sneak up at him.

“I— I must speak to the Elder about that,” Fluttershy said, trotting past the batpony. “Sorry.”

“Okay then,” he answered with a nod. “Good luck.”

Fluttershy thanked him and was on her way.

She knew the road by heart, but even so, it took her another half an hour to cross the swamp to reach an island in its center where her home village lay. In the centuries since it had been founded, only a few selected outsiders had been allowed to visit Hollow Shades.

Fluttershy sincerely hoped that today would be one of those times.

She felt the solid ground under her hooves as she finally reached the outskirts of her village that occupied the majority of the small island. Most of the dwellings were carved inside the massive trees that naturally grew here, but there was a number of traditionally built houses. Fluttershy trotted past them, heading directly to the Elder’s treehouse.

Despite the late hour, her fellow pegasi and batponies were out and about. Fluttershy exchanged greetings with those she knew, but she didn’t stop for a chat as she usually would, getting a few surprised glances in return. Soon she was standing in front of the Elder’s door.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Fluttershy tapped on it.

“Come in, Fluttershy!” a deep voice from inside the treehouse yelled.

Fluttershy did as she was told, finding herself in a small, dim-lit foyer. Some glowing moss was spread out on the ceiling, providing enough light to see that the Elder was not there. Fluttershy swiveled her ears until she heard something from deeper inside the house and went in the sound’s direction. She found the Elder busy in the kitchen.

“How did you know it was me?”

“You’re the only one who knocks so softly, my child,” the elder chuckled. “I barely heard you.”

The Elder of Hollow Shades was a batpony with a graying mane, but his stature was still impressive despite his age. His dark green coat looked even darker in the dim illumination of the kitchen. A sacred golden necklace on his neck was the only sign of his elevated status.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, leaning her ears back slightly. “I’ll… try to knock more loudly next time.”

“It’s alright, child,” the elder chuckled, chopping something on the tabletop. “What brings you here tonight? Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol?”

Fluttershy gulped, her eyes suddenly drawn to her hooves.

“That’s why I’m here, Elder,” Fluttershy whispered, daring to glance at him. The Elder raised his eyebrows and Fluttershy continued. “Something happened.”

A concerned expression appeared on the Elder’s face. He laid down his knife and approached Fluttershy, gently lifting her chin. Their eyes met.

“Tell me what happened, child.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and started from the beginning, telling him about the airship crash and how she and her companions had followed the survivors through the forest. The Elder was nodding in approval until Fluttershy got to the part where she had started to feel sorry for a gravely injured survivor.

“We cannot afford to feel sorry for outsiders, Fluttershy,” the Elder shook his head, giving the mare a disapproving gaze. “Save your kindness for our fellow ponies, not for some strangers from beyond. They would not feel sorry for us.”

Fluttershy fell silent, scrapping the floor with her hoof. The Elder was not going to like the rest of the story.

“What happened next?”

“I… I revealed myself to them and offered my help.”

“You did what?!”

Fluttershy took a step back from the Elder, unable to even look at him. The Elder quickly composed himself and ordered her to continue, so she told him the rest of her story.

“That’s why I’m here now,” Fluttershy finished. “Please, they will die without our help,” she pleaded, even though she could guess what the response was going to be.

“That's absolutely out of the question,” the Elder said firmly, stomping his hoof for emphasis.

Fluttershy’s heart dropped.

“Please, Elder, I promised I would help them,” Fluttershy forced herself to look him in the eyes, and the Elder met her with a stern gaze.

“We do not help strangers, Fluttershy,” he said, shaking his head. “Neither do we harm them. We just make sure they don’t find our home, that’s all.”

“But we can help them, Elder,” Fluttershy said, standing up a little straighter.

“Yes, we can,” the Elder nodded curtly. “But we won’t. This is how things are.”

“But they don’t have to be!” Fluttershy stomped her hoof in anger, surprised at her outburst. Even the Elder looked shocked for a second before composing himself again. “We don’t have to let those ponies die. It’s just wrong.”

The Elder scrunched his muzzle, looking away. “Maybe it is, child, but our safety is more important. Our village must remain hidden from the outside world.”

Fluttershy shook her head. She shared the Elder’s concerns, but there were ways to help those ponies without giving away their village’s location. The reasons he had given her were mere excuses.

