Flare had fully woken up the next day.

Applejack raced to her room as soon as Rainbow had told her the good news. Raced was a relative term though, as she moved at a snail’s pace, but Applejack refused Rainbow’s offer to help. She wanted to overcome her temporary weakness on her own.

She regretted her decision almost instantly, but she refused to admit it to Rainbow Dash. Gritting her teeth, Applejack slowly forced one leg in front of the other until she had finally made it to Flare’s room.

Giving Rainbow a triumphant smile, she burst into the room and fell face-first on the floor with a painful yelp.

“Applejack!” Flare exclaimed, watching the mare in shock. “What’s wrong?”

Applejack tried to wave off Fluttershy and Rainbow, who rushed to her aid, but they were having none of it this time, helping her back on her hooves and leading her closer to bed.

“Just got a bit banged up fightin’ the sarge,” Applejack said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I never trusted that bastard!” Flare said, furrowing her eyebrows angrily.”

“Please, Flare, you shouldn’t be putting yourself under any stress right now,” Fluttershy intervened, putting a calming hoof on Flare’s shoulder. “You need to conserve your strength.”

“I’m calm,” Flare said, taking a deep sigh. “I didn’t think he’d survive the crash.”

“We think your magic saved him, actually,” Rainbow blurted out. “We found you near the wreck along with him, totally unharmed! Him unharmed, not you. You know what I mean.”

“And I think I saw some flash right before the crash,” Applejack added. “Probably your magic.”

Flare nodded and closed her eyes. Soon her face changed into a frown.

“I think I must have accidentally teleported myself,” she said slowly. “I’ve heard that some unicorns can do that, but I’ve never learned it. I have no idea how I pulled this off, but I certainly wasn’t planning on taking that bastard along with me.”

“Ya were practically touchin’ yer horns together right before the crash,” Applejack pointed out. “Tryin’ to stop the ship or somethin’. Maybe that’s why he got pulled into your spell.”

“Maybe. But it shouldn’t have happened. It’s all my fault...”

“It’s not your fault, sugarcube,” Applejack said firmly. “‘Sides, it wasn’t that bad. We both survived, didn’t we?”

“What do you mean ‘not that bad’?” Rainbow asked in bewilderment. “He stabbed you twice! Almost in the heart! If it wasn’t for Flutters here, you’d be serving as food for those damn griffs right now.”

Applejack sighed in frustration.

“Thanks, Rainbow. Real helpful.”

“Oh, you were trying to— Sorry. I’ll just wait outside, okay?”

Rainbow promptly retreated, leaving the three mares alone. Applejack turned to face Flare’s troubled gaze and grimaced. Damn that Rainbow and her big mouth...

“Fine, it was pretty bad, okay? But as Rainbow said, Fluttershy patched us both up. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy smiled meekly.

“Tell me everything that happened,” Flare demanded. Fluttershy opened her mouth to argue, but the mare lifted her hoof, glaring at her. “Fluttershy here has already told me all about her village, but she failed to mention how badly you were injured. I want to know the full story.”

“Ya sure? Fluttershy said you don’t need any stress right now. I imagine my tale is pretty darn stressful.”

“I’ll take that chance,” Flare assured her, ignoring Fluttershy’s pleading gaze. “Lay it on.”

And that’s what Applejack did. She even told her about the incident between her and the sergeant in the barracks, since there was no point in hiding it now. Flare was livid by the time she had finished.

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I’m going to find him and cut off his balls!”

Fluttershy winced, but Flare didn’t seem to notice, adding more and more vivid descriptions of what she was going to do to the sergeant. Applejack had no warm feelings for the stallion, but even she felt her skin crawl as she tried to imagine some of them.

“I think we got the point, Flare,” she said, interrupting her friend.

The mare blinked and then slumped onto the bed, having wasted her energy. “Fine… I’m sorry you had to go through that because of me, Jackie.”

“I would gladly do it again,” Applejack said, looking her in the eyes. “You’re my friend.”

Flare sighed, smiling weakly. “Thanks…”

After that, they switched to less disturbing topics.

“Say, Fluttershy, how did you know what to do to save me?” Flare asked at some point. “I don’t imagine you’ve got a lot of unicorns in my condition. It happens pretty rarely.”

“We don’t have any unicorns here,” Fluttershy said. Flare seemed surprised by her words, but Applejack just shrugged. They didn’t have a lot of those in her village either — they tended to live in the cities. “Nor do we have earth ponies. You two are the first of those I’ve seen in my entire life. But I’ve read the journal, so I knew how to treat your wounds in case it was ever needed.”

