Of bad dreams and dilemmas
Of bad dreams and dilemmas
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
Rainbow Dash looked horrified at Applejack who was too busy looking back and forth between her and the rest of her extended family, the yells getting louder and more violent and to the point she couldn't even hear herself think. Desperately she deployed her wings and flapped to stay upright as she covered her ears with her forelegs.
"Everypony just shut up!" she screamed in a desperate and futile attempt to silence them all.
Rainbow Dash bolted up in bed, her eyes wide as the covers came flying off of her body as she panted and gasped. This was becoming an all too common way of waking up.
Over the past few months she'd been spending more and more nights at Sweet Apple Acres. Nearly every other night she was sleeping over, enjoying a good home cooked dinner, sharing stories with Apple Bloom, finding something to bicker with her sister about and simply reveling in the comfort of her new and official family.
Had that been all there was to having a family she'd be fine with it. But sadly there was a lot more to it than just the good times; or even the bad times like when she got Applejack mad at her. There was the matter of the upcoming Apple Family reunion that was just weeks away. Family reunions meant lots of family coming to visit and meet new faces. Lots of family and new faces meant new opportunities, both good and bad. She was facing uncomfortable possibilities as the day drew closer and closer, being forced to entertain thoughts she'd rather not think.
The worst part of it all? Not being able to tell anypony about it. She couldn't turn to Applejack and have her explain away why her fears would never turn into realities. She couldn't go to Granny Smith as she wouldn't understand. She couldn't even turn to her friends as word could just get back to Applejack. She was having to fly this one solo, and in this case that was really hard to do.
"RD?"
She turned to her side and looked down at the source of the voice and found Applejack laying there. Now she remembered the events of the previous night, or whatever it was compared to right now. It'd all started with the Discord nightmare that brought her here in the middle of the night, creeping about like a cat burglar and pitifully nuzzling her adoptive sister until she scooted over while muttering something tiredly, allowing her to slip in under the covers.
And then as if losing her wings and being stranded on top of the tiniest cloud that could be found deep over the Everfree Forest wasn't bad enough, as soon as she'd managed to go back to bed she was assaulted by her worries about the reunion going badly. Did somepony have it out for her? Had she upset some magical force that was intent on making her suffer for something she was unaware of? Was the double feature really necessary?
"Wha's wrong?" Applejack asked and yawned. "Wha' time is it?"
"I dunno. And another nightmare," Rainbow Dash replied before finally laying back down. "Sorry for waking you...again..."
"Jus' go back ta sleep," Applejack replied and rolled over. "An' if yer gonna keep havin' nightmares try not ta whimper in ma ear like Winona wantin' out."
Without a word Rainbow Dash simply nodded and curled back up under the covers to try and go back to bed, if not for her sake then for Applejack's. As usual tomorrow was going to be a busy day and that required a good night's rest.
Working for the weather bureau wasn't all that hard, it was pretty much a breeze compared to other tasks.
Working at Sweet Apple Acres wasn't all that hard, it had its own challenges but as long as you were in shape it wasn't all that tough.
Running on what amounted to weeks worth of little sleep and nights punctuated with nightmares while trying to do both of these things at the same time was where things got hard and became more difficult than the work itself; she was exhausted! And it was hard to clear the skies when the clouds you were shoving felt so soft and cozy and practically called your name while inviting you to curl up on them and take an early morning after-breakfast nap.
"Why me?"
It was a question she'd been asking herself off and on for the past couple of weeks. Out of all her friends she seemed to be experiencing the most difficulty and trouble. Something seemed to be happening just about ever single week and more often than not she was unfortunate enough to be involved in the mix. It really did make her begin to question if whether or not she'd angered some magical power that was intent on making her pay for some unrecognized transgression.
Right now she was too mentally exhausted to be giving it much thought. All she wanted to do was take a nap on a small unsuspecting cloud that'd managed to drift over Sweet Apple Acres and was just too fluffy and soft to wrangle out of there. A little shut eye wouldn't hurt.
"Hey RD!"
Except it didn't look like she was going to get that little shut eye. As she looked down from her perch she saw the unmistakable sight of Applejack looking back up at her and frowning.
"Jus' what the hay are ya doin' up there? Did ya get stuck an' can't get back down?" she asked in a deliberate attempt to rile up her sister and get a rise out of the half asleep pegasus. It worked as her attitude suddenly became hostile. Applejack knew full well that she didn't appreciate one bit about being stuck high in the clouds and unable to get back down again; as soon as she did she was going to pay.
"Dag nabbit Applejack y'all know that weren't funny!" Rainbow Dash yelled back down at her, deliberately mocking her sister's accent in a clear sign of displeasure. "Ah swear y'all is the most inconsiderate straw brained farmpony ah ever did have the displeasure o' associatin' mahself wit'!"
"Work on it, RD, work on it," Applejack stated dismissively and frowned, unimpressed with the butchering/mocking of her drawl. "C'mon down here already so we don' have ta shout back an' forth."
Rainbow Dash grunted but flew down from her perch above the orchards, coming in for a landing right in front of Applejack so she could see full well that she wasn't the least bit happy about that crack she'd made. However to her it seemed Applejack had prepared for such and kissed her on the forehead, a move that forced her to let her anger dissipate and simply sigh in response.
"You know I hate it when you joke like that," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"Ah know. Ah'm sorry. Ya jus' seemed kinda lost up there," Applejack replied. "Ya alright RD? Somethin' ya need ta talk about?"
"...Nothing that I wanna talk about right now," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged. She really couldn't bring her dream up to her, not yet anyway. "I'm just tired and glad that I've got my weather duties out of the way," she said and let out a yawn, figuring it was the best cover to offer.
"Ya do look a might tired an' all, more run down than ya usually do," Applejack noted as she looked her over. "Do ya think ya can help me run a load o' apples inta town since Big Macintosh is off tendin' ta other matters?"
"Yeah I guess so, sure," Rainbow Dash mumbled and nodded her head. What she really wanted was to take a nap and catch up on missed sleep. But if she did that then she'd risk having another nightmare. At least the prospect of work gave her something to distract herself with.
The walk to the barn where the apple carts waited was one in silence, neither having much to say. Unfortunately a silent walk wasn't doing much for keeping Rainbow Dash distracted from her tiredness. She was gonna need to do something about that.
"So...this gonna be a big family reunion huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Darn tootin' it's gonna be big. Prob'ly the biggest one yet, we got family from all over Equestria comin' in," Applejack stated proudly. "Lookin' forward ta meetin' everypony?"
Rainbow Dash gave a noncommittal nod while using a yawn as an excuse for not saying anything in response. Looking forward to it wasn't how she'd describe the situation if given the opportunity. But she wouldn't tell Applejack about that.
"So how many of our family aren't earth ponies?" Rainbow Dash decided to ask.
"Hard to say currently. Countin' marriages?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash nodded. "Guess we'll just have ta wait an' find out."
"Waiting. Awesome," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head as they arrived at the barn. At least hauling apples would be easier than thinking about what would be coming down the line in the next few weeks. "Celestia, please let rain be scheduled for that day, please..." she thought to herself.
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
Rainbow Dash looked horrified at Applejack who was too busy looking back and forth between her and the rest of her extended family, the yells getting louder and more violent and to the point she couldn't even hear herself think. Desperately she deployed her wings and flapped to stay upright as she covered her ears with her forelegs.
"SILENCE!"
The voice was booming and deafening in nature, easily breaking through her forelegs and reaching her ears, yet strangely with no pain to accompany it. The yells of the crowd stopped as all heads turned upward and saw the slow but steady descent of Princess Luna, her wings flapping with great strength as they brought her lower to the ground before folding up as she touched down in a firm but graceful manner.
"BEGONE!" she commanded and firmly stomped her right foreleg, sending out a shock wave pulse through the ground that had a ripple effect throughout all the members of the Apple family in front of her, causing them to disintegrate and disperse like dust in the wind.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stare at the sudden change of events. Princess Luna's presence during the daylight usually meant...that it was a dream being experienced instead of reality. This whole miserable experience was nothing more than some dumb nightmare of hers? She couldn't remember ever being so relieved and so annoyed at the same time.