“Maybe that’s why we have to hide from the outside world,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “If you don’t want to help them, I will do it myself.”

As Fluttershy turned to leave, the room lit up by a warm light emanating from behind her. She looked back in surprise and froze, unable to believe her eyes, her task temporarily forgotten.

The Elder’s necklace was glowing in a gentle light.

The necklace wasn’t a simple trinket. It had been passed on from Elder to Elder for generations from the founder of Hollow Shades himself — General Shadow. He in turn had been gifted the necklace from none other than the Goddess of the Sun after having helped her to defeat Nightmare Moon, her fallen sister who had succumbed to madness.

“Holy teats of…” the Elder whispered.

Fluttershy’s appalled stare flickered towards him before returning to the necklace. The Elder slowly removed it from his neck and held it in his hoof. Its glow intensified, making it painful to look at, but both of them stared at the divine artifact in awe nonetheless.

“W-what does it mean?” Fluttershy asked in a shaking voice.

“We both know what it means, child,” the Elder said, approaching her. The necklace glowed yet brighter. “Take it.”

Fluttershy was taken aback by his words, but then she nodded and reached out to take the necklace off his hoof. The moment she touched it, a strange warmth spread out from the necklace throughout her body. She yanked her hoof away in surprise.

“Don’t be afraid, child. It’s not going to hurt you,” the Elder said softly. “It has chosen you.”

“But— why me?”

“I have a few guesses, child,” the stallion said, shaking his head. “You remember the founder’s words, don’t you?”

Fluttershy nodded. She, along with everypony in Hollow Shades, remembered his words well. Closing her eyes, she recalled them in her memory. Only a pony with true kindness in their heart will be able to wield this Element. The necklace — or the Element as he had called it — apparently thought that she fit that description.

Fluttershy gasped as she remembered the rest of the founder’s words.

“Does it mean I have to go on a pilgrimage now?”

“Indeed, my child!” the Elder nodded rapidly. “We have been waiting for this moment for generations! I didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime…”

Fluttershy’s head was spinning from all the sudden developments, but she remembered the original reason why she had come to the Elder. For the moment, it was more urgent than the necklace and her looming pilgrimage. Flattening her ears, Fluttershy looked at the Elder.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for that right now. I need to go help those ponies.”

“Wait,” the Elder stopped her as she was about to leave. “I'll agree to help them.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows shot up.

“It is the Goddess’s will, don’t you see?” the Elder explained with a strange smile. “She has given us a sign! Take the necklace, please.”

“Well, okay.”

Fluttershy reached out again and took the necklace with a shaking hoof. The warmth spread through her again, but this time the mare ignored the feeling. She was unsure if she deserved such an honor, but who was she to argue with the will of the Goddess and her Element?

Under the Elder’s watchful gaze, Fluttershy locked the necklace on her neck. She gasped in fear as it shrank slightly, shining even brighter for a second, but after that its light dimmed until it went out completely. Fluttershy exhaled in relief — she didn’t fancy the idea of walking around glowing like a Hearth's Warming Tree.

“This… is incredible,” the Elder whispered. “It truly has chosen you.”

Fluttershy looked at him and noticed an awed expression on the stallion’s face. His eyes were on the necklace, so Fluttershy followed the direction of his stare, craning her neck to take a peek at it herself. What she saw made her gasp.

Where once there had been a smooth golden surface, a pink gemstone was now embedded in it.

A gemstone in the form of three butterflies — Fluttershy’s cutie mark.

It had been mere hours since Fluttershy had left, but it had felt much longer for Rainbow Dash. The pegasus paced around the small clearing in the faint moonlight, frequently checking up on Applejack to make sure she was still breathing, but there was nothing more she could do for her, and it was driving her nuts.

Rainbow Dash was used to solving her problems on her own, rather than having to depend on somepony else. Especially if that somepony was a pony she had just met.

But that wasn’t the only thing that was plaguing her thoughts. Soon after her fight with the sergeant had ended, the full weight of her actions had dawned on her. She had assaulted an Equestrian soldier, which was an act of treason. If the sergeant managed to reach Stalliongrad, her military career would be over, if not worse.

