“Rarity. Ya can wake up now.”

The sleeping unicorn had been dumped on the sofa while Applejack sat around waiting. Everything in the room caught her eye, from the books in the bookcase to the photo album sitting on the coffee table. Though, for the sake of etiquette, she had decided to wait until Rarity awoke before delving into the unicorn’s private life. Anyway, there were other fun things to take up her time, such as making sure the drama queen was still breathing, and slapping a cold flannel on her useless head. Well, maybe useless was too strong a word, but there was only one pony in the room who had passed out, and her name didn’t contain the word Apple.

After what felt like hours, Rarity began to stir. With her eyes opening weakly, she reached over to grab Applejack’s leg. “Applejack, sweetheart. Listen t-”

“Woah. Calm yerself. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.” Rarity completely ignored her.

“Listen to me.” The grip on her leg was weakening. What in Equestria was wrong with the unicorn? She’d only fainted. Applejack assumed it was another case of overacting. “You must escape, while you still have the chance.”

“Escape?” She’d just got here. She had no intention of leaving until Rainbow’s request was completed. “Why?”

“She knows you’re here.” Who knows? As Rarity turned, Applejack followed her gaze to the window. Towering over the trees, Canterlot was clearly visible. “She’s coming.”

“She?” She snapped her neck back to her patient. “Twilight? How’d she work out where-”

Any words Applejack had planned on saying were lost as the front door burst open. Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the midday sun, was an alicorn. Her features were hard to make out. But the purple eyes, deep purple eyes penetrating the earth pony, shone like diamonds.

“T- Twi?” Cold has swept in with the intruder. Applejack’s fur raised in response to the temperature. Or was it fear? “Long time, no see.” Smooth.

The alicorn said nothing. Instead she strode forwards, her hooves making a racket on the floor. Those horrible, burning eyes never left their prey. Rarity had dropped her hooves, having gone still. Applejack wanted to check her health, but couldn’t turn away from those purple voids. Her legs had decided to freeze too, not helping the situation.

“Applejack.” The alicorn spoke. While a whisper, it shocked the earth pony as any scream would. All confidence drained from her, disappearing as the horrific, looming figure approached her. “Applejack.” Every muscle in her body begged to move, but a cold numbness had washed over the pony. A niggling voice in her head made a suggestion. Give up. Let whatever fate the alicorn has in store take its course. Embrace death.