"Greetings Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna said calmly as she turned to face the young pegasus. Unlike so many others Rainbow Dash didn't immediately bow before her; a violation of standard etiquette but she wasn't about to complain, there was no need for such adherence to protocol in the dream world. "This is quite the nightmare you are experiencing," she commented as she looked around.
"Um...thanks," Rainbow Dash replied and blinked, unsure of what was the best thing to say in response. What does one say to a princess that swoops in to rescue you from your nightmares in such grand fashion? "Sorry Princess I...I really don't know what to say," she said and sat herself down on the front porch.
"It is alright," Luna replied as she sat down as well. "As guardian of the dream world I have encountered a variety of nightmares since my return. But I must admit that I have not seen one quite like this during that time. It is...quite unique...and not in a good way," she commented.
"Yeah tell me about it," Rainbow Dash replied as she rubbed her foreleg. "This isn't the first time I've had this nightmare either. If you hadn't shown up when you did I'd probably be waking up in terror right now."
"I am afraid there is little that I can do about such a situation. Nightmares of this sort continue to plague the individual so long as the underlying fear and worries are allowed to persist and are not directly addressed," Luna explained. "Perhaps if you tried talking your fears over with somepony? Your sister Applejack perhaps?"
"Can't," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head.
"...Explain please?" Luna asked in hopes of a better elaboration than a single word.
"If I tell you about this do you swear not to tell anypony else?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"To share the details of one's dreams would be an unacceptable violation of protocol and dream etiquette. Anything you share with me in this world will be held to the strictest of confidence. No other pony need know," Luna stated.
"Alright," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. "I can't tell Applejack about this because I don't want to upset her. How do I tell the pony that was kind enough to take me in that I'm secretly afraid someone in her family is going to hate me for being a pegasus and won't tolerate my presence? I know it's unreasonable and all, but...it's just something I can't stop worrying about, alright? And I can't tell Applejack about this without getting her upset that I'm accusing her entire family of being intolerant. And if she doesn't get angry at me for that she's just going to dismiss my fears out of hoof just like she has been since the beginning. So I've gotta keep this to myself, everyday worrying that I'm gonna be the wedge driven between Applejack and the others. And I'm the Element of Loyalty, do you know what it's like to be the Element of Loyalty and you have to lay awake at night wondering about whether or nor you're going to put your sister in a lose/lose situation where she has to choose just which member of her family she has to be loyal to?"
Luna sat silently as she listened to Rainbow Dash voice her thoughts and detail her fears. During her elaboration she had stood and began pacing back and forth, the tone in her voice growing more frantic and her breathing uneven. She was working herself into a lather.
"Rainbow Dash," Luna interrupted as she spoke firmly, "approach me."
Rainbow Dash let out a nervous gulp as she stopped the pacing she hadn't even realized she started before looking over at Princess Luna. Hesitantly she stepped closer until she was directly in front of her.
"For one that is still so young you have shouldered a great burden upon yourself. I am sorry about the predicament you find yourself in. And I am equally sorry there is nothing that I can do to alleviate your worry," Luna explained before she reached over with her forelegs and gently pulled Rainbow Dash closer in order to envelop her in a gentle hug. "I regret that I cannot keep watch over all dreams equally. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to stop the next nightmare from occurring as I may be preoccupied with the dreams of somepony else. However should you call my name I will make every effort to respond."
Rainbow Dash was surprised at the hug, but she wasn't about to object. It was warm and soft and comforting, and dream or not she'd really worked herself up and this had a relaxing feel to it. She visibly relaxed and closed her eyes as she settled into the hug. "Thanks Princess. Do you think you can stay for a little while?"
"I shall stay," Luna said and nodded.
Rainbow Dash nodded in appreciation and allowed herself to sink deeper into the embrace, wrapping her forelegs around Luna's middle in the process. Luna smiled in response.
Celestia frowned as she looked at her sister who sat across from her at the table. Being an immortal alicorn meant that certain things like food and rest weren't necessary to sustain life, but they were pleasant indulgences to enjoy. Ever since Luna's return the two had made it a habit to sit down and enjoy a nice breakfast/dinner before they each began or concluded their shift for the day. It provided a pleasant opportunity to spend time together as well as talk about many things.
Unlike other times though Luna was quiet and more picking at her meal rather than eating it. That was very unlike her and a matter for concern.
"Is something wrong Luna? Is the food not to your liking?" Celestia asked.
"Everything is fine, dear sister," Luna replied and nibbled at her plate, more to satisfy her sister than herself.
Celestia frowned slightly. "You used to say the same thing over a thousand years ago, my sister. You know you can always talk to me about anything that's troubling you. Even when I'm in council I'll always make time for you."
"I understand, dear sister, and I thank you greatly for that," Luna replied and nodded. "That said however there are matters that I am not able to discuss with you. It is a violation of protocol and proper etiquette for me to share the events I encounter on my nightly watch over the dreams of Equestria. I must maintain confidence and that is what makes this so hard."
Celestia frowned more. "I would never ask you to betray confidence. But I'm still concerned for your well being Luna. If what you're experiencing in the dream world is starting to affect you in the real world then something needs to be done about it."
"But-" Luna stated.
"I'm not telling you to betray confidence. Simply tell me what you can, anything at all would help," Celestia explained.
Luna let out a sigh in response. No matter what she could say it would still be a violation of confidence to some degree or another. But she was in need of guidance and Rainbow Dash was in need of help. Perhaps should could live with herself committing a tiny infraction if it would help one who helped her so much by giving her back her life.
"There is a pony who has been experiencing continual nightmares about betrayal by the extended family. They fear that when all meet they will be rejected out of bigotry and intolerance and it will drive a wedge between the other members of the family and it will be all their fault," Luna explained and paused. "I believe that if the pony in question would simply share their fears with another close member of the family they would realize that there is nothing to fear, but yet they fear revealing the truth as it may be dismissed as nonsense. Currently they are suffering in silence for fear of instituting disloyalty amongst those they love. I fear that if this continues their mental and physical health will suffer from the inner turmoil."
She hated herself right now for what she'd done. But after all the good Rainbow Dash and the others had done for them and Equestria itself then perhaps she could hate herself a tiny bit less than she would've otherwise had it been anypony else.
"Is this pony in particular someone that's important?" Celestia asked.
"Everypony is important, dear sister, you are aware of that. Some are just a little more important than others," Luna replied, causing Celestia to grin.
"Would you be open to some advice from someone that's been around a while?" Celestia asked. Luna said nothing in response, giving her no reason to assume it was a rejection of the offer. "In times of conflict such as this it's important for a ruler to know when to be firm and stick to the rules, but it's equally important to know when to be lenient and follow your heart. The right thing isn't always the right thing in terms of black and white standards such as the rules. One must be...flexible," she explained.
Her sister's advice -if it could truly be called that- had done little to assist her in sorting out her own inner turmoil. What her entire speech amounted to was a long and complicated way of telling her to make up her own mind. That meant if she did the wrong thing she would only have herself to blame rather than...ay, there was the rub. She scowled in response.
"Then perhaps it is best if I think on the matter," Luna replied and stood up from the table. "I will see you again at sundown."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you better on the matter, Luna, but I'm afraid I can't give a definite answer one way or the other," Celestia stated.
"I am aware of that, my sister, I am aware," Luna said calmly as she turned and left.
"Come outta that tree ya rotten good fer nothin' apples!" Applejack yelled angrily before rearing up and bucking the tree to try and dislodge the batch of delicious looking red apples that just dangled there, stubbornly refusing to obey despite the amount of force the tree was subjected to. Never in her life had she seen a bunch of apples that were so dang stubborn and refused to abide by simple physics.
"Ya wanna be stubborn? Ah can be stubborn to. Ah ain't quittin' 'til ya either come down or ah break mah leg, an' the second one sure ain't happenin' anytime soon!" Applejack stated and pulled back to give it another shot.
Her hooves connected with the trunk of the three full force and with a mighty smack. Unfortunately her aim had been off and her right leg crumpled with a sickening crunch from hitting the tree at an angle. Immediately she fell to the ground screaming in pain, trapping her injured hind leg beneath the full weight of her body.
This was very bad. How could she make such a foalish mistake and break her leg like that? She would've expected Apple Bloom to do something so stupid but not herself, not with all her experience when it came to apple bucking. How was this possible? Worse than that was the question of what she was going to do now?