“Rainbow, are you here?”

Applejack perked up her ears, but there was no answer. She muttered a few obscenities in frustration — the darn pegasus was out again. Applejack couldn’t blame her — she would have joined her if she could, in fact — but it was annoying.

“I’ll have to do it myself then,” Applejack told herself.

Maybe it was better that way. It was a bit embarrassing having to rely on somepony’s help for something as simple as going to a bathroom. Fluttershy had suggested using a bedpan, but that was even worse! Applejack was not that helpless.

Carefully slipping off the bed, Applejack stood on the floor, her legs shaking. She waited a minute for it to subside. As soon as it did, she moved forward but tripped and almost fell on the third step. Applejack winced, imagining the pain she would have felt if she had disturbed her injuries. She continued walking more slowly. The bathroom was just across the corridor, but it may as well have been across the village for how much effort it took Applejack to reach it.

After doing her business, Applejack was torn between visiting Flare or going back to her room. She chose the former — it was further away, but the trip was worth it. By the time she had reached Flare’s door, Applejack was gasping for air as if she had been running for miles. She hated being this weak. Taking a minute to recover, Applejack knocked, hoping for Flare to be awake.

“Come in!”

Applejack exhaled in relief and walked inside. “Howdy, Flare. How do you feel?”

“Applejack!” Flare exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here? You’re too weak to walk!”

“The Tartarus I am,” Applejack argued, dragging her hooves toward Flare’s bed. “See? I’m walking.”

“More like crawling,” Flare retorted, narrowing her eyes. “I hate what the sergeant did to you…”

“I’ll be fine,” Applejack assured her. “How are you, though?”

Flare shrugged, rubbing her horn and wincing. “I still can’t use my magic, but Fluttershy told me it’s only temporary. I also have to stay in bed for a few days before trying to walk. I hate it.”

“So do I,” Applejack agreed, collapsing on her haunches. “But we’ll get better. And when we do, what are we going to do then?”

“We’ll leave this place, of course.”

“That’s not what I meant. What are we going to do now that we’re outlaws?”

“I was going to stay in Stalliongrad for a while to earn some money, before moving somewhere else. We can do that together now.”

“Stalliongrad sounds good,” Applejack agreed. “But they’ll be looking for us, though.”

“We’re just two lowly soldiers, Jackie,” Flare shrugged. “They won’t be looking too hard.”

“I sure hope so…”

They talked about Stalliongrad and what to do there for a while, until a knock at the door interrupted them. It was Fluttershy, and she was relieved to find Applejack in the room.

“I was worried when I found your room empty.”

“I wanted to visit Flare,” Applejack explained, rubbing her neck. “Sorry for scaring ya like that.”

Fluttershy nodded

“That’s okay. I was going to change your bandages,” she said. “Are you ready?”

Applejack nodded, forcing herself to stand up. “Knock yourself out, doc.”

Applejack was nervous going out of the house for the first time. It was morning, which made it easier, since most of the batponies were asleep, but she was still on edge. She knew in her mind that no batpony would hurt her — Fluttershy had told her that a thousand times — but it was hard to overcome that irrational fear after all the stories granny had drilled into her mind.

“Are you scared?” Rainbow asked, bumping Applejack on her shoulder.

“What? ‘Course not,” Applejack snorted as if hearing a joke. “Let’s go.”

Putting on a determined expression, Applejack marched forward with confidence. Her chest still hurt a bit as she walked, but at least the weakness was mostly gone. Frankly, Applejack was surprised to be alive at all after seeing her injuries with her own eyes, so being able to walk without any help this soon was a darn miracle.

“They all live in those weird trees here,” Rainbow explained to her as they strolled through the village. “I wonder how they made them so thick.”

“Magic,” Applejack shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. Truth be told, all those trees freaked her out.

There weren’t a lot of ponies out in the street, but all of them were pegasi. They stared at her as she passed by them, as if they had never seen an earth pony before. She supposed they didn’t have her kind in Hollow Shades. No unicorns either, as far as she could see. Now that Applejack thought about it, she recalled Fluttershy mentioning that some time ago.

Applejack tried to ignore the attention, simply enjoying being out in the fresh air. She was sick of staying in the house. It was good exercise too — there wasn’t a lot of room to walk within just four walls.

“Do they have farms here or somethin’?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know. Never saw one myself.”

“Huh. I wonder what they eat.”