“APPLEJACK!”

~~~~~~~~

She awoke with a jolt, bathwater crashing over the side of the tub, drenching Rarity’s pristine floor. The heavy crash of hooves still echoed in her head. In the warmth of the bath, she had let the comfort of sleep take her. Judging from the water she proceeded to cough out her throat, she had woken not a moment too soon.

“Applejack! Answer me!” A shout came from the bathroom door. Apparently the sounds of hooves were not in her head. Rarity was franticly knocking.

“I- I’m fine. Sorry.” The last of the bathwater was expelled from her mouth. Unlike her dream, the real Rarity had recovered almost immediately. After a tearful reunion, Applejack had been forced into having a bath. After all, Rarity had been right. She was filthy.

“Celestia’s sake. Don’t scare me like that.” The voice grew more distant. “Come out when you’re ready. I’ve made you some food.”

Applejack struggled from the bath, shaking herself dry, and immediately regretted it. Rarity’s beautiful bathroom was covered in droplets of water. Guiltily, she grabbed a towel and flung it over her back. Rarity would never notice. Returning to the main room, she was met with the amazing scent of what a real meal should smell like.

Rarity glanced up from her preparation. “Oh, much better. You don’t look like you’ve been rolling in mud.”

“Uh, thanks?” A quick glance to the window reminded her that, no, Canterlot could not be seen from the house. Just trees and other buildings. “I really like your home. It suits you.”

“Pardon?” Rarity bristled in annoyance. “It doesn’t in the slightest! The University of Equestria has no sense of style. I mean, art nouveau? Really? You should have seen my last place, a late modernist house in West Ponyville. Wonderfully designed, with the faintest hint of organic architecture.” Finishing with the food, she floated two plates to the table. The falafel salad and rice she had made looked incredible. “Suits me? Honestly, Applejack.

“Well, sorry. Next time I try to compliment ya, I’ll hold mah tongue.” As soon as the plate hit the table, she began devouring it with the enthusiasm of a lion with a fresh catch. “I like it anyway.”

“Oh, I’m sure. But your fashion sense is…” Her gaze flicked to Applejack’s hair. “Somewhat absent. When I said you needed to do something with your hair to bring out its true beauty, this wasn’t what I had in mind at all.”

“This weren’t my decision!” Applejack snapped, spraying food over the table. Rarity twitched in horror. Wincing, the earth pony continued with restraint. “Aspen did it. I needed a new look so I won’t get captured. Ya saw the news on them screen things, didn’t ya?”

“Oh, the TV? No, I’m afraid I hardly have time to switch that thing on any more.” She made a show of brushing herself down, despite the fact Applejack’s onslaught hadn’t even reached the middle of the table. “I assume you’re enjoying my meal? You haven’t even had the chance to thank me.”

“Ain’t generosity supposed to be about not expectin’ thanks?” Applejack was a little irked at Rarity’s disinterest. Wouldn’t any normal pony want to know why their friend was in danger of capture? Her stubbornness, however, gave in. “Thanks, though. It’s real nice.”

“But of course. A couple of centuries gives a pony plenty of time to perfect their cooking skills.” Her haughty attitude remained for a few more seconds, before she broke into giggles. “I’ve missed our arguments. It’s been far too quiet without you.”

“I- uh…” She finished off her last mouthful. The meal hadn’t lasted long. Rarity, on the other hoof, had barely started. “Seems like an odd thing to miss.”

“Well, you know what they say. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”

“Yeah, that’s it alright.” The conversation was veering too close to sappiness. Grounds she didn’t feel like treading with Rarity. “So you’re still against the idea of re-joining The Resistance?”

The unicorn tapped her chin, mulling the question over. “Yes.” Blunter than a foal’s horn. “However, I’ll return with you. I think a reunion between Dash and I has been long overdue.” Her cheery overtone hid the darker meaning behind this.

