A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, been working on other stories, just got a new job and started my third year of university. I'll try to do better, though!
4. Big Wings, Broken Wings
Any morning in the Everfree forest felt like dusk most anywhere else, the sun was strangled by the tall trees and tied up in the hanging vines, the air was moist and heavy instead of fresh and fleeting. There was no golden sunrise, no rounds of hills of wheat or bright red shimmering apples, no distant blue mountains glistening from base to snowy peak, no singing of harmonious birds or bustling of townsfolk. No, in the Everfree forest, the mornings were dismal and damp, trampled on by the grumbling of ominous creatures not yet named. It smelled of rotting wood and tainted muck, the wind in the trees more of a constant sway than any breeze of life. Rainbow Dash stirred as she felt somepony prod her, and groaned a bit louder as it came again. Applejack nuzzled her side just once more before Rainbow let out with groggy sigh and opened her eyes half way.
"It's too early, A.J., go back to sleep." Rainbow Dash murmured as she crossed her hooves over her nose, closing her eyes back up.
"Rainbow get your lazy butt up, we've got a filly to find." Applejack snorted as she jabbed her with a hoof, causing her to twitch and brace herself upright a bit more. Rainbow Dash looked at the intrusive mare and blinked twice before she understood what the words actually meant.
"Oh my gosh, Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash's wings flashed open and Applejack had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit with them or her other stumbling, uncoordinated movements. "We have to move! How could you let me sleep like that? What time is it?"
"Uh, dawn." Applejack decided to respond to only one of her outbursts.
"I have a lot of ground to make up," Rainbow Dash trotted in place for a second to warm herself up, flapping her wings about and stretching. Applejack shook her head and knew what was coming next, "Catch up with me when you can, I'm—"
"Hold it right there, partner," Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth as Rainbow made to fly off, halting her charge right at the beginning. She was surprised by the action and fell back to the ground with a loud thud. She glared back at Applejack and waited on an explanation, "Listen here, you ain't got no idea where that little filly could be. Now our best course'a action is to stick close, move at a brisk pace and study our surroundin's for clues. Don't cha think?"
"Oh sorry, I didn't know that Twilight had come along with us." Rainbow Dash grumbled sarcastically as she picked herself up and shook the dust out of her coat.
"Come on now, we're losin' daylight." Applejack walked past her pouting friend, gesturing to the two younger fillies to come after her. Applejack already had put her saddle bags back on and was carrying them without complaint. Rainbow Dash managed a groan before she went off after them, trotting past the girls to walk parallel to Applejack.
Rainbow Dash decided to keep her mouth shut for a while, because since she was so worried, she feared she might come off as hostile to the others, and Applejack would buck her silly if she ever spoke to Applebloom in a rude manner. Still, she was more than irritated that she had to keep going so slowly when she wanted to just charge head first through through the forest until she found the kid. For one reason or another, she felt responsible for the filly, and she would not let her down. The forest was unnerving for any pony, it was just so unknown and mysterious, there was no way to know what to expect. The crunching of old dying twigs on the ground under hooves was something to listen to, but it was no comfort.
The young fillies kept up much easier now that Rainbow Dash was on the ground with the rest of them, and not racing ahead chasing a shadow or illusion. All the while as they skipped along, they kept glancing around behind them, watching the small fragments of orange fur peek out from behind the makeshift path as Scootaloo followed cautiously after them. Sweetie Belle had been trying to think up new ways to test the older ponies in front of her, new ways to hint to them just what they seemed not to see on their own. It was quite difficult she realized, thinking up ways to push them together while staying under their radar, especially difficult while they were walking around in this creepy forest. Wait, fear seemed to be an effective tool for forcing people together.
"Did you hear that?" Sweetie said in the most terrified voice she could imitate, shivering a bit as she hurried up to Applejack's flank, walking close as though something was really getting under her skin. Applebloom felt a twinge of jealousy reignite, reminding her of that time she let Sweetie Belle have her sister for just one day. She better not have been trying to steal her sister away again.