Despite the possibly dire consequences, Rainbow was surprised to realize that she felt no regret over the decision itself. Her only regret was that she had failed to finish the sergeant off. Rainbow and Applejack were far from friends, but what the sergeant had tried to do was simply wrong. A pegasus commander would never have done that; she was sure of it. Rainbow shook her head in disgust.

After a while, Rainbow finally sat with her back to a tree, keeping Applejack and Flare in her field of view. Without the sound of her hoofsteps, the eerie sounds of the nightly forest hit her with full force. Her ears swiveled to every little crunch or distant howl as she tried to determine if she should be concerned or not.

After all, she had never been in that forest before.

As time went on, however, Rainbow slowly relaxed, and as she did, the events of the long day began taking their toll on her. Her head was dipping lower and lower as she struggled to remain awake, but it was a losing battle. She jerked up and sat straight for a while after her face had hit the ground, but five minutes later her loud snores filled the forest.

Fluttershy and five other ponies — pegasi and batponies alike — made their way through the swamp. They moved as fast as they could in such a terrain, hurrying to help the strangers. Fluttershy only hoped that Rainbow and the others were alright. It had been a while since she'd left them.

Nopony had questioned the Elder’s orders when he had summoned them, but Fluttershy saw the surprise in their eyes at being given such a task. What truly shocked them, however, was the fact that she was wearing General Shadow's necklace. Even though it had changed its appearance, everypony recognized it for the sacred relic it was.

As soon as they had left the Elder’s treehouse, the ponies bombarded Fluttershy with questions. The revered looks the ponies were giving her made her feel uncomfortable, but she still told them everything she knew on their way through the swamp.

“Why do you think the necklace chose you?” somepony asked.

Fluttershy shrugged, thinking back on her conversation, and shared the Elder's theory with the rest.

“So you have to be nice to everypony to have the necklace choose you?”

“I guess so,” Fluttershy said, feeling her cheeks burning. “But I don’t think it’s that simple. We have plenty of nice ponies in Hollow Shades.”

“Everypony knows you’re the nicest one, Fluttershy,” a pegasus behind her said, and Fluttershy’s blush intensified. Luckily she was in the lead, so nopony could see her red face.

The rest of the journey through the swamp was filled with similar conversations as ponies discussed Fluttershy’s upcoming pilgrimage. She felt uncomfortable about them discussing her fate so openly, but at least nopony was complaining about being dragged from their own business to help some strangers.

Once the ponies started flying, the conversations became sporadic. It was hard to talk with the wind blowing on your face as you raced through the night.

“How are we going to find them in here, Fluttershy?” one of the pegasi asked, catching up with her.

Rather than answering, Fluttershy flapped her wings harder, lifting herself higher above the treeline, and searched the sea of trees below her. They were at the very edge of the forest with seemingly endless planes beyond its borders stretching as far as she could see. There were no clear landmarks to orient oneself on, except for the white bandages Fluttershy had tied to a tree, but she couldn’t see it right now.

Rejoining the others, Fluttershy explained what to look for and they split up, their eyes searching for the telltale sign. It was a good thing that everypony in Hollow Shades had perfect night vision, Fluttershy thought. But even so, it was taking a disturbingly long time for them to find what they needed.

Just when Fluttershy started worrying that she had messed up the direction somehow, a yell broke the silence of the night.

“Found it!”

“Found it!”

A sudden sound made Rainbow Dash jump to her hooves in an instant, drawing her hoofblades from her vambrace on her forelegs. She took a fighting stance on her hindlegs, unfolding her undamaged wing for balance, and searched for the source of the scream. A moment later she noticed a dark pegasus figure, illuminated by the moonlight from behind, descending from the sky.

Rainbow’s heart surged with the hope that her squadmates had finally found her, but that notion was quickly squashed as she took in the pegasus’ appearance. It wasn’t a militia member. The stallion had a spear in his hooves pointed at her, and the garments he wore were the same as Fluttershy’s.

The two stared at each other for a few tense seconds until Fluttershy herself landed near the stallion.

“The Elder has agreed to help,” she explained, walking up to Applejack and checking on her. Then she went to Flare to repeat the same procedure.

“That’s good,” Rainbow nodded, relaxing her posture, and dropped on all fours as she retracted her hoofblades.