“What even happened? Rainbow said you had a disagreement.”

Rarity laughed bitterly. “Disagreement? Oh Celestia, she would say that, wouldn’t she.”  She finished this with a long, draw out sigh. “She’ll tell you. I’ll make sure of it. I don’t feel like going into it myself.”

An awkward silence settled in, with Applejack unwilling to push the issue, and Rarity eating her meal in peace. “So what happened?” She finally spoke, remembering what had been bothering her earlier. “With Twilight, I mean. How’d she end up like she is? Rainbow told me all she knows, but it ain’t makin’ sense to me.”

“We all heard most of the story from Rainbow Dash. The official story is, naturally, complete tosh. Lies for the bourgeoisie to gobble up like sheep. Unfortunately, so did the rest of Equestria. Luna’s image is sullied beyond repair outside The Resistance. Rainbow Dash’s version,” she paused, biting her bottom lip. “Unfortunately, that could also be a fabrication. At the time I believed her, but now…

“Anyway, it’s the best we have to go on. Similar to how you are no doubt feeling, I was confused by her actions at the time. But, giving it thought, I think it just comes down to stress. It’s a powerful force.”

“Well, I ain’t buyin’ it!” was Applejack’s instant reply. Stress would never make Twilight commit the acts Rainbow had described to her. Not the Twilight she knew. “Consarn it, I’ll need to ask her myself.”

“That is an option.” Unlike Rainbow, Rarity wasn’t dismissing it offhandedly. “Oh, but you’d be insane to try. Security is mostly unbreakable in Canterlot.”

“Mostly?”

“There are ways.” Applejack’s hopeful face gave the game away. “But they’re far too risky. And there’s no chance I’ll be telling you the details. I’m not having you gallop off to your death so soon after you’ve returned.”

“Rarity!”

“Nope, no whining in this house. This is a whine free zone.” Applejack eyed the massive wine rack in the kitchen. “Oh you know what I mean.

“That’s a hella lot of wine, Rare.”

“Is that the sound of you insinuating I am an alcoholic?” Applejack heard water running. “Or is it the sound of you kindly offering to wash my dishes in return for the meal?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Applejack reluctantly trotted to Rarity’s side and grabbed a plate. “It was the first decent meal I’ve had since getting’ to this hopeless city.”

“Hopeless,” Rarity mused. “That pretty much sums this place up in one. The unicorns have no hope. Opportunity is served to them on a silver platter. Why should they hope for more? And the pegasi? Mostly brainwashed  thugs, taught to use whatever force to get their way, break any pony stopping them.” She took the first dish from Applejack, drying it with her magic. “But the worst case, by far, is the earth ponies. Hope was crushed from them years ago. That’s the best thing The Resistance is supplying. Hope. Do not think, for even a second, that they have a chance of taking this city from Twilight.”

“Glen seems to think so.” Applejack scrubbed the marks off the second plate.

“Glen would. You know what his cutie mark signifies? The two closest ties to earth ponies, nature and animals. His special talent is pride in his race. He’ll gladly hand his life over for earth pony freedom.” She snatched the plate from Applejack, removing the stains in seconds. “The only reason he’s not in charge is because Rainbow founded the resistance, and Glen is too caring. Rainbow Dash has no problems in that respect. To lead a group such as this, you can’t let compassion for every one of your members get in the way of duty.”

“You know Glen well, then?”

“Of course I do. I did help them for a good fourty years or so. Glen’s one of the nicest ponies I’ve ever met. Now come along,” she finished drying the last plate, and returned it to the cupboard. “I have a lecture this afternoon. And like removing a plaster, I’d rather put this meeting with dear Dashie behind me as soon as possible.”