"Hear what?" Applebloom asked seriously as she came up real close and glared at Sweetie Belle, before noticing the way she opened her eyes up big and glanced back and forth from the mares before her.
"There it was again! It sounded like a deep, throaty growl!" Sweetie Belle ran up to the other side of Rainbow Dash, pushing against her so she walked another hoof closer to Applejack. Applebloom was not the brightest when it came to these things, but she caught on quickly enough.
"I heard it too! It's gonna come out here an' eat us all up!" Applebloom cried as she ran to her sister's side, shoving her to close some more distance between her and the blue mare.
"Now I ain't hearin' nothin', little sis," Applejack told her as she looked down dully at the little filly, "What's gotten into you?"
"This forest is full of scary monsters who love the taste of sweet, innocent pony flesh!" Sweetie Belle called out with great melodramatic enthusiasm, "Any number of them could be right at our flanks! Waiting!"
"Come on kids," Rainbow Dash made something of a huffed laugh, not afraid for a moment, "Anything you can find out in the forest here is no match, not for your friendly, neighbourhood Rainbow Dash!"
"Was that s'posed to rhyme?" Applejack wondered as she raised her eyebrow and smirked, driving Rainbow Dash to nervously grin and shrug.
"They say that the monsters in here are unlike anything we have seen in Ponyville," Sweetie Belle continued, gesturing about with her front hooves, "They're massive, as large as trees, with skin as hard as stone. They have teeth the size of pegasus wings and tongues that can stretch twenty hooves long!" Sweetie trotted around the mares, who seemed uncertain how to react to the story, "Their fur is midnight black, and their skin is pine green, so they can blend seamlessly into the surroundings. Their claws are sharper than dragon scales, but despite all these things, they prefer to strangle their victims until they pass out, then swallow them whole so they can feel themselves being digested by their acidic stomachs!"
"Where in the hay did'ya hear all that?" Applejack expressed in surprise as she pushed her hat back a bit to look at the filly as she circled them.
"I heard it! I heard it again!" Applebloom trembled as she said it, pushing harder against her sister's side. They all stopped for a second to discuss such a ridiculous story, and Applejack was the first to start.
"Hey now, that ain't nothin' but a load of—" Applejack was stopped mid sentence by the sound of a twig breaking behind them, from the bushed a few yards back.
Without warning Rainbow Dash screamed and jumped on her friend, shoving her off her feet and onto the soft mossy ground. Applejack was certainly afraid when she heard the crackling of a twig, but Rainbow's tackle was something she definitely wasn't expecting. She tried to catch the frantic pegasus, but utterly dumbfounded by the reaction she toppled right over. Rainbow Dash landed right on top of her friend, her head pressed right into the crook of her neck and her hooves wrapped entirely around her. Applejack struggled to pry her friend out of fear and off of herself, tugging at her hooves and squirming about. The two younger fillies grinned as they watched on, Sweetie Belle satisfied with their reaction to what she knew was simply Scootaloo's clumsy following. Rainbow Dash pulled back a bit and looked at the surprised Applejack between her hooves, pausing still for a moment.
"Now," Sweetie Belle whispered to herself, her voice so quiet and yet so shrill she felt like she was going to jump around in joy, "Kiss!" Her eyes lit up as she watched on, the two mares struggling against each other to get comfortable.
"Rainbow!" Applejack groaned as she tried to roll the pegasus off of her, feeling rather awkward with one of Rainbow's legs nestled right between hers. She bit back something of an enjoyable moan as the pegasus tried to move, her wings ruffling around and her legs adjusting themselves more correctly. "What're you—get off'a me!"
"We have to run!" Rainbow Dash said as her wings fully unfurled, a sight Applejack had never seen so close and from such an angle as that. She could even feel the wind move under them. Rainbow's arms slipped under Applejack's and her rear hooves found the ground, "Come on, kids!" She told the little fillies as her wings beat hard, tearing Applejack from the ground and carrying her backwards through the air. Applejack had to grab her hat to keep it on her head, and watched under Rainbow's rear hooves and behind her blowing tail as the two girls followed after them, hiding their smiles. Applejack glared up at the pegasus above her, who was clearly trying to hide some embarrassment from her fearful reaction. "I was expecting you to catch me!" She blamed the Earth pony below her, trying to shift the focus.
