In an indeterminate place...
Within a void wrapped in darkness, a shining point drifted through the deepest black.
Tiny, flickering, like a hurried firefly darting through the night. An unsuspected purple crag was plummeting without restraint into nothingness.
[---]
There was no way around it: it had succeeded.
A white fissure emerged from the shadows, tracing itself the way a smile would.
Indeed, it was a smile. But enormous and sharp, unfolding clearly within a massive shape concealed by the shadows.
An unsettling figure, whose only visible traits in the gloom were its horns, claws, and relentless glowing eyes. And now, too, its newly revealed smile.
It was the silhouette of a beast, whose presence was only consistent with the desolate environment in which it found itself.
A constant roar, like that of a hurricane making landfall, thundered around it. Of course, there was no sky, and much less any wind to justify it. Only absolute blackness. That, together with the near weightlessness, the absence of scents and of light—except for the ghastly glow emanating from the meteoric ground—composed a scene that, without a doubt, offered little (or rather no) chance of joy.
And yet, upon the surface of the purple crag drifting toward nothingness, joy had arisen.
It was the joy of the beast, who had finally found the light at the end of the tunnel... literally.
A massive crack had opened in the rocky ground, from which seeped a faint, familiar glow that made the creature's eyes and teeth shine.
How long had it taken to bore through solid rock to carve that meager fissure? The beast did not know, nor did it care; the question vanished as tears of jubilation welled up in its enormous eyes.
Happiness. True happiness poured within it. A rapture that shook its body and made it howl with force in the midst of the immeasurable void.
With no witnesses, the beast gave free rein to its emotions: it stomped the rocks, rolled across the ground, and shattered even further the already battered surface of the crag.
It was a volcanic celebration, perfectly fitting for the feat just achieved.
After everything endured, after all the suffering borne, that fissure meant... hope?
Suddenly, the beast's movements ceased, as if struck by a sudden memory. Slowly, a new emotion began to take hold of its face. A sour expression overtook it, as the vivid memory of a pony began to burn in the reflection of its eyes.
"Princess..." roared the beast into the void, with such force that even the hurricane-like roar surrounding it was drowned out by its voice.
[---]
"THIS... IS... ENOUGH!" The intense, almost agonized shout, followed by the slamming of the kitchen door, had been heard by everyone.
Rarity had left, abandoning her friends at the table, surprised by her sudden outburst.
Not quite as surprised, at the other end of the table, was Applejack.
"Ahh..." sighed the farm pony, setting down the potato and peeler she had been holding over a pot.
"Achoo! ...Was it something I said?" asked Fluttershy worriedly, adjusting the mask she was wearing.
"Nope, more like something I didn't say," Applejack replied as she began mentally counting down the seconds. "(10... 9... 8... 7...)"
"And what didn't you say?" asked Pinkie Pie, poking her head out from under the table.
"How she'd be helping us with today's lunch prep," Applejack answered flatly. "(3... 2... 1...)"
She hadn't even finished counting when the dining room door burst open again.
Rarity had returned, but not as she had left: now she was prepared for the challenge Applejack had unintentionally laid before her. The unicorn wore a full hazmat suit, equipped with an artificial respirator and a sprayer that kept misting alcohol into the air through her magic. She advanced toward the kitchen amid the hiss of the respirator and the shock of the others, heading straight for Applejack.
Applejack only raised an eyebrow, indifferent, despite the sharp sting of alcohol reaching her nose.
The two locked eyes, saying nothing for a brief but heavy instant.
"Achoo!" Another sneeze echoed through the tense kitchen, ignored by everyone... except Pinkie Pie.
"I thought you were allergic to plastics," said the farm pony flatly, eyeing Rarity's striking outfit.
"It's latex, darling. Quite different. And, just to be clear, I'm allergic to plastics types 3, 6, and 7, especially polystyrene," Rarity replied, her voice only slightly muffled by the pressurized helmet she wore.
"You've got plastic cutlery at home..." objected Pinkie Pie, peeking out again from under the table.
"They're for extreme emergencies, and they're Sweetie Belle's responsibility," Rarity shot back immediately, without breaking her stare at Applejack or paying attention to Pinkie retreating again.
"I see... allergies..." Applejack muttered, unconvinced, tipping an imaginary hat with one hoof.
"Yes, allergies. And yet, despite my delicate condition, they are no excuse to exclude me from the kitchen!" Rarity exclaimed indignantly.
"We're not excluding you, Rarity. We just started without you because we thought you were still a little... unwell."
"We worry about your health. Prrr!" added Fluttershy, blowing her nose with a tissue. Pinkie Pie, poking her head up again, nodded vigorously.