"Help! she yelled, desperately hoping somepony would hear her and come to her aid. "Somepony! Anypony! Can ya hear me!?"
"Do not fear little one, I am here."
Applejack's mind immediately focused on the disembodied voice she was hearing. She quickly realized that it belonged to Princess Luna who was in the process of materializing before her.
"Princess Luna?" Applejack asked in confusion, her mind no longer focusing on the pain in her leg as she was thoroughly distracted. "What're ya doin' here? Ah haven't seen ya since RD was sick an'...wait, is this a dream we're in?"
"A nightmare would be a better description for what you are experiencing. I must say you Apples have managed to keep me quite busy as of late," Luna commented before levitating Applejack off the ground to free her trapped leg. "Your leg is now healed. However if you wish for me to kiss it and make it better..." Luna paused.
"Naw it's fine," Applejack quickly stated at the idea as a wave of blush crept over her face. "So Princess...what brings ya ta my dreams?" she asked.
"My royal duties to watch over the dreams of Equestria," Luna replied. "I also come hoping that you may advise me on a matter I am having great difficulty with," she added as she lowered Applejack back onto her hooves.
"Me? Ya want me ta advise ya on somethin'?" Applejack asked with her eyes wide in surprise.
Luna nodded. "I am suffering something of a crisis of conscience. There are certain duties that I must tend to and they require a certain level of restraint. But I am afraid that my heart does not accept these duties as well as my mind does. Perhaps another perspective is needed from somepony that is not royalty. Somepony who is practical in thinking and honest in expression," she explained.
"Well shoot ah'm mighty honored Princess. Ah'll do whatever ah can ta help," Applejack stated and sat down on the grass. "Wha's the problem ya got?"
"Tending to the dreams of Equestria requires a certain level of restraint and professionalism. I am required to maintain confidentiality and not share the details I encounter with other ponies as it is a violation of their most intimate privacy. But recently I have encountered a unique predicament. I have encountered a particular pony who is harboring great stress that has seemed into their dreams and warped them into nightmares. Until they voice their stress in an open manner they will continue to suffer their nightmares. It is also possible their mental and physical wellbeing will be affected if they continue to remain silent. I am in a position to help as I know all the parties involved and could freely share the information if I so chose," Luna explained. She took a long pause to allow her words to sink in so Applejack could understand her predicament before continuing. "If I maintain confidence an innocent pony suffers needlessly and their loved ones will suffer alongside. But if I intervene I am betraying their confidence and possibly initiating a new type of harm. Regardless of what I do I am committing a wrong. My only hope is to choose the lesser of two proverbial evils, but I do not know what that would be in this situation. Can you help me?"
Applejack was silent as she thought on the matter. Princess Luna had come to her of all ponies for help and she had to figure out what the right thing to do was. But this was quite a difficult position to be in. Trust was important as there was nothing without it. But if trust was maintained then a life could possibly be lost and a family might be broken up.
"Ah can see why yer havin' a hard time with this one, Princess Luna, ah don' know what the right answer is here," Applejack stated as she stood up and began to pace back and forth, mentally weighing over the various matters at hoof. "Ah don' know what ta tell ya ta do. But if it were me ah'd...ah'd go with the option of savin' 'em an' takin' mah changes with the consequences. Trust can be rebuilt if yer patient enough but health an' wellbein' an' what not are harder ta do."
"Is that what your heart tells you is the right thing to do?" Luna asked.
Applejack stopped pacing and nodded in response. "Tha's what mah heart says on the matter."
"That is good to hear," Luna replied and let out a sigh of relief. "The pony in question is Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash? Mah own sister? sleepin' down the hall? Wha's got her so upset?" Applejack asked, now concerned.
"Rainbow Dash fears that your upcoming family reunion will not go well. She fears that the members of the extended family will reject her presence and demand that you remove her or they will no longer consider you a part of the family," Luna explained.
"What?" Applejack asked, her drawl notably absent in the last word as the surprise proved considerable for me. "Wha' in the wide world o' Equestria would make 'er think somethin' as ridiculous as that?"
"I am uncertain. For whatever reason Rainbow Dash harbors fears of rejection. She is equally afraid that as the Element of Loyalty she will be used against those she cares about in a perverse manner that warps the concept of loyalty to be used to hurt others," Luna replied.
"Why that featherbrained idjit," Applejack grumbled, "I'm gonna talk some sense inta her when ah wake up. Nopony in mah family would be so hateful as ta demand we throw 'er out!"
"You will not," Luna exclaimed simply.
"Uh...beg pardon?" Applejack asked.
"I did not violate confidence so that you may berate your sister for her fears and dismiss them out of hoof because you do not see them as of valid concern. I came to you in hopes of doing the right thing but now I am beginning to question if that is what I have done her," Luna stated. "Do you love your sister enough to help her?" she asked.
"Ah do," Applejack replied without even stopping to think about the response. She didn't have to think about the response in this case.
"Then it is necessary to address her fears as valid and genuine. Do not simply dismiss them because you believe them to be false. Sit down with her and explain why she does not need to have such fears. Reassure her, give her comfort and support instead of..." Luna paused as she froze in place, her eyes turning toward the sky. "It would seem Rainbow Dash's nightmare is beginning once again. Perhaps there is a way in which you can help without her knowing that confidence was broken. Would you be willing to assist?"
"Ah'll help however ah can Princess," Applejack stated, although curious as to just how she could help in the dream world.
"There is a little used procedure for bridging the gap between two dreams. It requires a great deal of magic but it is doable. I can project your presence into the dream so you may see and hear what is being experience and you will be able to respond in turn and support Rainbow Dash. But you must not under any circumstances let her know that it is truly you who is there. Do not address her directly about the nature of the dream," Luna explained, "can you do that?"
"Yes," Applejack stated and nodded firmly.
"Then let us begin before it is too late..."
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
"Y'all jus' shut the buck up right now!"
This was around the part where Applejack more or less came into the scene, to see the ugliness and intolerance of the assembled crowd, the anger and contempt on their faces, the look of horror on Rainbow Dash's face at being rejected. And after seeing such she couldn't remain quiet any longer, this dream had to be interrupted.
"Ah can't believe ya! Y'all got the nerve ta call yerselves Apples an' this is how ya treat somepony new ta the family? Ya should all be ashamed o' yerselves!" Applejack shouted as she glared at the assembled crowd that had suddenly gone silent at her outburst. She was furious that such a thought would ever enter her sister's mind. "How dare ya? How dare ya act so hateful toward somepony ya jus' met! We Apples have a long history o' welcomin' other ponies inta our family regardless o' what race they came from. Why which one o' ya could ever ferget Granny Smith's uncle Grindor the donkey? An' what about our cousin Copper the unicorn who's over in Fillydelphia?" she continued as she began pacing back and forth on the porch between Rainbow Dash and the assembled Apple family.
"AJ?" Rainbow Dash squeaked out in amazement at what her sister was doing. But Applejack seemed not to hear her as she just kept addressing the crowd.
"If y'all wanna act like a bunch o' burros then we don' want ya ta be a part o' the family! Sometimes ya gotten cut down a bad tree ta save the orchard, but sometimes ya gotta burn down the orchard an' start over! An if yer gonna be a batch o' rotten apples then we can do without ya! Ya don' want RD ta be a part o' the family then that's fine, get off our property and don't let the door hit ya on the flank on the way out! If ya were really family ya'd welcome her with open forelegs an' make 'er feel right at home rather than wantin' 'er run off just 'cause she's got wings!"
"AJ!" Rainbow Dash spoke up and grabbed hold of her sister. "How can you be saying that? They're your family!"
"Ah've told ya before RD, family ain't who yer born inta, it's who ya love an' care about. Mah family is you, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, jus' like they're yer family. They welcomed ya without a second thought. These ponies out there ain't no family o' mine if they don' want ya here. Far as ah care they can buck off an' go ta Tartarus. Who needs a bunch o' intolerant cousins that hate yer own sister?" Applejack asked as she put a foreleg around her back. Then she turned and glared at the assembled crowd. "If ah have ta kick each one o' ya off the property by mahself ah'll do jus' that. So what's it gonna be? Ya gonna say hello to yer cousin Rainbow Dash? Or do we have a civil war in the Apple family?"