Fluttershy’s comrades were arriving one by one while the mare was fussing over Rainbow’s friends. Rainbow Dash eyed the new arrivals warily. From what Fluttershy had told them about her fellow villagers, she wasn’t eager to trust them. Then her eyes widened in shock.

Batponies!

“Whoa there!” she exclaimed, rearing up and extracting her hoofblades again.

The ponies reacted with pointing their spears at her, but Rainbow wasn’t worried. She could take them all if it came to that. It would be difficult even for her, but possible if she moved fast. Even if she failed, which was unlikely, it was better to go down fighting rather than be captured by those night demons!

“We’re here to help, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said soothingly, stepping in front of her before the cyan pegasus could spring to action. “What’s wrong?”

“Batponies!” Rainbow exclaimed. Her eyes darted from one pony to another, expecting them to attack at any second.

“They’re all nice, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy assured her. “They came with me. No one is going to harm you or your friends. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid!”

Yet, despite her words, Rainbow Dash’s heart was fluttering in her chest like a panicked butterfly. Batponies were the creatures of legends and horror stories. They were the spawns of Nightmare Moon herself, a creature from the darkest depths of Tartarus. Nopony had seen them in Equestria for centuries and some even considered them a myth, and yet here they were, casually standing right in front of her with spears.

Rainbow shifted slightly, sizing up Fluttershy. She didn’t seem like a fighter — she would go down easily.

“You should trust me, Rainbow,” Fluttershy pleaded. “I've risked a lot by revealing myself to you and offering my help. Your friend doesn’t have much time. If you want us to help her, lower your blades, please. No one is going to hurt you, I swear.”

Rainbow Dash scowled, her eyes darting towards Applejack. She didn’t want her to die, but could she trust those batponies to help them? They might only want her for some dark ritual for all Rainbow knew. And yet, they could have easily taken her in her sleep just a few minutes ago if that had been their intention.

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy’s face, trying to find any sign of deception there, but seeing none.

“Rainbow, please! I know you outsiders probably view the batponies as monsters, but that’s not true. They’re ponies just like you and me. Let us help you.”

With a frustrated groan, Rainbow retracted her blades again and lowered herself on all fours. Fluttershy sighed in relief at that.

“I’m keeping my eyes on them,” Rainbow said, glaring at the batponies behind her. They returned the gesture in kind.

“Of course.”

After that, Rainbow watched for a few tense minutes as the ponies carefully put Applejack and Flare on stretchers, securing them with ropes. Each stretcher then was picked up by a pair of ponies. One was left unoccupied, however.

“This one is for you,” Fluttershy said, pointing at it.

Rainbow Dash flickered her tail. “How did you know I couldn’t fly?”

“I know a wing injury when I see one, Rainbow.”

“I see.”

Rainbow stared at the stretcher uncertainly. If she agreed to be carried on it, she would leave herself at their mercy. Rainbow Dash hated the very idea of that, but leaving Applejack alone with those ponies seemed just as bad.

“Get on it, will you?” the pegasus standing next to Fluttershy gestured with her spear.

Rainbow glared at her, but after an encouraging nod from Fluttershy, she slowly approached the stretcher and lowered herself onto it on her belly.

“I’ll be fine,” Rainbow stopped Fluttershy with a gesture when she was about to secure her with a rope.

“Are you sure about that?”

Rainbow Dash nodded.

She didn’t want to be left completely defenseless. Rainbow reckoned that even with her injured wing, she would at least be able to glide to the ground if worse came to worst.

“Well, okay then,” Fluttershy said. “Hold tight.”

Fluttershy and another pegasus picked up her stretcher between them and the whole group took off. Rainbow Dash’s wings twitched on reflex as she moved through the air, fighting the urge to spread them wide open.

“How far is your village?”

“A few hours away if we hurry,” Fluttershy answered.

Rainbow Dash groaned. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

“Rainbow, are you asleep?”

The pegasus cracked her eyes open to see a concerned female face looming over her. Rainbow stared back at it in confusion. It took her a moment to remember whose face it was. Fluttershy, a pegasus who— Rainbow’s eyes widened in shocking realization — she had fallen asleep in the air!

“Eh, no! Of course not,” Rainbow sputtered, rolling off the stretcher and flipping her mane. “I was just thinking. About stuff. Really hard, you know?”