"Thank you. I know we're great friends who support each other shoulder to shoulder through adversities like the one we're living now. But you don't need to sacrifice yourselves for me in this way..."
"Truth is, it's not so much that, Rarity. It's just getting late and you weren't here..." Applejack began.
"...so I ask you, please! Let me take care of preparing lunch just as we had planned," Rarity finished, stomping her hoof.
"We don't mind that..." Applejack replied, without looking to the others. "But, are you really going to be fine handling the kitchen?"
"Do I have to repeat myself, Applejack?" Rarity answered with a voice brimming with determination.
"No, you don't..." Applejack replied in a muted tone, glancing sideways at the peeled potatoes in the pot. "But if you're taking over now, I should remind you we don't have as many supplies as we'd like," she explained, sliding a list from the table toward her.
Rarity frowned immediately upon receiving it. But it was brief; in the blink of an eye, her confident gaze returned, hidden behind the latex suit.
"I can manage, darling. I know how to do a lot with little," she answered with a bright gesture.
"All right, it's all yours then," said Applejack, with no desire to prolong the conversation. She ceded her seat to her friend, and in doing so, a faint smile formed on her lips—the first since Rarity's return. With the disagreement over, the ponies could finally breathe easier and carry on with their morning.
Or at least, most of them.
"Achoo!" Fluttershy had sneezed again, this time so strongly it caught everyone's attention.
"Heavens, darling, this horrid place is wearing you down too," Rarity said, mortified, quickly levitating a piece of toilet paper to her friend while spraying more alcohol in the air.
"Thanks, Rarity," Fluttershy replied, relieved, wiping away the mucus beginning to run from her nose. The sharp alcohol scent around her wasn't making things any better.
"Maybe you need to step outside a little, sweetness. Some fresh air would help you recover," suggested Applejack, also uncomfortable with the saturated atmosphere.
"Fresh air? Do you mean to poison her even more out there?"
"It's just a thought. Staying in here isn't helping her either."
"Well, going outside alone won't help her one bit," Rarity retorted, locking eyes with Applejack again.
But before either could say more, another voice rose between them.
"Girls, it's fine. That's enough..." Fluttershy spoke softly, standing up in a conciliatory tone. "I would like to go outside, Rarity... but not alone. Applejack, will you come with me?" the pegasus finished, looking at her friend.
"Go with you? Well of course I will!" Applejack replied, leaping to Fluttershy's side. Rarity, meanwhile, still bore a look of disapproval.
"Pinkie, would you like to come too?" Fluttershy asked her hidden pink friend.
"Eh, no, no, it's fine, girls. I'll stay here helping Rarity in the kitchen..." Pinkie Pie's voice came from under the table, oddly flat. They couldn't see her through the long white tablecloth draping to the floor, but she sounded very busy... whatever she was doing.
Somewhat puzzled by this, though not too much, the other two ponies began heading toward the door—just as another voice stopped them.
"Wait!" Rarity exclaimed, rising to her hooves. "A walk with company is a fine idea, but if she's going outside, at least she should do so with protection."
"Protection?" asked Applejack, just as she noticed Rarity pulling another latex suit from a bag, identical to her own. "Oh no, no no! That's too much. I'm not putting on that carnival costume to step outside."
"I don't mean you. I mean her," Rarity answered, pointing at Fluttershy.
"Oh... uh... but..." Fluttershy began, but at Rarity's determined gaze, she fell silent. "All right... I suppose."
The kitchen conversation carried on. But at the same time...
Out of sight and earshot of them all, Pinkie Pie sniffed intensely under the table, brushing the hard plastic surface with the tip of her nose, just like a bloodhound tracking prey. Lost in this strange trance, she muttered in a whisper barely audible:
"I know you're there, little one... you can't hide from Pinkie Pie's nose... my preciousss..." she finished, nearly licking her lips.
[---]
The echoes of the kitchen, as well as the strong smell of alcohol, had faded several minutes ago.
"Going out to get some fresh air... brilliant idea," Applejack muttered to herself with a snort as she walked.
Tagging along with Fluttershy on her stroll through the so-called "ventilated outdoors" had been nothing more than an excuse to slip away. She wasn't sure if Rarity had understood it that way or not, but either way, she didn't feel comfortable around her. The atmosphere between them always tended to get a bit prickly whenever they worked together, and that was a splinter she didn't want to dig into right now.
Still, now that she thought about it more calmly, she was starting to doubt whether leaving her in charge of the kitchen had been such a good idea.
"Pinkie Pie can handle it... but Rarity..." she murmured to herself.
Applejack could trust Pinkie to put together a decent lunch, just as she had over the past few days. But only Celestia knew what kind of "fabulous" culinary experiment her unicorn friend might come up with.