The crowd was silent and stunned, shocked and horrified at Applejack's words. They'd just been delivered the harshest of ultimatums they'd ever been faced with. What could be said in response?
Without a word one of the numerous cousins, a blue earth pony with darker blue mane and tail, wearing a black hat and with a cluster of blueberries for a cutie mark galloped onto the porch and hugged Rainbow Dash. "I want my cousin Rainbow Dash!" she stated excitedly.
"Me too!"
"Same here!"
"Count me in!"
One by one everypony present began joining in the calls of supporting Rainbow Dash being in the family and apologizing for what had been said earlier, leaving the pegasus in question surprised while Applejack just smiled at how things were turning out. The nightmare was quickly turning around for the better.
"Welcome ta the family RD," she told her and leaned over to kiss her cheek, finding it difficult to gain access with the overly excited -and unrecognized on her part- blueberry cousin that seemed intent on holding onto her. They didn't have a cousin that was a blueberry farmer...did they?
"...Thanks everypony. This is the best family reunion ever!" Rainbow Dash stated.
Applejack's eyes flew open as she found herself back in what she recognized as her own dream, still in the apple orchards from before. Before her sat Princess Luna, her wings drooping as she panted and looked exhausted; more exhausted than she felt when she tried to harvest the whole orchard on her own.
"Ya alright Princess?" she asked.
"I am fine. It is just that I have not used that technique in such a long time and it is quite taxing," Luna explained and stopped to catch her breath.
"It was weird, seein' an' hearin' everythin' goin' on but not bein' able ta speak fer so long," Applejack stated. It felt odd being there in Rainbow Dash's dream but unable to do anything but watch through her own eyes as her dream self interacted with her until they were out on the porch where she was needed the most. "So that's what RD's been havin' nightmares about?"
"Among other things," Luna replied as she readjusted her position to sit up better. "I do not claim to understand the reasoning behind her fears. All I am aware of is what I am made aware of. Unless she opens up to me I will continue to remain in the dark regarding what drives her," she explained. "You do understand that you must not directly address her during the waking hours about what you experienced, correct?"
"Ah understand," Applejack replied and nodded.
In truth that part about secrecy was about all she understood as her sister's dream didn't make sense to her. Why was she so afraid that their extended family would so flatly and cruelly reject her? Why did she think that she'd be the thing that would drive a wedge between her and her family? And why in Tartarus did Rainbow Dash think for even one second that she might even choose a bigoted bunch of cousins over her? This was going to require a lot of thought and patience if she was going to comply with Princess Luna's wishes.
"So is that it? Do RD's nightmares stop now?" Applejack asked.
"It is too early to tell. I believe now that you have spoken from your heart about the matter it will ease her suffering to some degree. However if the dream persists it may be necessary for myself to replay the pleasant experiences several times until she realizes that everything will be alright. But once the reunion does occur I believe her concerns will abate themselves and the cycle will be broken," Luna explained.
"Gonna be a long couple o' weeks," Applejack muttered. Keeping quiet about this for so long wasn't going to be easy since keeping secrets wasn't her strong point. But for her sister she'd try at least. "Jus' one question. Who was that blueberry cousin? Ah know she ain' no cousin ah've ever seen."
At being asked the question Luna smiled sheepishly as if she were a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. "I...believed the flow of the dream would proceed in a smoother manner after somepony made the first move so I...helped a little..."
"Well that was right mighty nice of ya," Applejack commented, chuckling at the idea of the moon princess being so willing to help one of her subjects that she'd go so far as pretend to be one of their relatives. That had to be going above and beyond the call of duty.
"I owe you six a great debt, one that I am not certain I will ever be able to repay. If it were not for you and your friends I would likely still be imprisoned on the moon, trapped within my own mind as Nightmare Moon maintained control of my body. I would do whatever was in my power to assist you in any way possible," Luna explained.
Applejack wanted to state that she didn't owe them anything, to assure her that they weren't keeping count of who did what or anything like that. But something told her Princess Luna wouldn't exactly take her words to heart and just continue maintaining her believe. Instead she decided to change the subject. "So wha' happens now?"
"Now? We must wait and see. We will give Rainbow Dash what comfort and support we can when we are able to without revealing the full extent of what we know and what has transpired in this night. She is...important to the both of us and deserves our help..." Luna explained. Applejack nodded in response, not knowing what else of relevance could be added beyond that.
Applejack was a patient pony when she needed to be. Being a farmer meant not being in a huge hurry and simply letting things take their own course while just helping them along when necessary.
That said trying to be patient and wait for the next two weeks to pass by was far from being the easiest thing in the world she'd ever done. At least when you're farming you don't feel guilty everytime you look at the produce. With Rainbow Dash it was something different entirely. She knew the cyan pegasus was hurting and anxious and unable to talk to her, and by that same token she was unable to offer any words of comfort in her time of need without violating Princess Luna's trust in her.
Pretending to be ignorant was hard, much harder than finalizing all the preparations for the reunion and getting everything ready. Truth be told she'd rather prepare for a hundred reunions simultaneously than keep watching the emotional difficulty play out.
The relief she felt when the day of the reunion finally rolled around wasn't something that she could describe in mere words. She knew that in less than an hour she would finally be able to relax, and so could Rainbow Dash. Then they could put this whole entire ugly ordeal behind them.
Speaking of which, now that everypony was here it was time to go and fetch the guest of honor and introduce her before she made another poor excuse of an escape attempt. Trying to lie about a meeting today was uncalled for, but she was willing to forgive her this time. But is she'd bolted outright she might not go so easy.
"This isn't going to end well," Rainbow Dash muttered to herself as she paced the floor of the guest room. Things were progressing almost routinely like they did in her dreams and that never turned out good. Today was the reunion, Applejack's family members were showing up and all her excuses for not being here were shot down with a marksmanship precision like she'd never seen before. And any minute Applejack was going to be walking through that door to get her and bring her out to meet the family.
"This isn't gonna work," she said to herself as the continued to pace. All those nightmares were going to come true and no amount of a good night's sleep or intervention by the moon princess was going to help. This was real life and things were going to unfold however they were and nothing was going to change that. And knowing her recent luck things were going to unfold badly for her.
"There's no way they're going to accept me as family. Maybe I should just take my chances and scram while I still can. Applejack won't be mad at me forever...will she?" she asked herself as she stopped in midstep. Fleeing sounded good right now, but she couldn't take the chance. "Why me? Why me? Oh Celestia I think I'm gonna be sick," she moaned.
"Now don' go an' do that," Applejack announced as she stepped into the room. "We got a mess o' guests downstairs RD, no time ta be sick right now. Afraid yer gonna have ta wait on that one."
"AJ this isn't funny," Rainbow Dash replied and flopped down on the bed. "All those ponies out there that I've gotta go meet and greet, this is serious business. What if..." she paused, finding the words harder in real life than they had been in the dream. "...What if they don't like me? What if somepony objects to me being a part of the family?"
It seemed that Princess Luna's dream working didn't do much to alleviate Rainbow Dash's concern. She herself had been afraid of that but she'd been mulling over what she would say should the situation arise. She'd had two weeks to formulate whatever comforting words she'd offer up, but Rarity would be a lot better at doing something like that. She was rough around the edges, unrefined and uncouth. She wasn't going to be eloquent no matter what she said. But at least she could speak from the heart.
"An' what if they do?" she asked simply. When Rainbow Dash's face was one of surprise she continued. "Bein' a family ain't like joinin' a club er nothin', there's no black ball involved when somepony new comes in. Everypony's gonna love havin' ya as part o' the family, an' if they don't...well then that's there loss, not yers."
Rainbow Dash was surprised by the words coming from Applejack. She wasn't dismissing her fears like in the dreams? She wasn't insulting her? She was instead assuring her that everything would be alright regardless of what happened? She was unprepared for anything like this. She could feel her mouth moving but couldn't hear any words coming out.
"Ya done more ta help keep Sweet Apple Acres up an' runnin' then ah can count. Yer hard workin' an' honest an' they got grounds ta object. An' if they do...shoot if anypony in mah family objects Granny Smith'll likely kick 'em off the property like we do rotten apples off the trees. It'll all work out, you'll see," Applejack reassured her.
She let her words sink in, much as she had many times before in the past, letting Rainbow Dash digest it all while in the meantime climbing onto the bed and laying down beside her. "So ya ready ta go meet everypony?"