“Meat, probably.”

Applejack shuddered involuntarily, feeling her ears leaning down, but then forced herself to relax. She had met the Elder and while he was nothing but polite, she couldn’t help but notice his fangs when he spoke. Applejack knew they weren’t likely to eat her, but even the possibility was making her uncomfortable.

“Gotta say, it feels nice to finally stretch my legs,” Applejack said, distracting herself from her thoughts.

Together they circled the whole island where the village was located a couple of times. Usually, Applejack wouldn’t even break a sweat, but now a simple walk would leave her exhausted. As Fluttershy had explained, she had lost a lot of blood. It would take a while for her to regain her strength.

“Let’s go back now,” Applejack said. Rainbow nodded, taking the lead. She spent most of her time outside, so she knew the village like the back of her hoof now. “So, do you think they’ll let us go?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Why wouldn’t they? It’s not like they can keep me once my wing is good enough to fly.”

“Didn’t they say it’s dangerous to fly here?”

“Only if you go high. I can fly right over that swamp, no problem!”

“If you say so.”

They continued their walk in silence. Even once Applejack had left this village, there wasn’t a home for her to go back to anymore. She briefly considered asking to stay here, but it wouldn’t be fair to her family. She had to earn the money to help them — it was the least she could do after letting them down by deserting. There was no telling how much they would have to pay for her crime. Luckily, Flare had agreed to help too.

The mare herself was waiting for them outside of their treehouse, sitting by the door. Flare had been asleep when she had left. Applejack greeted her with a smile, happy to see her friend out and about after she had almost died a week ago.

“Howdy, Flare!”

“Sup.”

“Hey, guys,” Flare waved, flickering a weary smile. “Where have you been?”

“Just walkin’ around, you know?” Applejack explained, rubbing her chest as she did so. “Exercisin’ and all.”

“I see. Anyway, I’ve made some breakfast for us,” Flare said. “I hope you’ll like it — it took me a lot of effort with just my hooves. I have no idea how you two live without magic.”

Applejack shrugged. Fluttershy had strictly forbidden her to use magic for at least a month. The damage Flare had suffered hadn’t just affected her horn — she had almost fried her whole body with an overexertion of magic. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy’s timely intervention, she would have died in a few more days.

“You unicorns should use your hooves once in a while,” Applejack pointed out. “You rely on your magic too much, if you ask me.”

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

“But it’s so useful! I can do things you can’t even dream of doing with your hooves,” she said and sighed. “How am I going to play with my knives now?”

Applejack patted her friend on the shoulder. “Your magic’ll be back before ya know it, sugarcube,” she tried to console her.

“Thanks, Jackie,” Flare said, standing up grudgingly. “Let’s go eat now. I hope you like scrambled eggs. They’re probably cold already though… I was going to warm them up, but I forgot I don’t have my magic.”

“Cold breakfast? Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration, for which Applejack shot her a glare.

“It’s alright, Flare.”

After breakfast was over, Rainbow Dash went back outside, leaving Applejack and Flare alone. Both of them were too tired to join her. Applejack sighed — she didn’t like loitering around, but there was nothing she could do in her condition. Flare was dealing with it much better.

“Wanna play cards?” she offered.

“I guess so. It’s not like we have anythin’ better to do.”

Fluttershy had provided them with a deck after Flare had complained about being bored. The cards looked unusual, but the symbols upon them were still recognizable. Applejack was surprised the locals had them at all — she guessed they had some contact with the outside world after all.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Flare said, struggling to hoof out the cards, “Fluttershy is leaving for some quest soon, right?”

Applejack nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“I think we should offer to come with her, wherever she’s going.”

Applejack wasn’t surprised by Flare’s suggestion. She had thought about it herself ever since Fluttershy had told them about her new necklace and what it meant. It was the least she could do to repay their savior.

“Maybe,” Applejack said as she studied the cards she had gotten. They were pretty good. “Do you think this Element of hers is really a gift from the Sun Goddess herself?”

“I don’t know,” Flare shrugged, making the first move. “I never cared much about religion.”

Applejack grumbled. She, like everypony else in her family, worshiped the Sun Goddess. She wasn’t a fanatic like some ponies she knew from her village, but she was a firm believer. Without the Sun Goddess, life itself would be impossible. Who else would be raising and setting the sun every day?

“Where d’ya think she’s goin’ with it?” Applejack asked after a couple of rounds. “She mentioned some island.”

“I’ve heard there’s some big monastery dedicated to the Sun Goddess on the island south of Fillydelphia.”

“Makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Flare said, looking at Applejack. “So, are you okay with it? I know you want to earn some money for your family.”

Applejack sighed. “I do. I don’t know, Flare. I want to help, but I have a duty to my family. I’ve already let them down once. I don’t want to do it again.”

“Sorry,” Flare said, flattening her ears. “If it wasn’t for me—”

“It’s not your fault, sugarcube,” Applejack stopped her before she could blame herself any further. They played in silence for some time. “I was meaning to ask ya, Flare, but how exactly are we gonna get the money I need?”

Flare’s ears flickered down briefly and she forced a smile. “I don’t want to go back to stealing, but we do need a lot of money to help your family like you want. It’s the only choice we have.”

Applejack sighed. “I was afraid you’d say somethin’ like that. I don’t want to steal somepony else’s money, ya know?”

“Me neither, Jackie,” Flare answered. “But we can always find some bad ponies to steal from. Most of the nobles are pretty rotten.”

“I guess…”

Soon after they had finished the game — Applejack had lost — Fluttershy came to check on them and change Applejack’s bandages. The pegasus was quick and professional as always.

“How did you get so good at that?” Applejack asked as she was finishing up.

“Oh, I’m not that good,” Fluttershy answered quietly. “I’ve just had some practice. Our ponies often get hurt in the forest.”

Flare snorted. “Don’t be so modest, Flutters! I was meaning to ask you, by the way, how did you know how to help me? You don’t have any unicorns here.”

“I… I’ve read about it,” Fluttershy admitted. “My family has an old journal with all kinds of notes on medicine. It belonged to our ancestor. I think he was an army medic. Your condition was actually pretty common among the unicorns in the army while fighting their battles.”

“Huh, interesting. So you guys used to be a part of Equestria once?”

“Yes. Our founder, General Shadow, fought in the war against Nightmare Moon. That’s why the Sun Goddess gave him this.” Fluttershy pointed at her necklace. “After the war, he and some of his troops decided to settle here.”

“I’ve got to ask you about that later. Right now, though, Applejack and I want to talk to the Elder.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

Applejack and Flare exchanged glances.

“We wanted to come with you on your pilgrimage, Fluttershy,” Flare said. “It’s our way of saying thanks for saving our lives.”

Fluttershy fidgeted uncomfortably as she always did when somepony mentioned what she’d done.

“I just did what anypony would have done,” she replied meekly.

“None of that, Fluttershy!” Flare said firmly, making the mare flinch. “From what I’ve heard, your people weren’t exactly happy with that. Rainbow said the only reason we’re still here is because of that thing around your neck.”

Fluttershy glanced at her butterfly-shaped necklace, drooping her ears. “I’m sorry… My people are not bad ponies, they just don’t trust outsiders.”

“That’s why we’re thanking ya, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “And that’s why we wanna help ya. Will you accept our help?”

Fluttershy looked from the one to the other.

“If that’s what you really want, then yes,” she said and then lowered her gaze. “But I’m not sure if the Elder will agree to that.”

“Why don’t we go and talk to him then?” Flare suggested.

“Right now?”

“Yeah, why wait? Let’s go!”

“He’s probably asleep right now,” Fluttershy explained. “You’ll have to wait until the evening.”

“Oh, right. I forgot.”

The evening couldn’t have come sooner.

When Fluttershy had finally returned to say that the Elder was ready to meet them, Applejack and Flare were crawling up the walls out of boredom. Rainbow Dash had stopped by earlier to get some food, but she hadn’t stayed inside for long after Applejack had told her their idea.

“I’ll think about it, okay?” she had said, before leaving again.

The Elder’s house wasn’t far, but in Flare’s weak state it took the group a while to reach it. Rainbow Dash joined them halfway there.

Her sleek pegasus body was rippling with muscles as she pranced towards them. The mare smelled of sweat and her mane was ruffled — she had probably just finished exercising. Applejack was so enthralled with her that she didn’t realize Rainbow was saying something.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, looking away. “What were ya sayin’?”

“I know I’m awesome, but your staring was kinda creepy,” Rainbow said, giving her a flat gaze. Applejack chuckled nervously. “I said that I’ll pass.”

“What?”

“I thought about what you’ve said, and I’ll pass,” Rainbow explained. “I’ve decided to go back to Stalliongrad.”

Applejack looked at her in surprise. “Are ya sure? They’ll throw ya in jail or somethin’ for fighting the sarge. We’ve been over this.”