"As long as it's not a five-horseshoe buffet..." The mental image of a runway lined with dishes of every size and color was already parading through her head, and her steps began to slow.
The ever-responsible Applejack's worries weren't unfounded. There was little food left in the pantry for her and her friends. Not so little that it would run out tomorrow, but without proper rationing, in a week—or less—they'd have nothing.
And in that situation (without any way to resupply), leaving Rarity in charge of the kitchen could very well turn into a serious mistake. As much as dressing a pig in an elegant silk gown and expecting it not to get dirty.
"I'd better go back..." she told herself firmly, turning around.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice interrupted her.
[["Applejack? Is something wrong?"]]
"Yaaahhh!" yelped the farm pony, leaping into the air while spinning toward the source of that abnormal voice.
There stood a pony clad in a full-body suit of bright yellow latex. Her face, impossible to see behind a dark visor, was nothing but a black square across the helmet's sealed front. The rest of her body was covered in a single piece of plastic, with oxygen tanks strapped to her back that buzzed nonstop, accompanied by the constant hiss of a respirator tube.
[["I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you, Applejack..."]] continued the voice, its tone accompanied by a low drone like the hum of hornets.
"Nah, nah, it's fine, no problem..." Applejack replied, shaking it off. She felt a little silly when she remembered who it was. "Everything's fine... Fluttershy."
Yes, it was Fluttershy. Though her voice was very different from what everypony was used to. The protective suit distorted it, making it sound deep. Not in a natural way, like a playful changeling prank might, but in a synthetic, slightly threatening way.
Threatening enough to raise the hairs on the back of a seasoned pony like Applejack.
"Ahh... by the way, Fluttershy, maybe you could take off that helmet already? I don't think it's doing you much good..." the farm pony suggested, now less startled but more on edge, casting a wary glance around as if afraid an indignant Rarity might appear out of nowhere.
[["Actually, I think it is helping me, Applejack..."]]
"Really!?" she replied, surprised.
[["Yes. At first it felt very suffocating, but now I'm getting used to it. Besides, my nasal congestion has gotten much better. I think wearing this suit to go get some fresh air was just what I needed."]]
"If you say so..." she answered, unconvinced. Not only because Fluttershy, inside the suit, was completely isolated (meaning she wasn't breathing any "fresh air" from outside), but also because, to be honest, there wasn't any fresh air around here at all.
None whatsoever. Not even a breeze.
It was then that Applejack turned her attention back to the world around her. For a moment, she stopped worrying about the kitchen and looked with fresh eyes at the landscape before them.
No matter how many times she saw it... she still didn't like it.
Beneath a dim yellow light that mimicked the sun, the two friends stood on a road painted across a perfectly flat floor. On either side, house façades—colorful but fake—greeted them with their shiny plastic hues. Maybe, if Applejack were far enough away, she could fool herself into thinking she was back in the town where she and her friends had shared so many memories.
But from this distance... it was impossible to ignore the truth.
They were inside a scale replica of Ponyville, built entirely out of plastic. A Not-Ponyville, soulless, stretching not only across the residential buildings but also into the agricultural outskirts that had once surrounded the village.
"Strange..." Applejack muttered, grimacing as she recognized, in the distance, the artificial versions of her family farm and the apple fields she used to tend with pride.
The sight only deepened her confusion. How could something like this even exist? Who had built it? And as if this unsettling model of her home weren't disturbing enough, beyond the known limits of the town there was...
Applejack swallowed hard, stepping back, pushed by that emotion that had so often made her stumble.
"Scary, isn't it?" Fluttershy asked suddenly.
But this time, Applejack didn't startle. Instead, she turned to her friend with a serious, somber expression.
Fluttershy was no longer wearing her helmet. Her mane flowed freely, but her face showed the same unease Applejack felt.
"Yeah... I don't understand any of this... What is this place?"
"I'm not sure... Pinkie Pie said at breakfast that it could be the toy world Discord talked about so often, although... it feels less fun than he described," the pegasus answered, recalling vaguely the colorful—and chaotic—stories of their draconequus friend.
"Toy world? Uhh..." Applejack thought for a moment. She hadn't considered that before, but the idea made a kind of sense. If Discord—the self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos—was involved, anything was possible. But accepting that opened up new questions.
"So... if that's the case... why would Discord bring us here after what happened on the train? Where is he, to begin with?"
"I don't know, Applejack. It's just Pinkie's theory. I don't really think Discord is behind all this," Fluttershy answered firmly.
"Well, it sure feels like him to me. Almost like he took over Equestria again while we were gone," Applejack huffed, kicking a loose plastic rock on the road. It rolled a few steps, and Applejack glanced sideways at Fluttershy.
