There’s two things I realized. Death can be peaceful and calming, almost as calming as that moment when a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You suddenly no longer care about material possessions, the plight your world’s in, or even fear of that plight. It all just vanishes. However, the second thing was that you could smell apples… Very ripe apples, those that you can taste without even putting in your mouth. Was I dreaming this? It couldn’t have been, it was too real. Even more real than my…

I died. I know I did. I was flying, then I began to fall. My wings weren’t working anymore because I’d run out of energy to make them carry my body’s weight. I had to be dead. No longer living. No longer breathing. How was it that I smelled apples? I opened my eyes to see a bleary wooden room before me. My eyes obviously hadn’t been opened in quite some time, for they took some time to adjust to the brightness found within the room. It was either the room that was extremely bright, or just how sensitive my eyes were. I could feel the blurriness begin to clear as I blinked my eyes, forcing the bleariness to clear from my vision. So I wasn’t dead after all.

I looked below me to see that I was on a bed, my neck bandaged. But… How?

The apples, the wooden room, the orange blankets… I could barely believe it. But actually seeing her made me believe it. I was in Applejack’s farm home. And there she stood, nearly as tall as me, longer mane, darker hat, but, nonetheless, the same Applejack I’d known 20 years ago.

“Apple… Applejack!”

My sudden voice filled with happiness surprised her. She smiled gently at me, nodding her head. I even missed that subtly southern way she acknowledged ponies. I could feel tears sting at my continually adjusting eyes. I jumped up to hug her, but my body just wasn’t ready for the sudden exertion. I never got more than a few inches off the bed before groaning in pain.

“R-Rainbow Dash! Ya’ll better stay still. Yer still not up to bat yet, sugarcube.”

I pushed myself up into a sitting position on the floor, where I gave Applejack a pleading smile. She rolled her eyes with a playful smile before helping me stand and sit back onto the bed. I sighed heavily before bringing her into a big hug. I could feel my neck throb in dull pain, but I couldn’t care less. I didn’t want to break my hug.

“Applejack… You don’t know how good it is to see you.”

Applejack chuckled lightly before hugging me back, her voice deceiving her true excitement, “Same here, Dash. With Noctrule runnin’ the place, I never thought I’d get to see you again. But, uh… You mind explaining…?”

We separated as she indicated the bandage around my neck, obviously meaning my wound. I cleared the tears from my eyes, and began to explain to her what had happened in the sky. Everything from my years of planning to break free, all the way to seeing the sun once again. She paid attention carefully, keeping her eyes on me throughout the entire explanation. Once I was finished, I waited for a reply, a question, anything. It’d been so long since I’d had such interaction. Especially from one of my closest friends.

“Well, Dash… I dunno where to begin! I guess I should start with what you were plannin’ on doin’ now that you’re free. You almost died, fer pony’s sake! What’s your master plan?”

I then realized that I’d somehow managed to leave out the part about taking back Equestria for Princess Celestia. I also skipped the part about needing her with me.

“Well…”

I didn’t know how to approach it. I never ever thought about how I’d just ask my friends to join me. It seemed simple up there in the clouds… But when it came down to real earth reality… It seems like I missed a lot of details. Just jumping in with all four feet before thinking about how deep it was going to be. I needed more time to approach it.

“Um… Is it safe here?” I asked, looking around suddenly concerned about being compromised, “I’m sure those idiots might be looking for me… And if you get caught hiding me, then it will be uber bad news for us both! You don’t think they’re he-”

“Calm down, worrywart. Apple acres ain’t so well watched over.”

“Huh?” I asked, generally confused, “Not… Watched over?”

“Yeah, well… You see…”

Applejack paused mid-sentence, making her way over to the window in the wooden room. She looked out it onto the farm that was covered by nothing but darkness and apple trees that somehow continued to grow despite no sun being present.

“Noctrule’s goons don’t really find it all that interestin’ out here. Big Macintosh and me ain’t got nothin’ to really get in trouble with here. They check up only every month or so just to make sure we’re still gatherin’ apples. The only way we can tell that Noctrule is still ‘round are them clouds and his lily-brained guards.”