"Not really," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head. "But you're my sister and I don't think you'll let me get away with that. So I guess I might as well just go ahead and do it," she added as she climbed off the bed.
"Jus' ya wait. In an hour you'll be tellin' 'em all about yer exploits an' bein' the biggest bragger there; nopony will know any difference between ya an' any other Apple out there," Applejack stated as she got up off the bed and adjusted her hat for her.
"Ya really think so?" Rainbow Dash asked as she found herself being guided out into the hallway.
"Would ah ever lie ta ya?" Applejack asked rhetorically. "Now c'mon before all the fritters are gone!"
"Right behind ya."
Of bad dreams and dilemmas - alternate cut
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
Rainbow Dash looked horrified at Applejack who was too busy looking back and forth between her and the rest of her extended family, the yells getting louder and more violent and to the point she couldn't even hear herself think. Desperately she deployed her wings and flapped to stay upright as she covered her ears with her forelegs.
"Everypony just shut up!" she screamed in a desperate and futile attempt to silence them all.
Rainbow Dash bolted up in bed, her eyes wide as the covers came flying off of her body as she panted and gasped. This was becoming an all too common way of waking up.
Over the past few months she'd been spending more and more nights at Sweet Apple Acres. Nearly every other night she was sleeping over, enjoying a good home cooked dinner, sharing stories with Apple Bloom, finding something to bicker with her sister about and simply reveling in the comfort of her new and official family.
Had that been all there was to having a family she'd be fine with it. But sadly there was a lot more to it than just the good times; or even the bad times like when she got Applejack mad at her. There was the matter of the upcoming Apple Family reunion that was just weeks away. Family reunions meant lots of family coming to visit and meet new faces. Lots of family and new faces meant new opportunities, both good and bad. She was facing uncomfortable possibilities as the day drew closer and closer, being forced to entertain thoughts she'd rather not think.
The worst part of it all? Not being able to tell anypony about it. She couldn't turn to Applejack and have her explain away why her fears would never turn into realities. She couldn't go to Granny Smith as she wouldn't understand. She couldn't even turn to her friends as word could just get back to Applejack. She was having to fly this one solo, and in this case that was really hard to do.
"RD?"
She turned to her side and looked down at the source of the voice and found Applejack laying there. Now she remembered the events of the previous night, or whatever it was compared to right now. It'd all started with the Discord nightmare that brought her here in the middle of the night, creeping about like a cat burglar and pitifully nuzzling her adoptive sister until she scooted over while muttering something tiredly, allowing her to slip in under the covers.
And then as if losing her wings and being stranded on top of the tiniest cloud that could be found deep over the Everfree Forest wasn't bad enough, as soon as she'd managed to go back to bed she was assaulted by her worries about the reunion going badly. Did somepony have it out for her? Had she upset some magical force that was intent on making her suffer for something she was unaware of? Was the double feature really necessary?
"Wha's wrong?" Applejack asked and yawned. "Wha' time is it?"
"I dunno. And another nightmare," Rainbow Dash replied before finally laying back down. "Sorry for waking you...again..."
"Jus' go back ta sleep," Applejack replied and rolled over. "An' if yer gonna keep havin' nightmares try not ta whimper in ma ear like Winona wantin' out."
Without a word Rainbow Dash simply nodded and curled back up under the covers to try and go back to bed, if not for her sake then for Applejack's. As usual tomorrow was going to be a busy day and that required a good night's rest.
Working for the weather bureau wasn't all that hard, it was pretty much a breeze compared to other tasks.
Working at Sweet Apple Acres wasn't all that hard, it had its own challenges but as long as you were in shape it wasn't all that tough.
Running on what amounted to weeks worth of little sleep and nights punctuated with nightmares while trying to do both of these things at the same time was where things got hard and became more difficult than the work itself; she was exhausted! And it was hard to clear the skies when the clouds you were shoving felt so soft and cozy and practically called your name while inviting you to curl up on them and take an early morning after-breakfast nap.
"Why me?"
It was a question she'd been asking herself off and on for the past couple of weeks. Out of all her friends she seemed to be experiencing the most difficulty and trouble. Something seemed to be happening just about ever single week and more often than not she was unfortunate enough to be involved in the mix. It really did make her begin to question if whether or not she'd angered some magical power that was intent on making her pay for some unrecognized transgression.
Right now she was too mentally exhausted to be giving it much thought. All she wanted to do was take a nap on a small unsuspecting cloud that'd managed to drift over Sweet Apple Acres and was just too fluffy and soft to wrangle out of there. A little shut eye wouldn't hurt.
"Hey RD!"
Except it didn't look like she was going to get that little shut eye. As she looked down from her perch she saw the unmistakable sight of Applejack looking back up at her and frowning.
"Jus' what the hay are ya doin' up there? Did ya get stuck an' can't get back down?" she asked in a deliberate attempt to rile up her sister and get a rise out of the half asleep pegasus. It worked as her attitude suddenly became hostile. Applejack knew full well that she didn't appreciate one bit about being stuck high in the clouds and unable to get back down again; as soon as she did she was going to pay.
"Dag nabbit Applejack y'all know that weren't funny!" Rainbow Dash yelled back down at her, deliberately mocking her sister's accent in a clear sign of displeasure. "Ah swear y'all is the most inconsiderate straw brained farmpony ah ever did have the displeasure o' associatin' mahself wit'!"
"Work on it, RD, work on it," Applejack stated dismissively and frowned, unimpressed with the butchering/mocking of her drawl. "C'mon down here already so we don' have ta shout back an' forth."
Rainbow Dash grunted but flew down from her perch above the orchards, coming in for a landing right in front of Applejack so she could see full well that she wasn't the least bit happy about that crack she'd made. However to her it seemed Applejack had prepared for such and kissed her on the forehead, a move that forced her to let her anger dissipate and simply sigh in response.
"You know I hate it when you joke like that," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"Ah know. Ah'm sorry. Ya jus' seemed kinda lost up there," Applejack replied. "Ya alright RD? Somethin' ya need ta talk about?"
"...Nothing that I wanna talk about right now," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged. She really couldn't bring her dream up to her, not yet anyway. "I'm just tired and glad that I've got my weather duties out of the way," she said and let out a yawn, figuring it was the best cover to offer.
"Ya do look a might tired an' all, more run down than ya usually do," Applejack noted as she looked her over. "Do ya think ya can help me run a load o' apples inta town since Big Macintosh is off tendin' ta other matters?"
"Yeah I guess so, sure," Rainbow Dash mumbled and nodded her head. What she really wanted was to take a nap and catch up on missed sleep. But if she did that then she'd risk having another nightmare. At least the prospect of work gave her something to distract herself with.
The walk to the barn where the apple carts waited was one in silence, neither having much to say. Unfortunately a silent walk wasn't doing much for keeping Rainbow Dash distracted from her tiredness. She was gonna need to do something about that.
"So...this gonna be a big family reunion huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Darn tootin' it's gonna be big. Prob'ly the biggest one yet, we got family from all over Equestria comin' in," Applejack stated proudly. "Lookin' forward ta meetin' everypony?"
Rainbow Dash gave a noncommittal nod while using a yawn as an excuse for not saying anything in response. Looking forward to it wasn't how she'd describe the situation if given the opportunity. But she wouldn't tell Applejack about that.
"So how many of our family aren't earth ponies?" Rainbow Dash decided to ask.
"Hard to say currently. Countin' marriages?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash nodded. "Guess we'll just have ta wait an' find out."
"Waiting. Awesome," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head as they arrived at the barn. At least hauling apples would be easier than thinking about what would be coming down the line in the next few weeks. "Celestia, please let rain be scheduled for that day, please..." she thought to herself.
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
Rainbow Dash looked horrified at Applejack who was too busy looking back and forth between her and the rest of her extended family, the yells getting louder and more violent and to the point she couldn't even hear herself think. Desperately she deployed her wings and flapped to stay upright as she covered her ears with her forelegs.
"SILENCE!"
The voice was booming and deafening in nature, easily breaking through her forelegs and reaching her ears, yet strangely with no pain to accompany it. The yells of the crowd stopped as all heads turned upward and saw the slow but steady descent of Princess Luna, her wings flapping with great strength as they brought her lower to the ground before folding up as she touched down in a firm but graceful manner.