~~~~~~~~

They took a slight diversion on the way back, missing the main road leading to the station. Entering a square, packed with ponies milling around on their lunch breaks, Rarity trotted over to the statue in the centre. It was Princess Celestia, much as Applejack always remembered. Her head was tilted back, her hooves firmly planted on the plinth she stood. Applejack figured it was supposed to look proud, until she saw the sadness in the statue’s features.

Approaching the unicorn, Applejack caught the end of sounded like a one way conversation. “-that I don’t think will work. I know I should be forgiving, but it’s just so hard after what she did. But for your sake, I-“

“Uh, Rare,” Applejack interjected. “Ya alright?”

“Oh, and look who returned.” Rarity blanked the earth pony. “Applejack. So there’s that mystery solved.” A few ponies nearby had turned to look at the peculiar unicorn.

“Rarity. Yer talkin’ to a statue.” Maybe she had gone a little senile. Three hundred years was a long time, after all.

Rarity merely sighed, and turned to her friend, giving Applejack a look one might give a foal. “This isn’t just a statue, darling.” The meaning of her words hung in the air for a second, before hitting Applejack like a brick. Choking on a gasp, she spun back to the plinth. The sadness in the eyes of the life-sized statue was suddenly given disturbing new significance.

“Let’s go.” Rarity tugged her away, concern in her voice. “It’s best to not dwell for too long.”

~~~~~~~~

The rest of the journey had been uneventful. Ever since seeing Celestia, Applejack had been feeling quite weak. A kind of weakness that could only be achieved after seeing your immortal princess defeated and left as decoration.

At Whisky and Radios, Tera had been busy with customers, so Applejack slipped past, pretending to be a colleague. Tera made a poor attempt to continue the ruse as she stared slack jawed at Rarity. “The new recruits won’t have seen me before,” Rarity murmured in her ear. “You basically look like you’re smuggling the enemy into the base.” At that, Applejack hurried her pace, not wanting Tera to make a scene.

Rarity’s words became a lot more apparent when they entered the base itself. Opening the door to the bar, responses were mixed. While the younger ponies shot Rarity looks of mistrust and surprise, the rest shot up. The greetings she received were far warmer than Applejack had imagined. It would seem this animosity existed purely between Rarity and Rainbow. Ponies crowded her, pushing Applejack away slightly. Hey! This was her Rarity, not theirs!

“Rarity, my dear!” Aspen’s voice could be heard. “How are you?”

“Don’t you ‘dear’ me!” Applejack felt Rarity’s hooves wrap around her leg, pulling her back through the horde. “I’d like an explanation as to why you ruined my friend’s blonde hair!”

“Ruined is such a strong word,” Aspen responded, giving the two mares a warm smile. Applejack agreed, feeling immensely self-conscious. “I’d prefer to think of it as ‘changed’.” Hold on a second! Where was all the complimenting her coat and suiting her facial structure he had gone on about? Applejack suspected he had decided to drop his half-truths once faced with a pony who actually know something about fashion.

“I’ve half a mind to ‘change’ your mane. How do you think pink would look, Mr Tremula? I’m sure your wife would love it.”

“Pink!? No, you wouldn’t.” Aspen gasped in mock surprise, the smile still on his face. “Anything but th-” He was cut off by the resounding crash of a door slamming into a wall.

“All right, ya wee scunners! What's the bucking racket for?” Glen’s voice blasted through to room as the stallion strode from his office. All voices in the tavern went silent. “You’d best hope The Chancellor herself arrived, or you’ll all be loo-”

“Glen, darling.” There was a warm smile on Rarity’s face as Glen’s words petered out. “Is that any way to greet a lady?”

Glen found his vocal chords again. “Alright there, lass? How’d a beautiful filly like you find her way in this den of thieves?” His expression was stern, but his voice had a playful quality to it, with only the faintest hint of surprise.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, young man.” The room had gone silent for this exchange, the ponies backing away. Rarity seemed to love the imaginary stage she now stood on. She strode up to Glen, and used her telekinesis to ruffle his hair.

“This is all kinds of demeaning,” Glen grumbled.

“Aww. Am I embarrassing you in front of your little chums?”

“I have an image to uphold.” Rarity nodded as Glen spoke. “A reputation.” It seemed to Applejack that Glen was intentionally playing along.

“Of course you do. I’m very proud of you.” She finally let Glen’s hair go. Amazingly, it looked less of a mess than before. “Now, is your mummy home? I need to talk to her.”

“You want to speak to Firefly, right?” Glen’s act dropped. “Just, please, make it civil this time. She had that black eye for weeks after your last chat.”

“I’ll do my best.” She headed for the back stairs, Applejack in tow. “I’ll come say goodbye on the way out.”

“You do that, lass.” As they began descending the stairs, Applejack heard Glen’s voice growing fainter. “None of you can act like that with me unless you’ve saved my life more than ten times. No, Peaks, that time you flicked a miniscule spider from my shoulder does not count. Anypony who tries to touch my hair will spend the next month cleaning the toilets. Is that clear?”