The second pegasus who had carried Rainbow’s stretcher snorted, invoking the mare’s glare. It only made his grin wider.

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said, flickering a quick smile herself.

Rainbow pursed her lips indignantly.

While Fluttershy went to check on the wounded, Rainbow looked around. They were still in the forest as far as she could tell. Why had they landed early then? Rainbow tensed up, giving the batponies nearby a suspicious look. Their eyes glowed at her from the dusk and she flinched, suppressing her desire to extract her hoofblades.

“Are we far from your village, Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, flicking her ear.

“No, but we have to go the rest of the way on hoof,” the pegasus explained, having finished her checkup. She approached Rainbow and looked her in the eyes. “We need to cross the swamp, Rainbow. Follow our steps exactly, please. It’s dangerous to wander off the path.”

Rainbow had no idea what she'd meant by "the swamp", but she nodded as if she had understood.

She got the chance to fill the gap in her knowledge pretty soon.

The swamp was a nightmare. Rainbow heeded Fluttershy’s warning as best she could as they made their way through the stinky wet mess. If it wasn’t for Fluttershy’s guidance, Rainbow would never have been able to survive there. Even with her help, she had misstepped a few times, soaking her legs in the cold water.

“Why couldn’t you just fly over it?” Rainbow asked in frustration the first time it had happened.

“We would die if we tried,” was Fluttershy’s only answer.

Rainbow kept pressuring her, trying to get a clearer answer out of the mare, but Fluttershy either didn’t want to share the information or she simply had no answer herself. It took a threat from one of Fluttershy’s companions for Rainbow to drop the issue.

They walked the rest of the way in almost total silence.

“We’re almost there,” Fluttershy said suddenly.

Rainbow perked up, staring into the darkness ahead, but saw only the massive trees of the forest. Well, at least it wasn’t the swamp — Rainbow was sick of that place.

A few minutes later Rainbow finally felt some solid ground under her hooves. She suppressed her disgusting desire to kiss it and simply enjoyed the pleasant sensation of firmness. It had nothing on the gentle softness of the clouds, but it was still infinitely better than this treacherous swamp.

“Let’s go,” Fluttershy hurried her along.

Soon, Rainbow realized that the trees she'd walked past were not simple trees — they were houses. There were a couple of more traditional wooden buildings here and there, but as far as she could see, the majority of the village’s houses were carved inside live tree trunks. Everything was lit by moonlight — there was no illumination apart from that. The village was unlike any settlement Rainbow had ever seen before! Although, truthfully, aside from Cloudsdale, she had only been to Stalliongrad and Stonehill so far.

The most shocking revelation, however, was seeing pegasi and batponies living here together.

They all stared at their procession as Rainbow and the rest walked through the village. At first, Rainbow Dash had assumed they were looking at her, but soon she noticed that their attention was focused on Fluttershy. Or, rather, a new necklace on her chest. The yellow pegasus squirmed uncomfortably under their gazes but kept moving forward.

Soon they had reached one of the traditionally built houses, and Fluttershy hushed everypony inside. She visibly relaxed as soon as she had gotten away from all the prying eyes, letting out a sigh before pulling herself back together.

“Get the patients onto those cots,” she told the ponies carrying the stretchers. “Be careful.”

Rainbow glanced around the room she was in. It looked remotely like a doctor’s office back in Cloudsdale, but unlike it, the furniture here was crudely made and the whole place was gloomy — the only sources of light were some weird glowing heaps of something on the ceiling.

“What’s going on, Fluttershy?” a dark-coated pegasus asked, walking in from another room. He looked at Applejack and Flare as they were laid out onto the cots, before turning his attention to Fluttershy. His mouth opened in shock. “Is that— Is that what I think it is?”

Fluttershy flickered her gaze at her neck and nodded. “Um, yes. I’ll explain later. We have two ponies in need of your attention.”

The dark-coated pegasus nodded, turning his head to the wounded. His eyes narrowed.

“Are those outsiders?”

“Yes. The Elder is aware of the situation,” Fluttershy said as she started removing Applejack’s bandages. “Please, I need your help, Gentle Touch,” She glanced at Rainbow. “You and the rest wait outside, please.”

