STRANDED Ch. 9-

Apple Jack screamed at the top of her lungs. In an instant, everything went from total darkness to pure white. The sudden change made Apple Jack shut her eyes as she stumbled back. After a minute or so, she was finally able to ajust to the light around her. She looked off in every direction. Nothing. There was nothing. Pure white all around her. "Am... am ah dead?" Apple Jack wondered to herself.

"No." an oddly familiar voice called in the distance. "You're not dead Apple Jack, you're one of the lucky ones. Me... I didn't stand a chance." The voice had a very depressing sound to it. "Heh, even you knew that before I did." Apple Jack quickly recognized the voice.

"Rainbow... Dash...?"

The white around her started to take color. The world started to take form. She was slowly able to make out fuzzy details as everything started to come together. After some time, everything was becoming clear as day. She was surprised to see herself standing at the gates of Ponyville Cemetery.

"Whe- where am ah?" asked Apple Jack.

"Walk forward Apple Jack and see the consequences of your selfish actions." the voice called. Apple Jack took a few steps forward. The gate to the entrance slammed shut behind her. 'Guess there's no turning back now.' she thought to herself. She slowly walked forward, observing gravestones as she walked by. She walked for several minutes before coming to the end of the graveyard. Nothing.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Apple Jack inquired.

The voice spoke, "Joke? I wish it were." the voice was gloomier than last time.

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Apple Jack asked.

"Look to your left, Apple Jack." the voice commanded.

Apple Jack turned to see a small tombstone of marble, brand new, sitting on a freashly dug grave. Apple Jack edged closer to read what the stone said. Her heart sank to the deepest pits as she read the following,

'Here lies Rainbow Dash. Friend of four, Enemy of one...'

"C'mon Apple Bloom, wait up!" yelled Sweetie Bell, trying to catch up.

"There ain't no time, Sweetie Bell!" Apple Bloom responded. Suddenly she stopped. She was having a bad feeling about things. "Maybe I should wait on Sweetie Bell." she whispered to herself.

She turned and saw the little white filly approaching at her top speed. She was about five hooves away before there was a loud scream. The scream froze them stiff, but there was something strange about this scream though, like that it wasn't a scream of pain... but one of agony.

"It sounds like it's coming from the beach, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Bell implied.

"Apple Jack..."

"NOOOO!" Apple Jack roared. She fell down to her knees and wept softly. 'How could you be so arrogant.' she lashed at herself. 'How could you do such a thing to your best friend?' She sat there, crying for the longest time. Then, she noticed that she wasn't the only one weeping. Off in the distance, another pony could be heard crying just as softly as her. Apple Jack rose up, tear streams down her face, and walked to investigate who else was there with her. She came to a circle of bushes. She slowly came closer until she was at the bushes edge. She lifted a hoof and parted a few branches just enough to see who was inside.

"Wh... what the..." she choked as she saw before her the one friend she thought she would never see again. It was Rainbow Dash. Apple Jack choked up, her lips trembled, she shut her eyes tight as to try and hold back the tears. As hard as she tried, she was unable to hold back for long before she jumped through the bushes to hug her friend, to hold her tight and tell her how sorry she was. The moment ended as she seemed to just phase through the rainbow maned pony and tumbled.

"H...huh?" Apple Jack let out with a sad, confused look on her face as she turned to see the cyan pegasus still sitting there, crying. The voice called out again, no longer distorting itself, "Watch and see what YOU have done to me!" the voice was no doubt Rainbow Dash's. Apple Jack watched in horror as her friend was cut down by the evil creature, seeing every detail as if it were happening for real right in front of her. She even saw her friends last moments with the group as she let out her apology with her last breath. Apple Jack stood there, words could not express the amount of pain and guilt she felt. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't think.

After the scene was over, everything went back to white. Apple Jack stood there, alone, with no one to comfort her. She watched as a blue figure suddenly appeared in front of her, the figure of a once proud pegasus who was now thrashed from head to hoof. Scars against her side and blood all over. The figure stood there and spoke softly, "Why..." it asked. "Why did you do this to me Apple Jack?" Apple Jack had no words. "Why would you put me through this kind of horrible pain?" The voice of the figure picked up in tone. Apple Jack finally spoke, her voice hoarse, "Ah... didn't mean for..." she was stopped.

"Didn't mean for what, Apple Jack!" the figure yelled.

"Ah didn't mean for you to... to..." she didn't want to say it. "to die."

"Well... I would have loved to live, loved to see Ponyville again, loved to even spend one more day with you guys, even on the island... but you... you... you put me down... called me a liar... shunned me in my time of need..." the figure bowed it's head and dropped a tear from it's face.

"Sugarcube, ah... ah'm sorry..." Apple Jack let out, fighting her tears.

The figure chuckled, "Heh... it's a little late for that don't you think..." The words made Apple Jack break down.

"OH RAINBOW DASH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" she begged. The figure just turned its head. "Oh please, ah wasn't thinking clearly, ah let my pride get the best of me. Ah even lead my best friend to her doom..." The figure turned back and looked scornfully at Apple Jack, yet didn't say anything.

"Look Dash, ah know nothing ah say or do will change anything... and ah honestly don't expect you to forgive me... but know that ah wasn't in the right mind when ah said those hurtful things and that ah truly am sorry..." Apple Jack said as she hung her head down, letting the tears fall. The figure's expression when from scornful to happy.

"Apple Jack," the figure started, "of course I forgive you. I am the element of loyalty, after all." Apple Jack lifted her head to see the smiling face of her friend, who no longer seemed bloody or thrashed. "I know you were not in the right mind, Apple Jack." Apple Jack smiled and wrapped her hooves around the cyan pegasus with all her might. Tears poured out her face as she squeezed. "Apple Jack, what's done is done. I'm sorry to put you through all this. Don't let this ordeal hinder you. Promise me that, won't you Apple Jack?" Apple Jack looked up at the face of her dearest friend, knowing that this would probably be the last time that they would see each other.

"I promise..."