That was when she noticed the hardness in her friend's expression.
The look.
"Although... I could be wrong. It's not like we have to blame him for every weird thing that happens to us..." she added with a forced smile, trying to lighten the mood.
But Fluttershy's look only grew sharper.
"He's not to blame, Applejack. He changed. He's our friend now," the pegasus said without breaking eye contact.
"Alright, alright. The change. I'm sorry, Fluttershy," Applejack quickly replied, giving in. She felt the pressure fade almost immediately.
"Ughh... well. Discord's not to blame. But even so, I'd still like to have him here. Friend or not... at least we'd have somepony familiar to deal with this," she muttered, turning her gaze toward the horizon.
"Well... I'd like him to be here too," Fluttershy sighed, looking the other way.
Lost in the reality they found themselves in, the two friends said no more. They resumed their trot, leaving their earlier worries behind, and continued down the empty streets of fake Ponyville.
A suffocating silence stretched around them. No wind. No echoes of their steps. Only that lifeless world that seemed to swallow every sound in its bright, colorful falseness. Applejack, leading the way, kept on until they reached the edge of the town, where the road left the scattered house façades behind and gave way to a dense forest, crafted from overlapping sheets of cardboard.
Under the shadow of those peculiar trees, loneliness manifested in flat silhouettes of fading darkness, exhaling a gloom that seemed to wrap around everything.
Feeling the weight of the journey, along with unwelcome thoughts beginning to creep into her unguarded mind, Applejack decided to restart the conversation.
"So... thinking about anything, Fluttershy? Got any theories about this place?" she asked without turning, forcing a cheerful tone.
[["It's a liminal world."]] Fluttershy replied with a mechanical voice, from behind.
The pegasus had put her helmet back on.
Up front, the hairs on Applejack's back stood on end once again. Even if she was getting more used to it, that distorted voice still stirred a discomfort she could barely hide.
"Liminal? Is that a kind of plastic?" Applejack asked, flicking her tail to try to relax.
[["It's more of an abstract adjective, associated with the boundary between two spaces... It's hard to explain. Rarity nearly spent the whole night trying to make Pinkie Pie understand."]]
"That happened??" Applejack raised a brow. She remembered little from the conversation with her friends before going to bed. She had been very tired after their long day of exploration in the afternoon. That's why (and for other reasons she didn't want to recall), she barely retained a few blurry images of the moment Rarity had spoken so dramatically in front of them all.
And... nothing else. She didn't have much to say about the subject.
"Well, we still have a long way to go before reaching Rainbow Dash, so you can explain all about this 'liminal' thing to me on the way," the farm pony said, adjusting an imaginary hat on her head and making an effort to keep her spirits up.
The two friends continued their walk through the silent cardboard forest.
[---]
From the top of a lookout, right at the edge of a cliff, Applejack gazed at the landscape while she reminisced.
"It's a... toy box?" Rainbow Dash had said shortly after her first flight over the place.
At that height, the farm pony could vouch for it. The landscape beneath her hooves stretched out in a perfect square, as if a piece of the world had been cut out with a ruler and placed inside a box of elephantine proportions. The terrain extended without obstacles until it struck against the four immense stone walls that formed the inner edges of that enormous structure.
And above, way above, those walls ended abruptly against a stony, flat, and perfect sky: an artificial ceiling. A ceiling that, just like the walls, showed no cracks, no flaws, not the slightest hint of a possible way out. Only, in its center, a massive electric light bathed everything in an enigmatic lemon-colored glow.
Yes… it was a toy box. A very large toy box... What else could the simple Applejack think of? The pony kept reflecting.
It could also be the room of a giant, with a world of toys carefully arranged on the floor… a pretty world, yes, but one from which they could not escape.
"No... if we were able to get in, we can get out," she repeated to herself, trying to sound convincing. She had said the same thing before, but the phrase was starting to lose strength. After several days of fruitless exploration, other, darker thoughts had begun to creep into her mind.
"Twilight's not here... you've got the reins in your hooves, Applejack... you can handle it, as long as there ain't no giants," she muttered to herself.
Lost in her worries, her gaze slid across the cardboard forest, following the path she and Fluttershy had taken toward…
"Huh?" she suddenly blurted out, frowning. Something had caught her attention, blurred behind the curtain of her unkempt mane.
She rubbed her eyes, pushed her hair out of the way… but all she found were the same cardboard trees and the trail.
"That mane again..." she sighed in frustration. She really missed her hat.
"Ehhmmm, Applejack... I could use a little help," asked a voice behind her.