Rainbow wanted to protest, but she instead nodded curtly and exited the building. Even she realized it was a bad idea to argue with the pony who was trying to save your friend’s life. The five other ponies followed her outside. Rainbow Dash tried to ignore them as she sat by the door, preparing to wait for however long it took.

While she waited, Rainbow Dash observed the village. She searched for anything suspicious, but so far the ponies here seemed pretty normal. Mundane even, if she ignored the fact that it was night out. There wasn’t a single sign of any blood sacrifices or dark rituals taking place as she would have expected to see in a batpony-populated village.

Rainbow almost felt disappointed. Almost.

“So, do you all just live here together or something?” Rainbow broke the silence. “Batponies and pegasi, I mean.”

The five ponies exchanged glances before one of them, a batpony, answered. “Yes, we do. We call our village Hollow Shades.”

“Neat.”

The silence stretched on for a few more minutes.

“And you never go outside? Do you even know what’s happening in Equestria?”

“Of course we know,” the same batpony said with a snort. “We’re not some savages. The Elder often sends somepony to gather information about you outsiders. He shares what he learns with the rest of us.”

The batpony suddenly tensed up, looking somewhere behind Rainbow Dash. The mare followed her gaze, seeing an elderly batpony approaching.

“Let me guess, it’s the Elder?”

The batpony nodded quickly.

“Welcome to Hollow Shades, stranger,” the Elder said once he had gotten closer. He spoke with the same accent as Fluttershy and the rest, but it was much clearer. “I am the Elder. We’re doing you a great honor by allowing you into our home.”

Rainbow bowed her head slightly. “Thanks, I guess. I’m Rainbow Dash.” She was silent for a few seconds as she eyed the Elder. “Thank you for helping my friend, by the way. I owe you one.”

“You can thank the Goddess of the Sun for that, child,” the Elder said. “It is by her will that you and your friends are here.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Eh…”

“So, how are they doing?” the Elder asked.

Rainbow shrugged, glancing at the door of the clinic. “I don’t know. Fluttershy asked me to wait outside. She’s there with some other guy.”

“Gentle Touch,” the Elder nodded. “He is our best healer; Fluttershy is his apprentice. Your friends are in good hooves with them.”

“Good to know.”

“Now, I wish to ask you some questions,” the Elder said. “We’re helping your friends, so it’s only fair for you to help us in return.”

Rainbow Dash tensed up slightly. “What do you want?”

“Please, let us go to a place more appropriate for having a conversation.”

“Nope,” Rainbow shook her head. “I’m going to wait right here until I know my friends are okay.”

“Admirable dedication,” the Elder said with a forced smile. “But I give you my word that you’ll be told as soon as there is any news about your friends.”

“Thanks, but no,” was Rainbow’s answer. “I’ll wait right here.”

“You'll do as the Elder says!” somepony behind her snapped. Rainbow turned to glare at the pony and saw him lowering a spear at her. His four comrades followed his example. Rearing up, Rainbow extended her hoofblades, ready for a fight.

“Everypony calm down,” the Elder said, and the ponies next to Rainbow relaxed their posture slightly. “You can wait here if you want; it’s not an issue. I can talk to you here. You five are free to return to your own business.”

The five ponies lowered their spears, exchanging glances. They didn’t seem in a hurry to leave.

“Are you sure you want to be left alone with her? She might be dangerous.”

“I’ll take that risk,” the Elder said calmly. “Leave us.”

Rainbow flashed a triumphant smile at the five as she retracted her blades.

They left grumbling, leaving Rainbow alone with the Elder. The mare’s smile disappeared, and she eyed him tensely as he sat on the ground near her. She had to admit, it was pretty bold of him to be left alone with a total stranger.

“Sit, please.”

Rainbow did as she'd been told, keeping her eyes on the Elder. It was weird to be sitting so close to a batpony. His slit-pupil eyes put her on edge, but Rainbow was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as his ponies were helping her friends, of course.

“Are you willing to answer my questions?”

Rainbow nodded. She wasn't planning on telling him any secrets, but sharing some general information was the least she could do.

“Well then, my first question is…”

Applejack slowly cracked her eyelids open, only to shut them immediately when a bright light assaulted her sensitive eyes. A few moments later she made another attempt, squinting at her surroundings as she tried to understand where she was.