"I was expectin' you not to jump on me!" Applejack shouted back, though the volume was unnecessary at such a close vicinity. Rainbow looked like she was about to say something back, but before she could the tree line ended, and suddenly they were surrounded by bright, dry air. Rainbow Dash stopped suddenly looked around curiously, eyeing the large, beige rock formations that cracked all over the place. "Uh, Rainbow?" Applejack started, wriggling in her hooves, kicking her feet around as they were but an inch from the ground, "Rainbow, you can put me down now."
"Oh," Rainbow Dash noticed the stone beneath them and dropped her friend, who hit her rear hooves to the ground and then her front, kicking up dust with each step. "Where are we?"
"If I had to guess," Applejack watched the other two fillies come out into the open before turning around and inspecting the scenery, "I'd hafta say Ramblin' Rock Ridge."
"Do you think Scootaloo would have come this far?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking back at the filly's friends who knew her best. Rainbow Dash was hoping so, she was not interested in going back into the forest if she did not have to. Sweetie Belle appeared to be thinking before she decided to respond.
"I know that if I was Scootaloo, I'd do anything to get out of the Everfree forest." Sweetie Belle nodded surely, hoping it was the right way to move them along. Applebloom hurriedly shook her head up and down to signify her own concurrence.
"Then I guess it's settled," Rainbow Dash agreed as she turned back to face the new landscapes before her, "I just hope she got away from the Manticore and is calling the shots herself."
"I'm sure of it!" Applebloom beamed, and when the older two mares looked back in question, Sweetie Belle put her hoof to her face, annoyed by how transparent Applebloom might seem.
"All righty then," Applejack spoke slowly before turning to her multi-coloured friend, "Rainbow, you wanna fly on up a bit and take a look around? The girls and I will keep to the high ground, we sure as hay can see a lot more from up there."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Rainbow Dash ruffled her feathers a bit as she adjusted to the dryer, windier air. She turned and looked out first, hoping to catch some glimmer of the young filly, but found nothing. The wind blew her mane about, but she could not have cared less as she fully extended her wings and launched herself into the air.
"Let's go!" Sweetie Belle rushed forwards, raising a hoof and pointing out into the vast, desolate landscape before them.
Applejack nodded as she walked after her, having to hold her hat from blowing clean off her head. Applebloom took the moment to peer backwards and look for Scootaloo on their tail, and was able to see a small tuft of her fuchsia hair from behind a fern. She took that as good enough and hurried after her sister and friend, keeping them looking forward.
Rainbow Dash sped past them, her colourful trail a stark contrast to the land in drought, the crumbling and dying stones and the rare stems of famished foliage. It was quite a change from the Everfree forest, but then again so was Ponyville on the other side. Clearly no pegasi came around here to construct a storm, so the plants were left to drink whatever sprinkles came of their own volition. Even if there was rain, the hard and infertile rock beds around them lent little to any form of life that might have wanted to spread.
The fall of hooves on the hot, hard ground echoed through the expanse, mingling with the cooing of predatory birds and the slithering of snakes in and out of crevices unseen. Loose rocks shook about and were kicked with each step, the brown dust scattering and fleeing from such small hooves as these. Rainbow Dash flew over the grounded ponies once more, her wings fluttering a bit as she slowed towards them and landed just ahead, on the edge of some protruding ledge that looked rather weak.
"I didn't find anything." Rainbow grumbled angrily, knocking a pebble away from her hoof. She jumped back into the air and moved her hind legs away from the edge of the cliff, where a small chunk of the side crumbled and fell to the ground far below. "Man, and watch your hooves, this place is falling apart."