Any response was too distant for Applejack to catch as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Just for the record,” Rarity whispered, “I can’t be held responsible for my actions when I see her.”

“Gotcha.” Applejack had no idea what to prepare for. Better make it a disaster, just in case. Rarity swung the door open without knocking.

Rainbow, seated on the floor, legs tucked under her, was deep in a book. She jerked her head up as they entered, her expression rapidly switching from anger, to surprise, to resolve. “Rarity. It’s-”

“Ah, ah, ah. Back room. Now.” Applejack’s ears perked up. They wouldn’t, would they? “Sorry, darling. I’d rather keep this private for now.” They darn well were! Secrets and lies!

“No problem,” Applejack mumbled, teeth gritted slightly. Rarity didn’t seem to notice, and hustled Rainbow into the inner chamber. As soon as the door shut, Applejack jumped forward, pressing an ear to the door. Like hell was she going to be in dark any longer.

The first voice was picked up crystal clear. “So, you finally decided to re-join us?” That was Rainbow, her voice unnaturally polite.

“Don’t make me laugh.” Rarity seemed to be struggling with her anger. “Did you actually expect I’d return? I’m no more on your side than Sparkle’s.”

“Then you’re on nopony’s side? You’ll sit here and watch this city burn around y-”

“DON’T! Don’t you dare talk to me about burning.” Rarity’s voice had dropped all pretences of courtesy. “And don’t feed me your pathetic lines. I’m here about Applejack.” After the earth pony heard her name, it was followed by the faint tapping of hooves. “She will not be working for you.”

“I don’t think this is your decision to make, Rarity.” Rainbow remained calm. There was an edge to her words, however. “Applejack has no objections to aiding me. She can see the obvious alternative to supporting the monster.”

“Hearing you speak of monsters is almost amusing, if it didn’t make me so sick. I doubt she’ll think so highly of you when I tell her what happened to-”

“I will tell her!” Rainbow interrupted. “I will tell her, mark my words.”

“How noble of you,” Rarity spat. “Honesty never was one of your strong points. Turning over a new leaf, are we?”

There was a crash following this, and a second of silence before Rainbow snapped. “Keep your snide remarks to yourself! As if I haven’t heard them all before!”

“This… this isn’t about us…” The clopping sounded again. Somepony was pacing. “This is about Applejack. Our bickering will only drive the poor pony to her.”

“I am not the one who can’t put our differences behind us.”

“Our differences are why I fear for her!” There was another crash following Rarity’s outburst. “For all I know, you’ll bring her the same anguish you brought me! Use her as an offering to Sparkle in some mindless pl-”

“I WOULD NEVER!” Rainbow’s voice was breaking as her emotions exploded. “I CARE FOR APPLEJA-”

“LIKE YOU BUCKING CARED FOR MY SISTER?”

Like the flick of a switch, silence crashed in after Rarity screamed. Applejack, mouth dry as a bone, held her breath to catch any further sounds. A faint sobbing could be heard, broken only as the owner of the sound spoke. “Like you cared for Sweetie?”

“Rari-”

“No. Don’t!… I don’t want to hear it.” Her words came out in gasps. “I have not come here for you. I have not come here for your little rebellion. The only thing that could bring me to face you again is Applejack.”

“I won’t-”

“And if I hear anything, anything, has happened to her,” Rarity voice, while soft, was silencing Rainbow with ease. “You’ll wish Sparkle had found you first. Resistance be damned.”

Hoofsteps approached the door, and Applejack sprang back. Sitting back down just in time, the door swung open, and Rarity strode through. Head held high, a determined expression on her face, damaged somewhat by the tearstained eyes. She softened as soon as she saw Applejack.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Applejack. I can’t stay here any longer.” Before the earth pony could reply, Rarity trotted over, taking her hoof. “But you know where to find me. If you need anything, anything at all, just contact me.”

“This is me, Rare. I ain’t gonna stay a stranger.” There had been something wrong with Rarity from the moment Applejack had seen her again. Only now did it make sense. She was lonely, but was putting up the best act to cover it.

“Splendid.” Out the corner of Applejack’s eye, she saw Rainbow reach the doorway. Rarity also appeared to catch the movement. She swept in for the briefest of hugs. “I’ll see you soon then.” Releasing Applejack, she headed towards the exit.

“Rarity,” Rainbow’s voice didn’t stop the unicorn. “I hope the next time we speak it will be as friends.” Now she halted, her magic paused in the process of twisting the door handle.

“You-” The words died in her mouth, the forthcoming insult cut off for a more diplomatic reply. “I hope so too.” The door opened, and she gave one last glance into the room. “Though I very much doubt it, Rainbow Dash.” The name sounded more like an insult than anything else.

As the door shut, and the faint sound of hooves died away, an awkward silence fell on the room.

“So?” Applejack demanded, having had enough of the calm far sooner than Rainbow. “You gonna tell me the deal ‘tween you two?”

Rainbow deflected the question instantly. “Maybe we sho-”

“No.” Applejack stopped her before she could even begin an excuse. “I heard ya. You said you’d tell me.”