A ceiling hung above her, so she concluded that she was inside a house. The ceiling, however, looked like it was carved out of one solid piece of wood. It was weird, to say the least.

Applejack tilted her head to explore the rest of the room. It was a simple bedroom that looked rustic even by her standards. There was a small table beside the bed she was occupying, a chair and a cupboard by the wall. It didn’t tell her anything about her whereabouts.

She shut her eyes as she gathered her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was that blasted sergeant stabbing her twice and then gloating about it. She had thought herself a goner right then, but she had managed to survive the injury, apparently.

Unless this was the afterlife.

The thought made her nervous. Lifting her foreleg, Applejack moved her blanket aside and stared at her bandaged chest. She touched it carefully, feeling slight pain as she did so. No, it didn’t feel like the afterlife.

She was thirsty, Applejack realized.

She looked around, but there was no glass of water conveniently waiting for her, so she slowly rolled to her side, wincing as a mild stab of pain shot through her chest, and climbed off the bed, making a loud clank when her hooves met the wooden floor.

Her ears swiveled at the sound of hurried hoofsteps outside and a moment later the door burst open. Applejack tensed up, flicking her eyes around the room in search of something to use as a weapon, but relaxed when she saw a familiar rainbow-maned pegasus trotting inside.

“Applejack! What are you doing out of bed?!”

“I’m thirsty,” Applejack explained, taking a few steps forward and stumbling as her head spun.

“Fluttershy said you’re not supposed to be walking for at least another week,” said Rainbow, rushing to Applejack and grabbing her before she fell. “Get back into bed. I’ll get you some water.”

Applejack nodded in reluctant agreement, gritting her teeth. With Rainbow’s help, she was put back into bed.

“What happened, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. “Where’s Flare?!”

“Relax, Applejack, Flare’s okay,” Rainbow waved her hoof. “She’s in the other room.”

Applejack searched the pegasus’ face for any sign of a lie, but the mare seemed to be telling the truth.

“Is she awake?”

“No, but Gentle Touch thinks she’s going to recover soon.”

“Who the hay is Gentle Touch?” Applejack asked with a frown, looking around the room again. “Where are we anyway?”

“Gentle Touch is the healer here, in Hollow Shades,” Rainbow explained. “We’re in Fluttershy’s village. She asked the Elder to help, and he agreed because she made some necklace glow, I think.”

“Ye're makin' no sense, Rainbow.”

“Hey, I’m just saying what they told me!”

Applejack nodded. It wasn’t really important at the moment. What was important was that Flare was still alive and, according to Rainbow, recovering. Applejack felt like a mountain had fallen off her shoulders at the news. She moved to get off the bed again to see Flare for herself, but Rainbow pressed her back.

“You’re in no condition to stand, Applejack,” Rainbow said in response to her glare. “I told you I’d get some water.”

“Forget about the water! I want to see Flare.”

Rainbow frowned. “Look, she’s not going anywhere. She’s still asleep.”

Applejack fell silent for a moment. “Still want to see her. Make sure she’s okay.”

“Alright, fine!” Rainbow groaned. “I’ll help you walk then if you’re so stubborn.”

Applejack nodded. Throwing her foreleg over Rainbow for support, she got off the bed once again. She winced as moving her forelegs disturbed the wounds on her chest, but she gritted her teeth, suppressing a groan.

“Are you okay?’

“I’m peachy,” Applejack snapped. “Let’s just go.”

The two slowly moved towards the door. Even with Rainbow’s help, it was hard for Applejack to walk. She had never felt so weak before, but on the other hoof, she'd never been stabbed twice. Or at all. She frowned as she thought of the pony who had stabbed her.

“What about the sergeant though? Why didn’t he finish me off?”

Rainbow flickered a smile. “What do you think?”

“Ya stopped him?” Applejack raised her eyebrows. “But why?”

Rainbow almost dropped Applejack as she flared her wings in anger. “Do you really think I’d just let him kill you like that?”

“Well,” Applejack drawled, drooping her ears slightly, “We don’t really know each other, ya know? Ya were plenty mad at me ‘cause I beat ya in that training back on the ship. And we'd just fought each other before that—”

“It doesn’t mean I wanted you to die!” Rainbow exclaimed, stopping just before the door and glaring at Applejack. Her tail flickered left and right angrily, hitting Applejack’s thighs. “What do you take me for?! That bastard stabbed you because you wanted to help your friend against his orders. It— it was wrong. I couldn’t let him.”