“Yeah, it’s a risk, but I can’t just leave like that, you know?” Rainbow said, swishing her tail in agitation. “I’m not a deserter like you two — no offense — I never wanted to leave the Militia.”

“But you are a deserter now,” Flare pointed out.

Rainbow snorted angrily. “I’m the best flier there is. Maybe they’ll give me another chance. I mean, your sergeant is not even part of the Militia! So what if I fought him? It’s no big deal!”

“Ya know as well as I do what’s gonna happen, Dash,” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash shook her head stubbornly. “Look, I know it probably won’t end well, but I’ve got to try. Maybe the sergeant didn’t even make it to Stalliongrad. I’ll just say that I hurt my wing so I couldn’t get there sooner. I mean, it’s true.”

“Fat chance,” Flare said, earning a glare from Rainbow. “What? I’m just being realistic. It’s too late to go back now. I’m alive thanks to you, so I’m fine if you join our little band of deserters.”

“I’ll take my chances with the Militia first, thanks,” Rainbow said.

“Your funeral.”

The rest of the way to the Elder’s house was spent in intense silence. Fluttershy was waiting for them near the entrance.

“He’s waiting for you,” she said, letting them in.

Applejack nodded in response, following her into the dark insides of the treehouse. She couldn’t help but feel nervous as she could barely see her surroundings. Those damn batponies could use a lamp or two. Luckily, there was more light in the living room. It was still gloomy, but she could see the Elder’s face clearly as he sat on the sofa.

“Fluttershy has told me why you’re here,” he said instead of a greeting.

“Yeah. Flare and I want to help Fluttershy, if that’s okay with ya.”

“What about you, Rainbow Dash?” the Elder asked, looking at the mare in question. “Don’t you want to help too?”

“I’m all for helping and stuff, but I have a duty to the Militia,” Rainbow Dash explained, “I’ve wasted enough time here. I want to leave as soon as my wing is good enough to fly.”

“Fair enough. As for the rest of you, I appreciate your offer, but I have enough volunteers from my own people to help Fluttershy on her journey. Why should I choose you over them?”

“No offense, but I doubt they have our experience with the outside world,” Applejack said. “Besides, the more ponies Fluttershy has with her, the better.”

“We know more than you think, outsider,” the Elder replied. “The ponies I’m sending with Fluttershy will guide her where she needs to go. They’ve been there before. And I trust them, unlike you.”

Applejack’s ears fell. If what the Elder had said was true, there was no way she was going to convince him. Neither she nor Flare even knew where their destination was! It wasn’t the end of the world, but Applejack didn’t like feeling indebted to anypony.

“Well, we’ve tried,” Flare slumped, as if all the strength had suddenly left her.

“Is there anythin’ at all we can do to help?”

“Rainbow Dash has already told me everything I needed to know about the war,” the Elder shook his head. “It’s enough.”

Applejack couldn’t help but shoot a glare towards the mare, even though she knew it wasn’t really her fault.

“Um, if I may?” Fluttershy asked, getting everypony’s attention. “I... I think there’s a reason why they’ve survived. If the Element hadn’t started glowing when it did, you wouldn’t have let me save them.” The Elder looked uncomfortable at that admission, but Fluttershy continued. “Maybe it was the Goddess’s way of saying that she wants them to go with me.”

The Elder looked thoughtful.

“I hadn’t considered it from that perspective, my child,” he looked at Applejack and her friends appraisingly. “Maybe there’s merit in your words.”

“There is,” Fluttershy said more firmly, “What are the chances of them being here at the same time I was chosen by the Element for the first time in generations? Fate itself has brought them here.”

“Maybe so,” the Elder said. “But you would have to delay your journey until they have recovered. They’ll hardly be of use if they can barely stay on their hooves.”

“You’ve been waiting for generations. What are a few more weeks compared to that?” Flare pointed out. “Haste makes waste, as they say.”

Applejack could see that their arguments were swaying the Elder. Tartarus, even she thought there was something in Fluttershy’s words.

“I will consider what was said here,” the Elder said after some thought. “Return to your house. I will tell you my decision tomorrow.”

“Fair enough,” Applejack nodded.

Flare grunted something under her muzzle but nodded too. All four left after that and made their way through the village, which looked more alive than ever with all the batponies out and about. Applejack’s tail flicked nervously as their glowing eyes watched them from the shadows. She walked faster, despite the weakness in her limbs.