The farm pony turned immediately. Fluttershy, who had fallen slightly behind, had just stumbled on the last step of the stairway leading to the top of the lookout. Somehow, she was now clinging to the railing, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
"Up you go!" In a quick move, Applejack pulled the pegasus out of her predicament, setting her safely on solid ground.
"Thank you, Applejack! I don't know what I would have done without you," she sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She no longer wore the helmet of her suit.
"Don't mention it, sugarcube!" Applejack replied, adjusting her mane. "But I reckon your wings could've helped you out too... if they weren't stuck inside that suit."
"Ah... right..." Fluttershy glanced with slight regret at the protective suit she was wearing. Applejack didn't like that outfit, but her pegasus friend seemed to feel quite comfortable inside it.
Not wanting to argue about it, Applejack turned toward the goal of their outing.
Attached to one of the enormous stone walls that marked the limits of that artificial world stood a rustic wooden hut. It was a structure at odds with the colorful surroundings of cardboard and plastic. Being one of the few constructions not made of those materials, the wooden hut also stood out for its aged look and unvarnished surface, as if it had been abandoned long ago once its work was complete.
On its sides, several signs indicated its purpose, along with a map of that sector.
With nothing else remarkable nearby, the image of normality that the hut reflected remained unshaken.
In fact, it looked so familiar that Applejack, upon seeing it, immediately began to consider staying there the rest of the day. Of course, if Rainbow Dash allowed it… since the day before she had claimed the place as her own.
"Alright… it was a little farther than I remembered, but here we are. Rainbow Dash better've worked that bad mood of hers out," she declared lightly, approaching the hut.
"I hope so..." Fluttershy whispered behind her.
The group of friends all knew that Rainbow Dash wasn't going through a good moment. The defeat at the hooves of the Knights of Order weighed on them, especially on the loyal pegasus. Although Applejack had tried to cheer her up, Rainbow Dash had grown increasingly distant from her and the rest of the ponies.
So much so that, much to the farm pony's annoyance, she had started sleeping away from them since the day before, while the others remained in Twilight's fake treehouse.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called, knocking on the hut's door. "We came to visit ya, are you in there?"
There was no answer. After several minutes of silence, it became clear that the pegasus probably wasn't home.
"Do you think she didn't hear us knocking?"
"I doubt it, Fluttershy... this wood ain't that thick," Applejack pointed out, tapping the door with her hoof. The building, made of wooden planks joined together, didn't seem soundproofed. In fact, where the knob should've been there was a large hole, through which one could peek inside.
With a simple push, both entered the hut.
Inside, Rainbow Dash's room —the only one in the hut— was surprisingly tidy: a small table, a chair, a bed, and a wardrobe painted on the wall… nothing else. The space was reduced and functional, without any apparent signs of irregularity.
Except for one detail: the complete absence of Rainbow Dash.
Applejack barely took a few steps before stopping, raising an eyebrow. Something didn't add up.
"It feels really fresh and clean in here..." Fluttershy remarked, sniffing the air. The clear scent of wood contrasted with the plastic smell they had grown accustomed to in recent days.
"Yeah... too clean," Applejack replied with some unease, brushing aside a spotless duster resting on the table. She had expected to find a bit of Rainbow Dash's usual mess, like back in her cloud home in Ponyville.
While Fluttershy was arranging some plastic flowers in an empty vase next to the bed, Applejack realized the obvious.
"Wait a second… Fluttershy, is it just me or... are we the first ones to ever come in here?" she asked, her eyes widening.
Fluttershy froze, startled. After a brief look around, it didn't take her long to notice the same thing.
The room showed no signs of being lived in, aside from the fresh marks of their own hooves. Even the little dust on the furniture was being swept away by the swish of their tails.
Faced with the revelation, both began searching the furniture without wasting time.
The result confirmed what they feared.
"These pillows and sheets aren't the ones we gave Rainbow Dash last night. They're just... plaster," Fluttershy exclaimed worriedly, by the bed.
"There's nothing here either, none of what she took with her this morning, just dusters!" added the farm pony in frustration, slamming the drawer shut. She remembered perfectly how, earlier that day, her friend had left the kitchen carrying a thermos of hot water and a whole bag of oat waffles.
"What about the wardrobe?" Fluttershy pointed to the picture painted on the wall.
"Ughhhhhhhh!" was all Applejack could respond, letting out some of the anger growing inside her.
"Oops… sorry," murmured the timid pegasus, realizing her silly comment. "But... I don't get it. Rainbow Dash told us yesterday she had checked this place out and thought it was perfect for her," she recalled, referring to the exploration of the day before.
However, for Applejack, who had also been there, the conclusion was clear.
"She lied," she declared sternly. "Rainbow Dash didn't check this place out! She didn't even come inside."