“Did you kill him then?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, he ran away with his tail between his legs. Coward.”

“Ya’ll be in a heap of trouble if he gets to Stalliongrad, ya know?”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that part,” Rainbow said with a sigh, flattening her ears. “I’ll probably be thrown out of the Militia. Or worse…”

“I’m sorry for gettin' ya into this,” Applejack winced, looking away.

“Not your fault,” Rainbow answered flatly. She opened the door, and they walked into a small corridor together. “I was the one who made the decision.”

“Ya saved my life,” Applejack said quietly. “Twice. I won’t ever forget it.”

“Just don’t do anything to make me regret it,” Rainbow grumbled. “I kinda ruined my military career because of you. And my wing is still hurt.”

Applejack nodded. “I won’t; I promise. And if ya ever need something, I’ll be happy to do whatever I can. I’m sure Flare would feel the same way.”

“Okay, okay, I appreciate it. Just don’t go all mushy on me,” Rainbow said.

The two stopped in front of a door at the other end of the corridor. Applejack looked back at the door into her own room. It was a short distance away, but it had taken so long to walk it.

“She’s in there.”

Rainbow opened the door and helped Applejack inside a room that looked exactly like the one she had woken up in.

Applejack’s eyes quickly scanned it, stopping on a lone figure lying in bed. Her heart beat faster in elation. Any lingering doubt she still had despite Rainbow’s assurances finally disappeared as Applejack approached the bed.

Only Flare’s head was sticking out above the blanket. Her horn was bandaged, but otherwise the mare seemed like she was just sleeping. Her chest went up and down as she breathed steadily.

“Told you she was fine,” Rainbow said.

Applejack smiled. She turned to Rainbow and squeezed her in a hug, forgetting the pain in her chest as she did so. The pegasus gasped in surprise but then returned it carefully.

“Okay, that’s enough,” she said a few seconds later, breaking the hug. “I told you no mushiness, remember?”

Applejack’s smile grew bigger. “Sorry, I’m just glad to see Flare okay.”

“You should thank Fluttershy for that,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “If it weren’t for her, you would all have bought it out there.”

“I’ll thank her when I see her,” Applejack assured her, returning her gaze to Flare. She just looked at her for some time, listening to her breathing. As her initial euphoria passed, however, the true weight of her situation began to set in.

Though she and her friend were still alive, she was now officially considered a deserter from the army. That was if the sergeant lived long enough to report them. If he did, her family would feel the consequences of her decision. Applejack had been prepared for it when she had spared the sergeant's life, but considering what had happened afterwards…

I should have killed the bastard when I had the chance, Applejack thought angrily. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.

Having promised herself that, Applejack thought about the near future. She had to send a message back home to let her family know she was okay, maybe even pay them a quick visit, but there was no going back to her old life now. She had to stay with Flare for the time being. The mare would be happy to hear that. They’d find a way to survive together, and then she’d find a way to help her family.

Applejack glanced at Rainbow Dash, who sat in silence, wondering what she was going to do. After all, she was facing the same situation as Applejack was. Just as she had opened her mouth to ask, Flare stirred in bed.

Her eyes snapped open and shot around the room wildly, before focusing on Applejack’s face.

“A-applejack?” she asked in confusion. “We— what happened? The crash…”

Applejack smiled warmly. “Relax, everything is okay now. We survived. Everything is fine.”

Flare seemed to have been calmed by those words. She nodded with a weak smile, and her eyes closed shut again. A moment later she was asleep once more, snoring peacefully.

“Well, you saw that your friend is okay,” Rainbow said, looking away and blinking fast. “I’ll help you back to your bed.”

“Nah, I think I’ll stay here for a while.”

Rainbow Dash nodded with a sigh.

“I understand.”

“By the way, didn’t you promise to bring me some water?”

Rainbow Dash only groaned in response.

Sorry for the long wait. The writing is not going as fast as I hoped, but it's going at least.
I hope you liked the new chapter. Say what you think in the comments if you can.
Every comment really helps me to see that someone is interested in what I write. It gives me more inspiration to continue. Even criticism helps.