“Boy, that Elder is a dick,” Rainbow, who had been quiet for the whole conversation, suddenly stated. Turning to Fluttershy, she added, “Was he really gonna leave them to die?”

“Like ya would have survived on your own yourself,” Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes.

“The Elder doesn’t want to expose our village to the outside world,” Fluttershy said. “He just wants what’s best for us. I saw your reaction when you saw the batponies for the first time. What do you think would happen if everyone learned of our existence here?”

“I see your point,” Rainbow admitted, lowering her eyes. “Still don’t like that guy…”

Fluttershy came by the next morning bringing some news — the Elder had allowed them to go with her if they were able to leave in two weeks.

Applejack had mixed feelings about that. On the one hoof, she was happy to repay her debt to the mare. On the other, it would delay her from helping her family. But maybe it was fate that had brought her here. Flare thought it was a bunch of hooey, but Applejack wasn’t so hasty to dismiss that theory.

When the evening had come, Fluttershy led Applejack and Flare to another meeting with the Elder. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been invited. As the two arrived, Applejack noticed that it was much brighter in the room than the previous day. Two pegasi were waiting for them along with the Elder — Wind Chaser and Bane.

“Those two are my best scouts,” the Elder said. “They’ve been to the place Fluttershy’s going.”

Wind Chaser was a gray-coated mare with a lean build. Her orange mane was tied up in a tight bun. She looked at the newcomers coldly, barely giving them a nod as she was introduced. Her blue-coated partner with a red mane had an impassive expression on his face, so Applejack couldn’t tell what was on his mind.

“You’re going to set out in about two weeks,” the Elder said, looking at Applejack and Flare. “Fluttershy says it’s enough for you two to heal for the journey.”

Applejack nodded, glancing at Flare. Applejack was sure she would be strong enough, but Flare? She wouldn’t be able to use her magic, that much was certain. As for her physical strength… Hopefully, Fluttershy was right.

Meanwhile, the Elder had spread an old map on his table and began explaining the route. As they had guessed, their destination was the island south of Equestria called Sun Island. An ancient order of the Sun Goddess resided there, and they were supposed to know what Fluttershy needed to do with her gift. Other than that, little was known about that order. They were a secretive bunch.

The island was too far from the mainland for an average pegasus to reach it with their own wings. Not without great risk, at least. To get to the island safely, they needed to find a ship going in that direction.

“They have a constant flow of ponies coming from afar to visit the ancient monastery, so you should be able to find something without any trouble.”

The meeting went on for a few more hours, in which they had seemingly covered every detail. Applejack and Flare had given some useful suggestions to which the Elder had agreed, much to Wind Chaser’s ire. One of them would be hiding their wings under a cloak — the pegasi weren’t all that common on the ground, so a large group that wasn’t a part of the Militia was going to draw some unwanted attention.

When Applejack had gotten home, she discovered that Rainbow Dash was still awake.

“Are ya sure you don’t want to come with us?” Applejack asked.

“Yep,” Rainbow answered flatly. “Stop asking that.”

“That’s dumb, you know that?” Flare intervened. “By the time you reach Stalliongrad, it’ll have been a whole month since you left. What are you going to say to them?”

“The truth!”

“Oh, they’re going to like that,” Flare snorted. “You attacked an Equestrian soldier to save some mudcrawler and then spent a month in some dark village in a forest.”

“I would have left a long time ago if not for my wing,” Rainbow retorted, her tail flicking wildly. “A wing that I hurt saving your friend!”

Applejack immediately regretted asking the darn question as the two kept arguing back and forth.

“Tell ya what,” Applejack finally said, causing both mares to look at her. “I think your idea is dumb, but I ain’t gonna stop ya. Maybe the sergeant never made it back, who knows. The road was pretty dangerous.”

“Well, I’m going to make sure he’s not around first then!”

“Huh. What are ya gonna do if he is there?”

“I’ll think about it if that happens,” Rainbow shrugged. “Maybe I’d contact the militia anyway. Maybe I’d look for you. My wing will have healed by that time, so I’d easily be able to catch up with you. But I think I should first try the Militia.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Flare rolled her eyes.

“I have family in Cloudsdale, have you thought about that?!” Rainbow yelled. “If the Militia thinks I’m some kind of traitor, there’s no way I’ll be able to go back there. You know how that feels, Applejack.”

“I… hadn’t thought of it that way,” Flare admitted, drooping her ears. “Could have saved me a lot of time if you’d just said that first.”

“I thought it was obvious!”