"But... why would she lie to us?"
"She wants to solve things her way," the farm pony replied. "The 'Rainbow' way." She stomped the wooden floor firmly.
Applejack was angry. The night before, after a fruitless day, she had tried once more to cheer her friend up… only to be told she would no longer be sleeping with them.
After an unfriendly exchange of words and the pegasus's stubbornness, she ended up giving her approval just to save face. Now she regretted her decision.
"I warned her it ain't the time for games between us, not with things the way they are..." she muttered, almost to herself, as she trotted briskly around the room.
"Ehmm… Applejack…"
"We're supposed to stick together if we're ever gonna get outta here and find Twilight, right?"
"Applejack…"
"'You're being too motherly, Applejack,' 'I can take care of myself, Applejack,' 'You ain't fun without your hat, Applejack!' Uhhh!" she neighed, stomping the floor hard. In front of a surprised and increasingly ignored Fluttershy, she let out the frustration that Rainbow Dash had been causing her in recent days.
"But no more. This pony knows when it's time to herd her sheep. Rainbow's gonna listen to me!"
"Applejack!" Fluttershy shouted, stopping her just before she stepped outside.
"What?!" she answered, still irritated.
"It smells like something…" the pegasus said calmly, lifting her gaze to the ceiling while sniffing the air.
At first, Applejack couldn't smell anything. But little by little, as she flared her own nostrils, she began to notice a pleasant scent in the room.
It was a sweet, familiar smell… one that definitely didn't come from the wooden walls.
A scent very similar to the breakfast Rainbow Dash had taken with her that morning…
Seconds later, both ponies had left the hut, leaving behind a few plastic flowers and a soft aroma of oat waffles seeping out through the half-open door.
[---]
"Yeep! Rainbow Dash definitely was here," confirmed Applejack, giving a sharp kick to an empty waffle bag on the ground.
Behind her, Fluttershy—still wearing her latex suit—nodded silently while arranging a messy pile of blankets over some cardboard boxes.
Rainbow Dash's improvised shelter on the roof of the shed held no surprises. Practical, elevated, and a little untidy: the place reflected her pegasus friend's style quite well.
"I feel a little bad for not understanding Rainbow Dash yesterday, when she said that no one, except her, had permission to climb this high..." Fluttershy remarked, recalling the image of Rainbow Dash standing tall, proclaiming her warning from atop the shed the day before.
"I didn't understand her either. I thought at the time she meant the lookout in general..." replied Applejack, as she inspected the surroundings of the roof. She realized now that this was most likely the highest point in the entire toy world. Which explained why Rainbow Dash had chosen it.
"We'll have to apologize to her when she comes back."
"I guess so..." the farm pony murmured distractedly, scratching the back of her head.
Applejack stepped cautiously across the small roof of the shed, careful not to disturb the messy disorder her pegasus friend had left behind. It was then, when she accidentally stepped on a sheet of bubble wrap, that she noticed an unusual device tucked into one of the corners.
As she came closer, she confirmed the object was exactly what it seemed: a telescope.
Where had Rainbow gotten it from?
Curious, Applejack tried to move it, but quickly discovered it was firmly tied to its stand. So, without further hesitation, she tilted her head and looked through the eyepiece to see where it was aimed.
The image that appeared before her eyes was none other than Twilight's treehouse, where their friends were...
Rainbow Dash hadn't stopped looking after them for a single moment.
With this revealing thought, Applejack felt a knot begin to form in her throat.
"Umm... Fluttershy."
"Yes?" her friend replied, turning around after finishing arranging Rainbow Dash's bed.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, downstairs... I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."
"I understand, it's okay..."
"No, it's not okay, Fluttershy." Applejack lowered her voice, as if recognizing the fragility of her words. "I'm supposed to stay strong. Twilight isn't here, and someone has to lead everyone. But... I don't know if I'm doing it right."
"I think you are doing it right."
"Really?" Applejack let out a rough sigh. "We've been going in circles for four days. And we haven't found anything else apart from what Twilight and Badwhiz left. It's frustrating... I know the others feel it too. Rainbow is tired, Rarity as well... and the food is running out. It's only a matter of time before—"
"Applejack." Fluttershy's voice interrupted her gently, but with unusual firmness. "We still have time."
The pegasus approached and, without asking permission, nestled by her side. The gesture completely disarmed the honest pony, who sank to the ground as if, at last, she had dropped an invisible burden she'd been carrying since the first day.
"I shouldn't be telling you these things, sugarcube... but I really don't know what will become of us tomorrow." Applejack lowered her gaze; her words were barely a whisper. "If I manage to sleep at night, it's only from the exhaustion of walking all day. Nothing bad has happened so far, but..."