"Careful there, partner," Applejack chuckled as she and the girls passed her, watching her face contort into a scowl. Rainbow flapped her wings a few more times and landed beside Applejack, while Applebloom lagged a bit behind and looked over the edges cautiously, "That goes for you too, sugar cube. Lookin' down ain't gonna make you feel any safer." She told her sister gently.
"R-Right," Applebloom stuttered as she moved a little closer to the group, but was still fascinated by the very different scenery.
The group stayed on high ground, making certain to peer over edges as best they could without feeling dizzy. It was no trouble for Rainbow Dash of course, she was never afraid of heights. The cliff sides were not in the best shape to be walked upon, as usually little more than a tumble weed or stray critter bore down on the crumbling stone. The forest was but a line of trees now, seeming far less scary from such a distance. Sweetie Belle didn't seem that concerned either way, she was more interested in wondering where Scootaloo was following them from, or what the next step in her plan would be.
Scootaloo scampered across the rock rides in something of a sprint, hoping to keep up without being seen. She was on the next ride over, which was a wee bit higher, only fit for one pony to cross, and otherwise rather slopped. She had good balance and was careful with her positioning, her orange fur blending in rather well with the scenery. She made her way in front of them, slipping around the sloped rock and sliding to a stop, leaning her hooves over the crest and watching her friends carry out their devious idea of fun. Her eyes widened as she watched Applebloom walk dangerously close to an edge of rock that seemed otherwise unsupported, and she nearly screamed out when she saw the few small pebbles of stone fall from under her tapping hooves. She would have called out and waved, but Applejack seemed just as keen and cautious as she saw where her younger sister trod. The ground between the pair cracked and split a bit, but before much else Applejack was already in full gallop.
"Applebloom!" Applejack called as she rushed towards her little sister and bit her on the scruff of her little neck, earning a yelp from the filly. She picked her up by the loose skin and tossed her in the opposite direction with all her might, feeling the Earth between her hooves giving way.
Applebloom hit the ground hard and rolled a few more feet just past Sweetie Belle, slowly picking herself up despite the shock. She glanced back at her older sister immediately, and found that she was getting shorter and shorter, and farther and farther away. Or at least, that's how it seemed as the rocky cliff side fell apart from beneath her and she scampered about on the debris. Applebloom was speechless, watching her sister take a fall that was clearly intended for her. Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash's wings burst out around her, each feather spreading through the hot sunshine and grabbing hold of it. She took off just as quickly, the multi-coloured trail left behind chasing her up to the hoof.
"Hold onto your hat, cowmare!" Rainbow Dash shouted through her teeth, her front hooves extended their farthest and her wings carrying her at maximum speed.
She dropped down and dove towards the ground as the rocks fell around her, ignoring any potential injury and racing towards her slipping orange friend. Applejack's hooves fell off the rocks that were once under her, and her skittish movements became all the more frantic as she saw the long drop down and shouted in fright. With daring acrobatics, Rainbow Dash snatched her clean out of the air with her strong hooves around the mare's torso. Applejack blinked and felt her breath get snagged in her throat, looking admirably up at the heroic pegasus above her. She was jolted a bit to the side as Rainbow Dash swayed in one direction, catching a falling object in her teeth with a grin.
Rainbow chuckled a bit before she spoke, "I thought I told you to hold onto that, A.J.?" She murmured through the fabric of the brim of her hat, which was held tightly in Rainbow Dash's mouth.
"Shoot, Rainbow," Applejack couldn't help but let her gleaming smile shine out for everypony to see, graciously letting Rainbow Dash carry her back to solid ground. She left her hat press against her head again as Rainbow dropped it roughly back in place, "That was some fancy flyin'."
"Don't mention it, somepony's got to make sure you don't get yourself killed." Rainbow Dash grinned proudly as she returned her friend to her hooves and landed beside her, ruffling her feathers and puffing out her chest, "Really, what would you do without me?"