"BEGONE!" she commanded and firmly stomped her right foreleg, sending out a shock wave pulse through the ground that had a ripple effect throughout all the members of the Apple family in front of her, causing them to disintegrate and disperse like dust in the wind.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stare at the sudden change of events. Princess Luna's presence during the daylight usually meant...that it was a dream being experienced instead of reality. This whole miserable experience was nothing more than some dumb nightmare of hers? She couldn't remember ever being so relieved and so annoyed at the same time.
"Greetings Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna said calmly as she turned to face the young pegasus. Unlike so many others Rainbow Dash didn't immediately bow before her; a violation of standard etiquette but she wasn't about to complain, there was no need for such adherence to protocol in the dream world. "This is quite the nightmare you are experiencing," she commented as she looked around.
"Um...thanks," Rainbow Dash replied and blinked, unsure of what was the best thing to say in response. What does one say to a princess that swoops in to rescue you from your nightmares in such grand fashion? "Sorry Princess I...I really don't know what to say," she said and sat herself down on the front porch.
"It is alright," Luna replied as she sat down as well. "As guardian of the dream world I have encountered a variety of nightmares since my return. But I must admit that I have not seen one quite like this during that time. It is...quite unique...and not in a good way," she commented.
"Yeah tell me about it," Rainbow Dash replied as she rubbed her foreleg. "This isn't the first time I've had this nightmare either. If you hadn't shown up when you did I'd probably be waking up in terror right now."
"I am afraid there is little that I can do about such a situation. Nightmares of this sort continue to plague the individual so long as the underlying fear and worries are allowed to persist and are not directly addressed," Luna explained. "Perhaps if you tried talking your fears over with somepony? Your sister Applejack perhaps?"
"Can't," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head.
"...Explain please?" Luna asked in hopes of a better elaboration than a single word.
"If I tell you about this do you swear not to tell anypony else?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"To share the details of one's dreams would be an unacceptable violation of protocol and dream etiquette. Anything you share with me in this world will be held to the strictest of confidence. No other pony need know," Luna stated.
"Alright," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. "I can't tell Applejack about this because I don't want to upset her. How do I tell the pony that was kind enough to take me in that I'm secretly afraid someone in her family is going to hate me for being a pegasus and won't tolerate my presence? I know it's unreasonable and all, but...it's just something I can't stop worrying about, alright? And I can't tell Applejack about this without getting her upset that I'm accusing her entire family of being intolerant. And if she doesn't get angry at me for that she's just going to dismiss my fears out of hoof just like she has been since the beginning. So I've gotta keep this to myself, everyday worrying that I'm gonna be the wedge driven between Applejack and the others. And I'm the Element of Loyalty, do you know what it's like to be the Element of Loyalty and you have to lay awake at night wondering about whether or nor you're going to put your sister in a lose/lose situation where she has to choose just which member of her family she has to be loyal to?"
Luna sat silently as she listened to Rainbow Dash voice her thoughts and detail her fears. During her elaboration she had stood and began pacing back and forth, the tone in her voice growing more frantic and her breathing uneven. She was working herself into a lather.
"Rainbow Dash," Luna interrupted as she spoke firmly, "approach me."
Rainbow Dash let out a nervous gulp as she stopped the pacing she hadn't even realized she started before looking over at Princess Luna. Hesitantly she stepped closer until she was directly in front of her.
"For one that is still so young you have shouldered a great burden upon yourself. I am sorry about the predicament you find yourself in. And I am equally sorry there is nothing that I can do to alleviate your worry," Luna explained before she reached over with her forelegs and gently pulled Rainbow Dash closer in order to envelop her in a gentle hug. "I regret that I cannot keep watch over all dreams equally. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to stop the next nightmare from occurring as I may be preoccupied with the dreams of somepony else. However should you call my name I will make every effort to respond."
Rainbow Dash was surprised at the hug, but she wasn't about to object. It was warm and soft and comforting, and dream or not she'd really worked herself up and this had a relaxing feel to it. She visibly relaxed and closed her eyes as she settled into the hug. "Thanks Princess. Do you think you can stay for a little while?"
"I shall stay," Luna said and nodded.
Rainbow Dash nodded in appreciation and allowed herself to sink deeper into the embrace, wrapping her forelegs around Luna's middle in the process. Luna smiled in response.
Celestia frowned as she looked at her sister who sat across from her at the table. Being an immortal alicorn meant that certain things like food and rest weren't necessary to sustain life, but they were pleasant indulgences to enjoy. Ever since Luna's return the two had made it a habit to sit down and enjoy a nice breakfast/dinner before they each began or concluded their shift for the day. It provided a pleasant opportunity to spend time together as well as talk about many things.
Unlike other times though Luna was quiet and more picking at her meal rather than eating it. That was very unlike her and a matter for concern.
"Is something wrong Luna? Is the food not to your liking?" Celestia asked.
"Everything is fine, dear sister," Luna replied and nibbled at her plate, more to satisfy her sister than herself.
Celestia frowned slightly. "You used to say the same thing over a thousand years ago, my sister. You know you can always talk to me about anything that's troubling you. Even when I'm in council I'll always make time for you."
"I understand, dear sister, and I thank you greatly for that," Luna replied and nodded. "That said however there are matters that I am not able to discuss with you. It is a violation of protocol and proper etiquette for me to share the events I encounter on my nightly watch over the dreams of Equestria. I must maintain confidence and that is what makes this so hard."
Celestia frowned more. "I would never ask you to betray confidence. But I'm still concerned for your well being Luna. If what you're experiencing in the dream world is starting to affect you in the real world then something needs to be done about it."
"But-" Luna stated.
"I'm not telling you to betray confidence. Simply tell me what you can, anything at all would help," Celestia explained.
Luna let out a sigh in response. No matter what she could say it would still be a violation of confidence to some degree or another. But she was in need of guidance and Rainbow Dash was in need of help. Perhaps should could live with herself committing a tiny infraction if it would help one who helped her so much by giving her back her life.
"There is a pony who has been experiencing continual nightmares about betrayal by the extended family. They fear that when all meet they will be rejected out of bigotry and intolerance and it will drive a wedge between the other members of the family and it will be all their fault," Luna explained and paused. "I believe that if the pony in question would simply share their fears with another close member of the family they would realize that there is nothing to fear, but yet they fear revealing the truth as it may be dismissed as nonsense. Currently they are suffering in silence for fear of instituting disloyalty amongst those they love. I fear that if this continues their mental and physical health will suffer from the inner turmoil."
She hated herself right now for what she'd done. But after all the good Rainbow Dash and the others had done for them and Equestria itself then perhaps she could hate herself a tiny bit less than she would've otherwise had it been anypony else.
"Is this pony in particular someone that's important?" Celestia asked.
"Everypony is important, dear sister, you are aware of that. Some are just a little more important than others," Luna replied, causing Celestia to grin.
"Would you be open to some advice from someone that's been around a while?" Celestia asked. Luna said nothing in response, giving her no reason to assume it was a rejection of the offer. "In times of conflict such as this it's important for a ruler to know when to be firm and stick to the rules, but it's equally important to know when to be lenient and follow your heart. The right thing isn't always the right thing in terms of black and white standards such as the rules. One must be...flexible," she explained.
Her sister's advice -if it could truly be called that- had done little to assist her in sorting out her own inner turmoil. What her entire speech amounted to was a long and complicated way of telling her to make up her own mind. That meant if she did the wrong thing she would only have herself to blame rather than...ay, there was the rub. She scowled in response.
"Then perhaps it is best if I think on the matter," Luna replied and stood up from the table. "I will see you again at sundown."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you better on the matter, Luna, but I'm afraid I can't give a definite answer one way or the other," Celestia stated.
"I am aware of that, my sister, I am aware," Luna said calmly as she turned and left.
"Come outta that tree ya rotten good fer nothin' apples!" Applejack yelled angrily before rearing up and bucking the tree to try and dislodge the batch of delicious looking red apples that just dangled there, stubbornly refusing to obey despite the amount of force the tree was subjected to. Never in her life had she seen a bunch of apples that were so dang stubborn and refused to abide by simple physics.