"We still have time, Applejack," Fluttershy repeated, her eyes steady and with a serenity that could only be found in her.
Applejack opened her mouth to reply, but stopped. They exchanged glances and, after a heavy silence, she sighed.
"You're right... I guess so."
Surrounded by the still air, the crushing silence of the toy world closed in on them even tighter. In that instant, they could almost believe they were the only things left in existence.
So they stayed, side by side, until at last...
"I think tomorrow we should try something different," Applejack broke the silence. "Though I don't know what."
"We're in this together, Applejack. We can ask the girls and try something tomorrow... maybe... digging."
"Digging?"
"Yes. Pinkie mentioned it at breakfast. She insisted quite a lot... don't you remember?"
Applejack shook her head. "No... I think I've been too distracted lately."
"You're not the only one."
"You too?"
"Yes... all of us." Fluttershy swallowed hard. "Last night, when Rarity was arguing with Pinkie... she started crying. And then Pinkie... and me too. It was... a pretty intense moment."
Applejack looked at her, surprised. "I didn't know that... wait, you didn't tell me that earlier."
"You're not the only one who's afraid of how the others will react if you share what you feel. For example, I think a lot about my friends in the forest... it's been so long since I last saw them..." Her voice cracked briefly, but it was enough: the weight in her gaze said it all.
Applejack understood instantly and lowered her head.
"Yeah..." was all she managed to say, almost without strength.
She missed her home too.
In the mornings, when she woke, she often imagined she was back at her house, with her family, in the normal life she longed for so much: breathing the pure country air, tasting a good apple.
But she wasn't there. She wasn't in her world. She wasn't home.
Without saying a word, both friends embraced, as if trying to hold on to a bit of the safety they so desperately lacked in that cold, unwelcoming world that surrounded them.
"Bzzzzzzzzz..."
"Uhhh?" Almost in a jolt, both friends pulled apart and looked around.
Silence and stillness.
"Ummm... did you hear something just now?" asked Applejack, slightly wary.
"Yeees... it sounded like a... a horsefly?" replied Fluttershy, twitching her ears.
Both sharpened their senses, but the unsettling buzz that had interrupted them didn't seem eager to return.
Just when they began to think it might have been something else, the sound came back.
"Bzzzzzzzzz... Bzzzzzzzzz... Bzzzzzzzzz..." it droned in intervals.
"Well, I can hear that loud and clear... where's it comin' from?" said Applejack, turning her head in several directions.
"From... there!" Fluttershy pointed to the pile of boxes where Rainbow Dash had been sleeping.
Quickly, they dismantled the pile until they found the right box. The buzzing stopped at once.
Confused, they lifted the lid.
Inside, several bulky black communicators were stacked on top of each other like big chunks of coal.
Applejack tilted her head, then immediately picked one up under her pegasus friend's timid gaze.
"It's lighter than it looks."
"Is it... turned on?" asked Fluttershy, pointing at the back of the device.
"It sure is... how strange." Applejack frowned when she noticed the battery compartment was empty. Yet the communicator was still working.
That was exactly the kind of thing she hadn't wanted to run into since they'd arrived in this world.
"Bzzzzzzzzz... Hello... hello?... anyone there?... Bzzz..." came a voice blurred by static.
Applejack didn't need to turn around to notice Fluttershy retreating behind her. But all her focus stayed on the mysterious voice trying to reach out.
She didn't answer right away. Cautiously, she checked the object again until she found the power switch.
She should turn it off.
Her hoof already pressing the button, she hesitated.
Shutting it down was the safest choice: it would cut off any unknown threat on the other side.
But... what if that voice was Twilight's?
After a brief pause, she sighed, resolute.
"Hello?" she answered, while fiddling with the frequency and volume dials.
"Bzzz... Hello? Oh thank Celestia, somepony's there! Fluttershy, is that you? I need help!" The voice grew clearer until it was perfectly sharp.
Both ponies widened their eyes.
"Rainbow Dash!" they cried in unison.
"Fluttershy? Wait... Applejack?! What the hay are you doing there?! Ugggh, this day just keeps getting worse..." The voice cut for a second and came back, now sweeter. "I mean, ummm... what a joy to hear you, Applejack, how are ya?"
Applejack, who for an instant had felt relief at hearing her friend, now felt her good mood crash down on her like a cart of rotten hay bales.
Yep, no doubt about it: on the other end was her dear 'friend' Rainbow Dash.
"I can only hear you, Rainbow Dash. And I'm fine. You?"
"Great! Just great!" replied the pegasus instantly, her tone even sweeter and more cheerful.
"That's nice, friend."
"Yeah, real nice, friend."