Applejack stood between them before they could start arguing again. “Knock it off, both of ya.” She looked at Rainbow apologetically. “I’m sorry for pesterin’ ya like that. If there’s a chance ya can set things right with the Militia, of course ya should take it. Sorry for gettin’ you involved.”

Rainbow snorted angrily but shook her head. “I told you I don’t blame you. But thanks, I guess.”

The next few days passed by in a blur. Every day was a similar routine for Applejack — she woke up, ate some breakfast, did some exercises and then explored the village with Flare. She didn’t see a lot of batponies during the day, which was just fine by her.

The rest of the inhabitants, however, weren’t making her feel at home, either. They weren’t openly hostile towards her, but they sure stared a lot at first until they had gotten used to them — She and Flare were the only ponies in Hollow Shades without wings.

“I walked ‘round your village, but I’ve never seen any farms,” Applejack mentioned to Fluttershy once. “Where do ya get all the vegetables?”

“Oh, we do have farms,” Fluttershy answered. “We can’t feed everypony by hunting, and there’s only so much you can gather in the wild.”

Applejack frowned at the word hunting, but it wasn’t surprising given her earlier suspicions about the batponies’ diet. It was a disturbing concept, though. Ponies eating meat just didn’t seem natural to her. She was wise enough to keep her mouth shut, though.

“I couldn’t find anythin’,” Applejack said instead. “Are they outside, I guess?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “There’s not enough room on this island to do farming. You used to be a farmer yourself, right?”

Applejack smiled, “I did, indeed.” Her smile fell a little. “It was a simpler life. Anyway, how do you grow your crops?”

The two spent a good while discussing the differences in their farming methods. To Applejack’s astonishment, they had no big fields of crops, stretching far and wide. It would have been impossible to do so in a forest while remaining hidden from the air, as Fluttershy had explained. Instead, the batponies had cultivated some wild fruit-bearing trees, creating something like a big orchard indistinguishable from the forest around it.

“Makes sense, I guess,” Applejack said, but then frowned. “But wouldn’t your whole village be visible from the air?”

“The fumes from the swamp keep us hidden,” Fluttershy said. “Haven’t you noticed the fog overhead?”

“Oh.” Now that Fluttershy had pointed it out, Applejack realized she hadn’t seen the sun even once here. She had assumed it to be due to bad weather. “Anyway, could I see your… farm?”

“It would take hours to cross the swamp…” Fluttershy argued.

“I could use some legwork,” Applejack shrugged.

It didn’t take long for Fluttershy to fold. Applejack offered Flare to go too, but the mare refused, calling Applejack crazy, so they left without her. A couple of pegasi that were always around Fluttershy when she was meeting with Applejack and her friends followed them.

Crossing the swamp was harder than Applejack had imagined. But it had been even harder for the ponies who had carried her through here when she had been on the verge of death, and if they had done it, then so would she. As Fluttershy had predicted, it took them about an hour to get to the other side, and then some time to circle the swamp to reach the farms.

“Here we are,” Fluttershy proudly announced.

Applejack looked at her in surprise and then took a longer look around. The trees here were different from all the rest. They were smaller in size, but they bore no fruit. It wasn’t surprising, considering what season it was — everything had been harvested long ago. Fluttershy confirmed her guess.

Throughout the tour, Fluttershy had shown her where they grew more common cultures like potatoes and tomatoes at small clearings amidst the trees. Applejack didn’t think it was all that effective, but Fluttershy had assured her that they grew enough to feed the entire village through winter. She hadn’t mentioned it explicitly, but Applejack reckoned that having most of their population be predators helped with that.

“Are farms different in your lands then?” one of the pegasi escorting Fluttershy asked for the first time since Applejack had met him.

“You could say that,” she nodded.

Applejack then told him about her village and especially her family’s orchard. Her mood plummeted as she remembered her family situation — they were likely to lose all the money they had collected for buying the ownership of the orchard because of her. Only Fluttershy seemed to notice her distress.

“What’s wrong, Applejack?”

Applejack briefly considered lying, but what was the point? She sighed and explained to them who actually owned their land, and how she had failed her family.

“I don’t regret helping Flare, don’t take me wrong, but I wish things had turned out differently.”

“Somepony else makes you give them your harvest?” the pegasus asked in shock. “But that’s so unfair!”

Applejack chuckled. “My sister thought so too,” she said. “I mean, yeah, it’s true. But our village is lucky compared to others. We don’t have to give as much.”

“The Elder is right to hide us from you outsiders,” the pegasus said, shaking his head.