"Ya wanna be stubborn? Ah can be stubborn to. Ah ain't quittin' 'til ya either come down or ah break mah leg, an' the second one sure ain't happenin' anytime soon!" Applejack stated and pulled back to give it another shot.
Her hooves connected with the trunk of the three full force and with a mighty smack. Unfortunately her aim had been off and her right leg crumpled with a sickening crunch from hitting the tree at an angle. Immediately she fell to the ground screaming in pain, trapping her injured hind leg beneath the full weight of her body.
This was very bad. How could she make such a foalish mistake and break her leg like that? She would've expected Apple Bloom to do something so stupid but not herself, not with all her experience when it came to apple bucking. How was this possible? Worse than that was the question of what she was going to do now?
"Help! she yelled, desperately hoping somepony would hear her and come to her aid. "Somepony! Anypony! Can ya hear me!?"
"Do not fear little one, I am here."
Applejack's mind immediately focused on the disembodied voice she was hearing. She quickly realized that it belonged to Princess Luna who was in the process of materializing before her.
"Princess Luna?" Applejack asked in confusion, her mind no longer focusing on the pain in her leg as she was thoroughly distracted. "What're ya doin' here? Ah haven't seen ya since RD was sick an'...wait, is this a dream we're in?"
"A nightmare would be a better description for what you are experiencing. I must say you Apples have managed to keep me quite busy as of late," Luna commented before levitating Applejack off the ground to free her trapped leg. "Your leg is now healed. However if you wish for me to kiss it and make it better..." Luna paused.
"Naw it's fine," Applejack quickly stated at the idea as a wave of blush crept over her face. "So Princess...what brings ya ta my dreams?" she asked.
"My royal duties to watch over the dreams of Equestria," Luna replied. "I also come hoping that you may advise me on a matter I am having great difficulty with," she added as she lowered Applejack back onto her hooves.
"Me? Ya want me ta advise ya on somethin'?" Applejack asked with her eyes wide in surprise.
Luna nodded. "I am suffering something of a crisis of conscience. There are certain duties that I must tend to and they require a certain level of restraint. But I am afraid that my heart does not accept these duties as well as my mind does. Perhaps another perspective is needed from somepony that is not royalty. Somepony who is practical in thinking and honest in expression," she explained.
"Well shoot ah'm mighty honored Princess. Ah'll do whatever ah can ta help," Applejack stated and sat down on the grass. "Wha's the problem ya got?"
"Tending to the dreams of Equestria requires a certain level of restraint and professionalism. I am required to maintain confidentiality and not share the details I encounter with other ponies as it is a violation of their most intimate privacy. But recently I have encountered a unique predicament. I have encountered a particular pony who is harboring great stress that has seemed into their dreams and warped them into nightmares. Until they voice their stress in an open manner they will continue to suffer their nightmares. It is also possible their mental and physical wellbeing will be affected if they continue to remain silent. I am in a position to help as I know all the parties involved and could freely share the information if I so chose," Luna explained. She took a long pause to allow her words to sink in so Applejack could understand her predicament before continuing. "If I maintain confidence an innocent pony suffers needlessly and their loved ones will suffer alongside. But if I intervene I am betraying their confidence and possibly initiating a new type of harm. Regardless of what I do I am committing a wrong. My only hope is to choose the lesser of two proverbial evils, but I do not know what that would be in this situation. Can you help me?"
Applejack was silent as she thought on the matter. Princess Luna had come to her of all ponies for help and she had to figure out what the right thing to do was. But this was quite a difficult position to be in. Trust was important as there was nothing without it. But if trust was maintained then a life could possibly be lost and a family might be broken up.
"Ah can see why yer havin' a hard time with this one, Princess Luna, ah don' know what the right answer is here," Applejack stated as she stood up and began to pace back and forth, mentally weighing over the various matters at hoof. "Ah don' know what ta tell ya ta do. But if it were me ah'd...ah'd go with the option of savin' 'em an' takin' mah changes with the consequences. Trust can be rebuilt if yer patient enough but health an' wellbein' an' what not are harder ta do."
"Is that what your heart tells you is the right thing to do?" Luna asked.
Applejack stopped pacing and nodded in response. "Tha's what mah heart says on the matter."
"That is good to hear," Luna replied and let out a sigh of relief. "The pony in question is Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash? Mah own sister? sleepin' down the hall? Wha's got her so upset?" Applejack asked, now concerned.
"Rainbow Dash fears that your upcoming family reunion will not go well. She fears that the members of the extended family will reject her presence and demand that you remove her or they will no longer consider you a part of the family," Luna explained.
"What?" Applejack asked, her drawl notably absent in the last word as the surprise proved considerable for me. "Wha' in the wide world o' Equestria would make 'er think somethin' as ridiculous as that?"
"I am uncertain. For whatever reason Rainbow Dash harbors fears of rejection. She is equally afraid that as the Element of Loyalty she will be used against those she cares about in a perverse manner that warps the concept of loyalty to be used to hurt others," Luna replied.
"Why that featherbrained idjit," Applejack grumbled, "I'm gonna talk some sense inta her when ah wake up. Nopony in mah family would be so hateful as ta demand we throw 'er out!"
"You will not," Luna exclaimed simply.
"Uh...beg pardon?" Applejack asked.
"I did not violate confidence so that you may berate your sister for her fears and dismiss them out of hoof because you do not see them as of valid concern. I came to you in hopes of doing the right thing but now I am beginning to question if that is what I have done her," Luna stated. "Do you love your sister enough to help her?" she asked.
"Ah do," Applejack replied without even stopping to think about the response. She didn't have to think about the response in this case.
"Then it is necessary to address her fears as valid and genuine. Do not simply dismiss them because you believe them to be false. Sit down with her and explain why she does not need to have such fears. Reassure her, give her comfort and support instead of..." Luna paused as she froze in place, her eyes turning toward the sky. "It would seem Rainbow Dash's nightmare is beginning once again. Perhaps there is a way in which you can help without her knowing that confidence was broken. Would you be willing to assist?"
"Ah'll help however ah can Princess," Applejack stated, although curious as to just how she could help in the dream world.
"There is a little used procedure for bridging the gap between two dreams. It requires a great deal of magic but it is doable. I can introduce your presence into the dream so you may interact with Rainbow Dash. It is a violation of proper etiquette, but I believe that it may be necessary under these circumstances," Luna explained as she turned around and sat down. "Climb upon my back. We must be quick if we are to arrive there in time to prevent this dream from becoming another terrible nightmare."
"Ah'm on it," Applejack replied and quickly got into position.
Without any further discussion they were off like a shot, Luna's mighty wings propelling them high into the air.
The Apple Family Reunion was one of the biggest gatherings to ever been seen by the residents of Ponyville. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everypony else all converging on the farm of Sweet Apple Acres to reunite with one another, catch up on old times, see how everyone was doing and just plain have a good old time. There would be food and games and all kinds of other events to take part in.
And as with every family reunion there was the possibility of encountering new and unexpected family members. Foals were always being born, ponies were marrying and branching out, anything could happen between gatherings and it was always a surprise.
Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash that lack of certainty was exactly what left her so uneasy as she paced in the guestroom of the house. The guests were already arriving and with each minute that passed the more her nerves were getting to her. She really didn't want to be here right now, she'd tried to get away under the guise of attending a weather meeting but Applejack had seen right through it. And Applejack had warned her that if she bolted there'd be consequences whenever she returned; and considering it was Applejack she knew it was a promise rather than a threat that wouldn't be followed up.
She stopped pacing to look at herself in the mirror. She had her fringed vest, her hoofkerchief tied around her neck and her stetson resting comfortably atop her head. She looked every bit the Apple family, except for her wings that stuck out like a sore hoof. Why hadn't she had Rarity leave the vest alone so they could be concealed by it?
"There's no way they're gonna buy this," she said to herself as she began pacing again. But then she stopped as an idea came to her. "Maybe I can get by with just introducing myself as a farmhoof."
"What're ya talkin' abou' now RD?" Applejack's voice asked from behind, causing Rainbow Dash to jump as she entered without so much as a knock.
"Uh...hi AJ," Rainbow Dash said with a weak grin. "Looks like things are really filling up out there."
Applejack didn't lose focus as she stepped closer. "Yer still worryin' aren't ya?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that her sister was always worrying. "RD how many times do ah gotta tell ya, the family's gonna love ya. Do ah need ta break out the photo albums again an' show ya Granny Smith's uncle?"