The crackling of the rocks finally went quiet, only the echoes continuing across the area. Such a loud noise was sure to attract the attention of any nearby predator, and predictably it did. Everypony went still and gave terrified expressions as they heard some loud noise from behind them, the beating of some large wings or something accompanied by a horrific roar. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other immediately, and both mares could see an identical expression of uncertainty and fear on the other's face. The younger fillies rushed to their sides and looked about wildly, their coats standing on end. The roar came again, and louder, and even Scootaloo, just one ridge away, froze with fear. She turned behind her as she saw the shadow loom over her tiny body, enveloping her without remorse. Rainbow Dash's voice was a little shaky, still troubled by the story that Sweetie Belle had told them in the forest.
"D-Did that monster chase us all the way from the f-forest?!" Rainbow's voice came out shaky and anticipatory, her ears pressing down against her head as her tail stuck somewhere near her legs. She only looked at Applejack, daring not to look behind her at where the sound originated.
"I reckon that don't sound like no monster, if I ain't mistaken, that sounds like a," Applejack paused to swallow hard, and the silence was filled by another beat of what sounded like enormous wings. They all looked back at once, though slowly, and caught sight of the great beast swooping down to the next ridge before taking off once more with a tremendous roar, "Dragon!"
The great, reddish-orange scaled dragon flew up from the next ridge, it's claws a deep black and it's mouth expressing a horrible display of smoke and fire. The little fillies hurried behind the older mares, shaking to their hooves. All at once, the group heard a shrill cry, and their eyes went wide as they spotted a struggling, pink-maned filly flailing about it the dragon's right claw. The two other crusaders were horrified at the sight, their hearts falling into their stomachs as they realized what true danger they had put everypony into.
The older mares cared not about the danger though, and both ran out towards the flying creature, though Rainbow Dash inevitably got closer as she carried herself on her wings. The dragon's wings blew one monstrous gust of wind down on them, the dust fleeing the scene in droves. Rainbow Dash bolted after the beast just as recklessly as she chased the falling Applejack not a moment ago, her eyes set on the screaming filly before her.
"I'm coming, Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to get in close enough to free her, but time and again the claw was moved far away from her feeble attempts. She tried next to get close to the dragon's head, kicking rapidly at its chin and eyes. But such a sizeable creature paid no heed to the tiny pony that chased it, and swatted her through the air. She immediately flipped around in the sky and came back again, "You're not getting away that easy!"
Rainbow dodged the next two swipes at her, and zoomed around the dragon to try and get a better position to pry Scootaloo from its grasps. On the ground, Applejack chased the confrontation in a full gallop, her hooves smashing against the stone at a steady and speedy pace. The two other fillies tried to keep up, but with much smaller legs it was a goal that would go unachieved. The orange dragon flew up higher, brushing off the attacks with little effort. Rainbow Dash made one final assault, launching herself towards the creature at full speed, hooves extended out until her elbows locked. With a vicious swipe of its tail, the dragon smashed Rainbow Dash off course, knocking her into a downward spiral that she could not correctly fly her way out of. The ground and sky twirled around her in flashes, her limbs like useless twigs trembling in the breeze as she plummeted back down to the hungry rocks below.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo's voice could be heard crying out over the battle, getting smaller and weaker as the dragon carried her off.
The blue pegasus rushed to greet the Earth, meeting it first with a loud and horrible smash of her back against a sharp ridge. Her face contorted to scream, but no sound could possibly have escaped even if the wind had not been knocked from her lungs so entirely as it was with the collision. Her limp body slid down the cliff side the remaining few feet until she crumpled up in a heap at the bottom, her whole body shaking with futility and disbelief. She weakly opened one eye but a crack, and could already see the distance growing much too far for any counter assault she could manage, especially once she was robbed of mobility. She slid her rickety hoof across the dirt and tried to pull herself ahead, to gain back just that little expanse between her and the filly who needed her, but her strength fell short at last, and she folded onto the stone. Applejack had reached her side already, and just stood there staring out at the retreating dragon before she looked down at Rainbow, who could not even expand her wings to make a feeble attempt to follow.