"Fantastic." Applejack forced a smile. "Now, friend... can you tell me what in tarnation is goin' on?" she practically shouted at the communicator, which crackled under her hooves.
In response, there was only silence. Fluttershy took the chance to shrink even further into her corner.
"Ugghh..." finally came the reply. "Nothing bad's happening, Applejack. I'm fine... but I'd be better if you two were here too."
"Oh yeah? And where exactly is 'here'?"
"I'm north, forty-five degrees east of the blue-ball tree..."
"Uh-huh... and where's a blue-ball tree?"
"Aaah, that's in... somewhere... Look, there's a map in my Daring Do box. You can follow that."
"Which box—?" Applejack didn't finish. Fluttershy had already pulled from a box marked Daring Do a large, hefty map and spread it out in front of them.
It was huge and surprisingly detailed. Applejack realized, amazed, that it was hand-drawn in pencil, precise enough to reflect the places they had explored over the last few days.
When had Rainbow Dash found the time to draw such a cartographic piece?
"Applejack? You still there?"
"Ah, yeah, sorry Rainbow. Got the map. Where'd you say you were?"
"Northeast, blue-ball tree. Just follow the pink slides, near the cardboard house."
Applejack, used to reading maps, tried to orient herself. However, something puzzled her: the drawings were clear, but the labels weren't. Almost every place was written in handwriting bordering on illegible.
"Here!" pointed Fluttershy, who hadn't been idle in the search and understood her speedy friend's messy scrawl.
Applejack leaned over the map and, guided by the drawings, found the spot Rainbow had described.
"Blue-ball tree... got it, Rainbow! We're on our way. Want us to bring the others too?"
"Uhhm... nah, no need. I got this under control. Really, I'm fine. But... if it's not too much trouble, could you also bring my toolbox? It's under the prank box."
"Rainbow..." muttered Applejack, annoyed at her friend's casual tone.
"Ehh bzzz bzzz... I think the connection's failing... bzz... look for a blue cart when you get here. See ya, gals. Bzzz bzz..."
The fake static swallowed her voice, and the communicator fell silent.
Once again, silence claimed the shed's rooftop.
"Rainbow Dash is in trouble?" asked Fluttershy, breaking the quiet.
"Yup," answered Applejack without hesitation. "She's gotten herself into somethin', just hope it ain't too bad..."
She raised a hoof to her head, trying once again to adjust the hat she no longer had. Worries crept back into her thoughts. But then, something pulled her out of it.
A hoof rested softly on her shoulder.
Turning, she found Fluttershy looking at her with a serene smile, as if she knew exactly what was going through her mind.
Applejack allowed a faint smile of her own and kept talking.
"Although... most likely it's just another one of her silly stunts. A... Sonic Rainbow Fart?" she said with apparent seriousness, then pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.
Fluttershy, on the other hoof, couldn't resist. She let out a short burst of laughter— as intense as a timid pony like her could allow herself.
[---]
Rainbow Dash shut off the communicator.
There wasn't a trace of joy on her face.
"So, a Sonic Rainbow Fart, huh? Since when are you the funny one in the group, Applejack? You wanna have that talk with Pinkie, don't you? Well, if you're going to have it… it'll be after you help me with this..." she growled, her voice vengeful yet laced with anguish, before hurling the communicator against the glass window in front of her.
The place remained in shadow: a confined space, much like the inside of a space capsule.
Through the tinted glass, the outside was barely visible. More capsules, identical to hers, stood like dead fruit amidst a twisted forest of cardboard trees.
Seated on a cushioned chair that did little to ease her discomfort, Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw until her teeth almost ground together.
"Cruggg..." The sound echoed in metallic reverberations inside the capsule. She immediately tensed, face contorted and wings flaring in a useless attempt to release the pressure.
After a few minutes of erratic movements, silence returned. Rainbow collapsed back into the chair, pressing her head against the headrest.
Eating so many oatmeal waffles that morning —along with the questionably sourced milk— had been a terrible idea.
At that moment, Rainbow Dash's thoughts were a mess of self-scoldings (with waffles taking up a large portion of the blame). And another, where all her willpower was reduced to keeping her digestive system under control.
Hold on... until her friends arrived... she had to hold on.
"You're awesome, Rainbow... you can do this... hang in there, Rainbow!" she whispered in a sweaty murmur, while something far from pleasant tried to force its way out from within.
While Rainbow Dash fought to contain what wanted to escape her...
Not far away... inside the forest of cardboard trees, something similar was happening.
Tearing at the fake grass on the ground, a crack had slowly opened. From its depths, an unknown shape was emerging, determined to break through to the outside. To that toy-like world, where Twilight's friends had barely managed to find refuge.