//------------------------------//
// Eponalogue 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash's grunts and groans echoed across the ravine.

Daring Do tossed another thug up against a wall where several Dredgemane officers were hoof-cuffing the entire group of savagely beat henchstallions.  She turned around, blinking at the sound of the labored pegasus.  Pinkie Pie and Maud craned their necks to see.

From the top of the plateau overlooking the canals of Dredgemane, Rainbow Dash descended.  A limp blue unicorn lay over her back.  Covered in dust and sediment, Rainbow touched down on bare stone, only to collapse in a wheezing heap.

"Unnnngh..."

"Woah, there, Champ!" Daring exclaimed.

"Dashie!"  Pinkie gasped.  Face awash with concern, she galloped over to the mare's side.  "Omigosh!  Omigosh!  Omigosh!"

Rainbow looked up with a weary smile.  "Hey th-there, Pinkie.  It's so good to see..."

THWUMP!  Pinkie slapped a random potato bag over Rainbow's head and shoulders.  "You're nakedddd!"

Rainbow's wings limply poked through the bag, as did her head.  She blinked, then blew the dust off her bangs.  "That's it.  This town is officially on the list."

"Don't tell us you're turning into a genocidal destroyer of worlds now, too," Maud droned.

"Naaaah..."  Rainbow Dash shook her head.  "Not tonight.  Next Tuesday, maybe.  But for now..."

"So..."  Daring leaned forward, squinting.  "You got the stone, right?"

"Yup."  Rainbow smiled tiredly, gesturing to where she had formed a rough napsack out of Trixie's starry cloak.  Two separate shards rattled within the sling.  "All it took was a little bit of cunning a whole lot of piledriving."

"Is Trixie in one piece?" Maud asked.

"Pffft.  Sleeping like an angel, from what I can tell."

"Good."  Maud took three and a half seconds to blink.  "I would have disliked ripping your limbs off for having committed cruel and merciless murder."

Rainbow's eyes twitched.

"Eeeheeheehee!"  Pinkie nuzzled her sister, cheek to cheek.  "Isn't Maud an absolute riot?!"

"Yeah..."  Rainbow wheezed.  "A regular Dan Colt."

"Whelp, looks like you saved the day, kiddo."  Daring smirked.  "All things considered, I think we cooked up a real whizz-banger here."  She winked.  "Given a few teeny tiny alterations."

"Like...?"

"Did you do a catch phrase while suplexing Trixie into submission?"

"Uhhhh... my brain's too rattled to remember right now."

"Well, I'll fix that."

"Whatever."  Rainbow sighed as Trixie stirred on her back.  "Looks like you guys wrecked the bad guys pretty hard."

"They were wrecked on the day they were all foaled," Daring said.  "But... yeah... they were no match for us.  I think Sunset Shimmer's wheels took the most out of them."

"Uh huh..."

"We've rounded up a whole bunch of goons.  The cops here in Dredgemane will have a lot of paperwork to fill out after throwing these punks in the slammer."

Rainbow squinted.  "Where's the goose?"

"Who, Romulus?"

"Yeah, that goose."

Daring smiled awkwardly.  "Like I said... we and the wheels took the most out of them... but not even all the dust in Dredgemane could keep a few punks from being slippery..."

Rainbow yawned.  "Whatever.  We got the shard."  She stared down the ravine, spotting dozens upon dozens of Dredgemaners sweeping up debris and chunks of ancient wheels.  "Do any of them know what really went down here?"

"What do you mean?" Maud asked.

"Erm..."  Rainbow Dash trotted closer, whispering aside.  "Do any of them know how much Trixie was involved?"

"I'm pretty sure the folks around here were too caught up in the wheeling to pay attention to who was whinnying!" Pinkie said.  "The only pony who saw Trixie do ebil stuff was ebil Trixie!"

"She's still just the town's rock sorter as far everypony is concerned," Maud said.

"Good.  I... uh..."  Rainbow shuffled.  "I-I think we should keep it that way."

"How do you mean?" Daring asked.

"Well, if we leave Trixie with the authorities, they might figure things out."  Rainbow winced.  "And her shack was totally smashed."

"Mrmmfff..."  Trixie muttered tiredly, eyes shut.  "Not... a sh-shack..."

"What are you suggesting we do?" Maud asked.

"Basically, she needs a place to stay, and the sooner we get away from this scene the better."

Pinkie beamed.  "Say no more, Rainbow ol' buddy ol' pal!"  She slapped a hoof on the mare's shoulder and motioned towards the edge of town with her mane.  "Hop this way!  Auntie Pinkie Pie's got this all taken care of!"