Applejack had no answer to that.

Soon it was time to go back.

“It’s mighty impressive considering ya don’t have no earth ponies,” Applejack said. “Thank ya for showing me this.”

Fluttershy smiled. “You’re welcome.”

By the end of the two weeks, Applejack and Flare were ready for the journey. Flare was able to move around freely, even though using magic was still beyond her grasp, while Applejack was close to regaining the strength she’d had before her injury. Fluttershy was surprised at her speedy recovery, which showed she had little experience with earth ponies.

Tomorrow was the day.

“I’m going with you tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash announced at breakfast. “No point in traveling alone.”

“Are you still sure about going to Stalliongrad?”

“I am.”

“Just askin’.”

Applejack didn’t want her to take that stupid risk, but she understood why she wanted to. As it was, either of them would be apprehended and likely executed if the authorities found them. Neither of them would be able to get back to their families without great risk. If there was a chance Applejack could have avoided becoming a deserter, she would have taken it too. Of course, if the sergeant had made it back and reported them, that chance was rather slim. But if he hadn’t…

“How about this — Flare and I go to the city with ya to see if the sarge is around.”

“We what?” Flare asked in surprise, looking up from her plate.

“I need to be sure if the sarge has made it there,” Applejack explained. “I’ll sleep better at night knowing for sure.”

“Does that mean you’ll leave me if he hasn’t reported you?” Flare asked, drooping her ears.

“No,” Applejack shook her head. “I don’t want to go back to the army. If the sarge didn’t make it, I’d be assumed dead, so my family would be fine, but I would still need the money to help them. I’m staying with you either way.”

“Oh, good,” Flare relaxed. “But how are you going to explain our detour to the others?”

“I’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“You can go with me if you want,” Rainbow shrugged. “Just don’t try to stop me.”

The rest of the day went into the final preparations for the journey.

By the early evening, the whole village, including Applejack and her friends, had gathered in the little square in front of the Elder’s house to send Fluttershy and her escorts off. Applejack stood with her friends near Wind Chaser and Bane as the Elder addressed the crowd of batponies and pegasi alike.

As soon as he had finished, the celebration started.

Applejack observed it without getting involved — the villagers kept their distance from her little circle of friends. She tried to not let it get to her. At least Fluttershy herself showed up to chat from time to time. Applejack appreciated the effort.

As it turned out, the ponies of Hollow Shade knew how to sing and dance. It somewhat reminded Applejack of a fair in her village, until she saw the roasted boar they had brought in as the main course. The strong smell of meat had made her queasy, so Applejack and her friends finally decided to head home to get some much-needed rest for tomorrow’s big day. It wasn’t like anypony would miss them.

“I don’t understand what’s the big deal with meat,” Rainbow shrugged. “Why do you hate it so much?”

Both Applejack and Flare looked at Rainbow in confusion.

“Um, we’re ponies,” Flare said slowly as if talking to an idiot. “We don’t eat meat.”

It was Rainbow’s turn to look confused. “Really? Never?”

“‘Course not,” Applejack said, eying the pegasus suspiciously. “Do you?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, not normally. It’s unhealthy to eat it too much. But once in a while? Sure.” Rainbow stopped, noticing her friends’ weird looks. “What?”

“Nothin’,” Applejack said, looking away. “Pegasi are weird…”

Applejack was awake bright and early in the morning. Her saddlebags had been prepared in advance, so all she had to do was put them on, and she was ready to go. After waking up the others and having a short breakfast, they went to the Elder’s house where they were supposed to meet the others.

Applejack was excited to finally be leaving after being stuck in this place for weeks. She had spent half of that time cooped up in the house doing nothing but thinking about things, most of which had been depressing. At least back in her village she’d always had something to do to keep her mind from wandering.

The Elder was already waiting for them.

Fluttershy arrived a few minutes later. The last ponies to arrive were Wind Chaser and Bane. Wind Chaser gave Applejack and the rest a cold nod before addressing the Elder. “We’re ready to go, Elder.”

“Let’s go then,” the Elder agreed.

Everypony was silent as he led the group to the edge of the village, stopping where the swamp began. That was as far as he went. After giving some last-minute encouragements to Fluttershy, he simply turned around and left.

Rainbow Dash flipped her tail impatiently.

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

Wind Chaser snorted in contempt but didn’t say anything as she walked forward, taking the lead. The rest followed her.

Their journey had begun.

Hope you liked this new chapter. It took me a long time to write for some reason.