I noticed as Applejack turned to make her way back to the center of the room that she still had her cutie mark. The apples were still there.

“Wait…”

Applejack stopped her slow trot, and turned her attention to me.

“You said you and Macintosh… What about Applebloom? She isn’t here?”

Suddenly, pain came across Applejack’s face. I must’ve hit a chord with that question. It surprised me a bit because I’d never seen such sadness in Applejack’s eyes. However, I wasn’t allowed to study them for long before she lowered her head and turned her braided tail to me.

“Applebloom…” Applejack began, her voice more broken up than I ever imagined it could be.

I waited for her to continue, but I only received silence. The silence in the air between the two of us was thick enough to cut with a knife. I realized that she wasn’t going to continue down that road. I decided to move on, already feeling that subject was too painful.

“Applejack… I have… Another question.”

“Hhm.” Applejack replied with a nod of her head.

“How did I survive that high fall? There’s no way you could’ve just caught me.”

Applejack finally lifted her head, and turned to look at me. Her eyes were now clear of any sadness that I’d seen moments before, nearly making me doubt that she was ever overcome with it. Her eyes searched the floor as she chewed over her words before speaking them.

“How do I explain this… Fate has a funny way of doin’ things. Fer example, I happened to be pullin’ some hay in an open wagon and you fell in. The hay was luckily high enough, that it stopped the impact of yer fall.”

I was amazed. A haystack broke my fall.

“This… This means something, Applejack!” I was suddenly overcome with a burst of excitement I’d felt right before I took off from those clouds.

“Like, uh… What, Dash?”

“Like it’s a sign! A sign that I should continue with my plans!”

“Your plans?” Applejack asked suspiciously, “What plans?”

I snorted a bit, “The one where you, me, and all our other friends take back Equestria! Save the day! And bring back the Princess!”

Uh-oh. That one really slipped without my permission. I got too excited. I didn’t even ask Applejack if she’d help me. Now it sounded like it was a fact she was going to help me.

“Uuhh… Wait. That came out… Not the way I was going to say it. At all.”

I could feel my hope of her joining me now leaving. I couldn’t even decipher what she was really feeling. She just gave me a blank stare as if I’d just spoke a different language.

“So you mean to tell me… That you think yer just gonna stroll right through Shroudlane, pick up everypony that’s our friends, and take Equestria back from Noctrule?”

She doubted me! I thought she may have been different. I thought she wouldn’t back down from that kind of challenge! Sure, this was dangerous, as previously proven, but the glory it brought. Just how much we’d be talked about if we succeeded. Applejack, of all ponies, I would have believed wanted to defeat Noctrule.

“Dash, that’s nearly impossible! How in the sam-hell you gonna do that?! Yer just gonna end up gettin’ yourself killed! That wound on yer neck is proof enough.” Applejack’s voice rose. Either out of anger or worry, I couldn’t tell.

“Alone, yeah, probably! But together, I know we can do it. We’ve beaten the bad guys before. Why not just do it all again?”

Applejack gave me an incredulous look, and stated, “Those things were smaller. Noctrule ain’t small, sugarcube. Noctrule could kill us with a single clop of his hooves.”

“But,” I started, beginning to feel her slipping away, “Not if we work together.”

“Work together? More like die together! Dash, I don’t think yer ego will let you see past the reality of the dangers.”

“My ego?!” I began.

“Yes,” Applejack spat back, “That thing that always keeps you so competitive, so sure. There’s nothin’ we can do, or should do!”

I began to move my wings, amazingly easier than I thought it was. I was more recovered than I first believed. I hovered above Applejack, moving closer.

“So what do we just do, then?! Lay down and die?! Cause I sure as hell am not going to do that! You can, because you aren’t constantly watched! You still even have your cutie mark!”

I flew closer toward her, feeling my anger at her reluctance half my fault, half hers.

“You have it easy in this damned world, Applejack. You should try it up in the clouds. Where you’re watched every moment…”

It seemed that my continuing rant made Applejack allow me to get my side of existence out. She never let up her stance, even as I circled her.