"Oh, Rainbow," Applejack's heart sunk as she saw the mare struggle to move but an inch, her body failing her when she needed it most. This was just what she had trained it for, to provide protection to those in need and enable her to perform any feat of speed. All of that confidence was gone now though, as her head rocked a bit as she lay on her shoulder, her body contorted into an uncomfortable position. Applejack moved a bit closer but inspected her friend before trying to touch her, "Can you move?"
"What's it look like I'm trying to do?" Rainbow Dash growled angrily as she willed herself to her hooves, which faltered at every joint despite her overpowering desire to make chase. She went to unfurl her wings once more, so that she might not have to even use the rest of her useless body, but cried out in pain as her body was wrought with it. "Ah, damn it!" She cussed loudly without a care, folding her wing back in though it even hurt to do that. She could feel every muscle aching, and even the bones felt like something was off about them.
"Easy, easy now," Applejack consoled her, coming up close and trying to get a better look at the damage, "Lemme see it, sugar cube." She leaned over her friend and prodded gently with her hoof, moving the wing ever so gently. Such movements summoned grimaces and groans from the pegasus, as well as jerking and defensive batting with her weak hooves. "I'mma be straight with you honey, it ain't lookin' good."
"What are you doing here," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she shoved her concerned friend away, "Go after her already! We're losing her!"
"There ain't no way I could catch 'em, you know that!" Applejack tried to reason with her, as she pulled the protesting pegasus away from the stone wall with little effort. "Me without wings or nothin', and what would I do if I caught it? Listen, that there dragon didn't kill us when it had the chance, my gut tells me it ain't gonna just steal some filly away and eat her or somethin'. There are much bigger meals elsewhere, me or y'all for example." Her voice dipped into a hush as she laid the pegasus gingerly onto her stomach, letting her wings unfold almost naturally, "We'll go after it right after I make sure you're fit to move."
"I'm fine, A.J., it's just a scratch, I'm just shaken up or something." Rainbow argued as she saw the other two young fillies finally managing to catch up, their frightened faces echoing each other.
"This ain't no scratch," Applejack's tone scared Rainbow Dash, and she crooked her neck to look back at her equally uncertain expression, "Looks like you might'a broken a wing, and there's quite the gash. You're bleedin' something fierce. Applebloom, Sweetie, stay back!" Applejack called to them, and as commanded they stopped in their sprints several yards away, "You girls watch which way the dragon goes, I gotta, uh, make sure Rainbow is all right, y'hear?"
"You don't want them to see me like this?" Rainbow Dash murmured into her forelegs through her teeth, watching the girls nod and turn back to the skies, following now but a fraction of a shadow on the horizon. "Guess I can't blame you. I don't even want you to see me like this."
"Hush, 'nough nonsense," Applejack bit open her satchel and pulled out some of the medical supplies she had brought along, hurriedly dabbing some of the blood away before the girls could notice, before beginning to wrap her wing up real tight, "I just don't want 'em any more worried than they already are," The southern twang in her voice seemed especially endearing whenever she spoke so kindly to anyone, and this time was no exception. Rainbow almost smiled as her words brushed over her blue coat and embraced her, "Y'all are somethin' of a hero to all of us, nopony wants to see a hero bleedin'. It ain't easy for me to see it neither, my best friend barely movin'? Shoot, you gave me quite the scare."
"Sorry about that," Rainbow Dash's voice was low and solemn, as she watched the other two fillies look out to where the dragon had long since disappeared. Applejack nuzzled her just behind the ear, a gesture that told Rainbow she was finished bandaging her up. She could feel the restraint on her wing, and shook a bit as she got back to her hooves, faking confidence and strength. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered the deep orange dragon, something she had not been expecting to see. And why not? It seemed rather far fetched to imagine one filly being abducted twice in two days. "So, tell me kids," Rainbow Dash flipped her mane and glared at the two girls who shrunk beneath her gaze, "How exactly did a Manticore become a dragon?"
"Uh, funny story," Applebloom began to fess up, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. Clearly, the time for playing around was over.