"I know what you've been saying AJ, but this is the time when the wheels meet the road, it's not a matter of theory anymore. I know that you know your family but..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "What if...what if somepony doesn't like me? What if they don't want me to be part of the family?"
"RD yer overthinkin' stuff too much. Ah told ya not ta hang aroun' Twilight so much er she'd rub off on ya," Applejack stated as she poked her in the chest with her hoof. "Everypony's gonna like ya er love ya, that's a promise. You'll see when ya step outside, everything's gonna be fine," she assured her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and readjusted her stetson yet again out of nervous habit. "Well...no sense keeping the family waiting. I've got a lot of cousins to meet and greet."
"That's the spirit. C'mon," Applejack replied and lead the way out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped outside first and held the door open until Rainbow Dash finally stepped out, letting it swing shut behind them. "Hey everypony! We got us another relative ta meet an' greet!" she announced.
All heads turned in Applejack's direction and the wave of chattering that'd been going on came to an immediate halt as they looked.
"Uh...hi..." Rainbow Dash spoke up and gave a weak wave.
"This is mah new sister Rainbow Dash," Applejack stated as she threw a foreleg around her back. "And a new cousin ta some o' ya," she added.
"Is she a pegasus?" the green cousin Candy Apple asked.
"Darn tootin'," Applejack stated.
Almost immediately the wave of chattering erupted again. But it wasn't the pleasant chattering of good times that was reaching their ears. Instead it was chatter of dissatisfaction and anger.
"Traitor!" one of the relatives immediately yelled.
"How dare you pervade the family with somethin' like this!?" one of the various cousins demanded.
"Wha' the hay?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"If you wanna keep up this abomination then you can count the rest of us out of it," the uncle Apple Strudel announced and glared at Applejack. "You've gotta make a choice youngin', and if you choose your pegasus of a sister then you can forget about considering the rest of us as your family."
Shouts and cheers in support of Apple Strudel's ultimatum erupted throughout the crowd, followed by a continuous wave of "CHOOSE!" assaulting their ears.
The angry roar of the crowd was suddenly interrupted by a loud boom in the distance and a flash of light that forced Rainbow Dash to shield her eyes. When she finally looked back up she saw what looked like Princess Luna dramatically flying in with...with Applejack riding on her back! What was going on here?
Applejack hooped and hollered like at the rodeo as Luna swooped in over the crowd of cousins and uncles and other relatives she recognized and some she didn't, coming to a gentle hover over the porch as she descended, allowing her to climb down.
"I must say I did not expect to be seeing you again under the same circumstances quite so soon," Luna stated as she looked at Rainbow Dash, before turning her attention to the assembled crowd behind her. "Nopony move or speak," she commanded simply, forcing them to become frozen in place as if time stopped.
"AJ? Princess? What're you both doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked, utterly confused at what she was seeing.
"Princess Luna told me about what you were goin' through so we decided ta come an' try ta help," Applejack explained.
"She...she told you about my dreams?" Rainbow Dash asked before turning her attention to the moon princess and glaring at her. "You told me that you wouldn't tell anypony!"
"Now jus' settle down there Sugarcube," Applejack stated firmly to head off whatever her sister might do. "Before ya go gettin' mad jus' listen. Wha' Princess Luna did was outta concern fer ya. She said she was afraid if she didn't do something then yer health might start bein' affected an' she didn't wanna see ya suffer over somethin' that she could stop if she acted. Even so it wasn't an easy decision ta make, comin' ta me an' breakin' confidence like that. She only did after ah said it's what ah'd do. The last thing she needs right now is ya gettin' upset with 'er fer thinkin' o' wha' was in yer best interest."
Luna nodded as Applejack spoke. "The decision I made was not one that was an easy conclusion to arrive at. My intentions were noble in nature but that does not excuse my actions or the dereliction of my duties. I will be forced to live with the consequences of my actions and the knowledge of what I have done here on this night. My only hope is that you can forgive me," she explained and lowered her head.
"That...kinda seems backwards, you wanting forgiveness from one of your subjects. But...sure if that's what you want. You did what you did outta concern and all, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. The way things were progressing were confusing her worse than her own weird dreams. She was being helped from the outside with no rhyme or reason.
Luna nodded again. "Indeed I did. I owe you six a great debt, one that I am not certain I will ever be able to repay. If it were not for you and your friends I would likely still be imprisoned on the moon, trapped within my own mind as Nightmare Moon maintained control of my body. I would do whatever was in my power to assist you in any way possible," she explained.
"Mind if ah do some talkin' now, Princess?" Applejack asked.
"Please do."
"A'right," she began as she turned to face Rainbow Dash, "RD jus' what's goin' on here? What makes ya think mah family wouldn' have nothin' ta do with ya?"
"AJ I'm...I'm afraid alright? I'm scared of losing the family that I know to the family that I don't know. What if somepony really doesn't want me to join up? What if they decide to try and force you to make a choice between either them or me? I don't want you to have to face that kind of possibility where your loyalties are put on the chopping block, and I don't wanna be the one to force such a decision," Rainbow Dash explained. "You can't exactly blame me, I don't know anypony here. You can't just expect me to accept that they're all one big happy family that'll take anyone in just because they're in need, that's not a concept I was raised with. And I couldn't tell you because you'd just get upset or outright dismiss me like I'm a foal, and don't try to deny that you wouldn't either because you know you would!"
"Yer right, ah prob'ly woulda done that. An' ah woulda been wrong ta do so," Applejack replied and nodded as she stepped closer. "Ah'll promise ya this though Sugarcube. Ain't nopony in mah family is gonna be as intolerant as ya fear. An' if they are then ah don't want 'em in the family, ah'll kick 'em out mahself before ah'll have them spoilin' the whole orchard," she said as she ran her foreleg over her back in a comforting manner.
"You would? You mean it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Every word of it. Family ain' about who yer born inta, it's about those ya care for an' love. There jus' ain't no room in the Apple family fer ponies that don't wanna abide by that. An' anyway ah'd much rather have ya then a bunch o' intolerant cousins ta deal with," she explained and pulled her into a hug.
"Darn you AJ, you always find a way to leave me with nothing to say," Rainbow Dash stated before returning the hug.
Luna smiled as she watched everything unfold. The emotional ache she was experiencing was lessened by the fact that so much good could be had here tonight. From here on it would require constant vigilance and strength of character to prevent another incident where she felt betrayal of her duties was warranted. But for the time being she could take comfort in the fact that she had helped two sisters that needed each other. She closed her eyes and smiled at that thought.
It only seemed like it was a moment ago that she closed her eyes, but as she sat there she felt something strange envelop her. Opening her eyes she could saw both Rainbow Dash and Applejack on either side of her, standing up on their hind legs for the purpose of holding her in a group hug.
"My word," Luna stated and blinked in surprise. It certainly wasn't an unwelcome gesture, but it was an unexpected one.
"It really wouldn't be nice if we forgot about you and what you did for me...I mean for us," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "The least we can do is let you that we appreciate everything."
"Wha' ya did wasn't easy fer ya ta do. But we're mighty thankful that ya did," Applejack added. "Ah know it's jus' a dream an' all but would ya like ta join us fer some Apple family hospitality?"
"Truly?" Luna asked.
"Would we lie?" Rainbow Dash asked, before reaching up and plucking her stetson off before placing it atop Luna's head. "Now that we've got this mess sorted out what say we get this party started properly?" she suggested with a renewed sense of optimism.
"Sounds good to me. Princess?" Applejack asked.
"I would be most honored to partake in the festivities. Let the "fun" begin," she spoke, causing all the attending dream ponies to become unfrozen, the atmosphere changing from one that was tense to one that was joyous.
It was nothing more than a dream, a simple construct of the unconscious mind. But regardless of the fact that nothing here was real that didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy themselves to the best of their abilities. They had friends, they had family, they had one another. What more was needed?
Author's Note
The scene of Luna being involved in a group hug with Rainbow Dash and Applejack was too good to completely pass up. But as I tried to incorporate it into the main story I realized that it would ruin everything. So rather than throw it out I decided I'd keep it and show what the story would've been like if I took the other route with Luna getting some much needed love.