“You were listening.” This wasn’t a question. She didn’t even look surprised. Just weary.

“Of course I was.” A spark of anger flared up inside her. “I’ve had enough of ponies keepin’ things from me! I went to that Academia place with no darn clue who I was meetin’. You didn’t think of tellin’ me it was Rarity?”

“I didn’t want you to have the wrong idea.” Again, Applejack’s anger was drawing no visible response from the older pony.

“Well, good job with that, ‘cause I’ve sure as sugar got the wrong idea now.” She went silent, expecting Rainbow to fill the gap. When the pegasus remained silent, Applejack went straight to the point. “What happened to Sweetie Belle?”

Rainbow sighed, defeated. “It was around thirteen years ago now. Rarity and Sweetie Belle helped the resistance as much as they could. It wasn’t continuous, as they both had full time jobs, but it was valuable to our success. Rarity ran her own chain of dresses, unsurprisingly. Business was doing well. Sweetie Belle was a professional singer, having released more albums than I can count with my hooves.” It wasn’t an impressive statement, but Applejack got the point. “One night Sweetie was staying in the base, singing for the recruits. I, meanwhile, was preparing for a mission that involved a unicorn. A delivery to Canterlot. Unfortunately, the unicorn that had volunteered was seriously ill, and couldn’t make it. As you can guess, my choice of unicorns isn’t high, and Sweetie was my only alternative. It was a risky mission, I knew that, but I wasn’t going to send anypony if I thought it was impossible.”

Rainbow begin tapping her hooves together, the body language of a guilty filly. “I made an enormous oversight though. I don’t usually make calls from the base, but I was fairly desperate.  The call I had made to the sick unicorn had been intercepted by the government. They hadn’t been able to work out the location of the callers, but had heard the message loud and clear, and the soldiers were waiting for Sweetie Belle in Canterlot.

“Disposing of the package, and the recipient, they then trailed Sweetie Belle home. She and her sister shared a huge house in West Ponyville. Rarity was out that night, attending a party in Riverside. Once inside, the soldiers barricaded her in, and set the house alight. Not a scrap within the building survived the flames.”

Burnt alive. The thought sent shivers up Applejack’s spine. She assumed Sweetie Belle was a lot older than when she had last seen her, but all she could see was the poor filly surrounded by flames. Nothing could dispel the image. “You… how could ya!?”

“Oh don’t you start!” Rainbow snapped. “Do you think I mean for this to happen? Why the buck would I want that!?”

“Okay, okay. But still, you- you…” Applejack deflated, having no energy to argue. “Oh Celestia. Sweetie. That’s…”

“My fault, I know. Whether I meant for it or not,” Rainbow finished for her. “Rarity was accused of working for The Resistance. She was acquitted, but her business was destroyed. She became a lecturer, having previously taken a doctorate in Equestrian history. She was-” Rainbow shook her head. “Unforgiving. When she found out, she tried to kill me. We’ve barely spoken since.”

“I ain’t surprised,” Applejack mumbled. Rainbow didn’t have a response. “Only thirteen years ago. No wonder she’s so…”

“What I did was inexcusable,” Rainbow started weakly. “But I’ve tried all I can to make it up to her, while still making sure The Resistance can still operate. That’s not good enough for her though.”

Silence followed this. Applejack tried to imagine if Apple Bloom died due to a mistake her friend had caused. Without any siblings, Rainbow couldn’t understand the pain of losing them, but Applejack could. The only thing stopping her from giving up was the knowledge that, if she can secure a way home, Big Mac and Bloom would be there waiting for her.

“I’m shocked,” Rainbow noted, trying to change the subject. “She has your hat, you know. I don’t know why she didn’t let you have it.”

“She does?” The new topic was a good distraction from the looping vision of Sweetie burning. “How’d she get it?”

“Well, your sister had it till she, y’know, passed on. It pretty much replaced her bow. She left it for Rarity and Sweetie when she went. Something to remember both her and you by.” The last line finished weakly. Her distraction hadn’t lasted long.

This clearly wasn’t something the pegasus wanted to dwell on. Applejack decided to help her. “I’ve made mah mind up ‘bout my plans, by the way.” Rainbow perked up. “For now, I’ll help you. Just don’t go makin’ stupid mistakes on me, ‘kay?”

“No!” Rainbow looked hurt. “I swear I wo-”

“But I still want to get to the bottom of Twilight’s actions.” She had a way, as well. She just needed to squeeze the information from Rarity. It was better if Rainbow didn’t know about that part. “And, hopefully get home to my time. But until then, I’m yours to command.” A few reckless ideas of Rainbow’s popped into her head. “Within reason.”

“Thank you.” Rainbow stepped over to her friend. “I won’t let you down.” She raised a hoof. “Together, we’ll restore sanity to this city. You can count on it.”

“Yeah…” Rarity’s opinions replayed in her head as she tapped her hoof against Rainbow’s. The only thing The Resistance was supplying is hope. Their plans for freeing the city would, ultimately, fail. She gulped impulsively. “I will.”