“You know why I can’t just stop, go back to my sad existence, and move on? Because they’ll KILL me, Applejack. I’ve gone too far to stop. I thought even you would see that. See that I’d risked my own life to try and find you, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie…”

I could feel tears begin to fill my eyes again, which only made me more angered. Why was I crying? Was it because I finally realized that there was no way to back out? That shouldn’t have been it, but… A sense of safety had left me completely. There was no going back, no more planning and dreaming. Which meant that if I had to do this without Applejack, I would painfully do it without her.

I took a deep breath before continuing, this time in a lower, calmer voice, “I don’t need your help, then Applejack. I thought that maybe you’d be helpful, but now I see you just want to stay here at your farm. Where you feel safe. Well, let me tell you something… I don’t feel safe. Not at all. But I’ll take that damn risk to make everypony else feel it again!”

Without letting Applejack reply, I flew out the window within that room. Feeling the wind through my wings once again wasn’t even enough to calm my rising hysteria. I picked an apple tree that was closest to the edge of Apple acres, and sat on its large branch to calm myself. I’d never freaked out so much on someone. Not like that, at least. Especially to Applejack.

She didn’t even want to help me… She thought it was… Pointless. Time changed her for sure.

I’d never seen Applejack lie until today. I never thought I’d even live to see the day. I could feel the tears build up behind my eyes again. I finally gave in. I gave heavy sobs, feeling the tears run down my cheeks like rivers.

I… Can’t go back. I’ll die… I’ll die…

“I’LL DIE!” I shouted to the gray sky, allowing my sobs to ensue. My hysteria was coming to a peaking point when I heard a familiar voice. That soothing southern voice I’d heard not moments ago.

“Ya’know… Noctrule enchanted these trees to keep growing all year long.”

I looked down to see Applejack’s body leaning against the very tree I was sitting up in. I remained quiet, trying to calm myself from the hysteria I’d just allowed myself to be lulled into. I carefully listened to her as she spoke with clarity, “They never die. They just keep on growin’ their apples. It gave me a reason to keep goin’. ‘Cause I felt like, without me, them apples would just eventually fall out and rot.”

I didn’t know where she was going with this story, but I continued to listen, my sobs coming to a complete halt. My tears began to dry on my cheeks as she continued in her soothing tone, “So, for the past 20 years I been gathering these apples… It is… Was a safe job… But, Dash… Yer right.”

Her last words caught my attention, causing me to turn my eyes onto her.

“Wh-what do you mean?” I asked after a moment of silence.

“Yer right! This safety… No pony feels it nowadays. But why shouldn’t they? We can’t keep on wishin’ somethin’ will happen… Hell, we need to be that somethin’…”

“What’re you saying?” I could feel hope beginning to fill my heart once again.

“Dash, I’m sayin’ that I’ll join you. We’ll get back Equestria! It belongs to us. No one else but us here ponies!” Applejack spoke with a certainty in her voice that made me somehow believe it more than I even believed in my own life.

Without warning, I flew out of the tree and down to Applejack’s level. I gave her the biggest hug which she returned equally.

“I… I’m awfully sorry, Rainbow.”

I pulled myself away from our embrace to look at her. Her face was genuine, her eyes showing no hints of deceit.

“For what?” I nearly whispered.

“For doubting you… If yer anythin’ like you use’ta be… I know yer real determined when it comes to this kinda stuff. So, I know even my depressin’ talk won’t stop ya. So, I thought I might as well just join ya!”

Applejack smiled brightly at me, her words and smile the most comforting thing I’d felt in a very long time. I felt as though tears might come again, but it was hardly unbelievable when I had no more tears to give. I settled for a big grin, instead.

“Well, then… What are we waiting for? We need to find Twilight!”

“Great idea, Dash! Let’s get goin’, then! I know just where to find her.”

I’d gotten the help of Applejack after all, and we were now both determined to do the best we could. Not only for our own sakes’ but for every suffering pony in Equestria. I was now a step closer to defeating Noctrule and his dark reign with Applejack on my side. All ponies will feel safe again. I am Rainbow Dash. I will bring safety.