The breeze chilled Rainbow Dash as she glides down the sky toward her beloved town Ponyville.
She loved nothing more than flying, her friends, and of course, her family.
It's funny how she denied all of her friends to her parents to maintain her "cool" impression.
As she soar through the sky, gliding through the air gracefully, she saw an orange figure moving by a tree not too far below.

"Hey cowmare!"

Applejack almost immediately looked up at her friend with her sleepy eyes, Applejack saw nothing but a single cloud passing by. She hasn't slept for the last three days.

"Whoa, you look totally jet lagged! Have you even slept yet?"

And Applejack simply blinked, as if Rainbow said nothing.
With Applejack unresponsive, Rainbow sighed and landed beside her.
Now closer to the earth pony, Dash finally got a better look at her friend whose eyes look exhausted with dark folds beneath them and her fur dampened by sweat.

"Knock, knock, hello? Anypony home?" Said Rainbow frustrated.

"Huh?"

"Finally!"

"Rainbow what the hay are you doin' here? I thought you were up there in the clouds?"

"I was."

"Oh..okay"

"Do you need any help? You look like you need some."

"Help?" Said Applejack with a chuckle, "I don't need no help, thanks."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, remembering her friend's stubborn nature. She had hoped that Applejack would apply the lesson she learned months ago about accepting a friend's help, apparently she wasn't. Either Applejack had forgotten about it or simply being herself, Dash wasn't sure. But one thing was clear, she didn't want Applejack to cause troubles like she did.

"Come on AJ, go get some rest, I'll take over."

"Rainbow, ya can't even buck a tree."

"Yeah, but I can grab the apples."

"I can do it by myself." Applejack said irritated, "So leave me and mind your own business."

Rainbow sighed and spread her wings, she decided to fly and wait on a cloud for her orange friend to exhaust herself once again. She knew how to deal with stubborn ponies, especially Applejack.

"See you later then." Said the pegasus as she flew away.

Two hours have passed since Rainbow fell asleep on the cloud she was waiting on. She immediately rose and looked back down, searching for the orange pony. Then she smiled as her eyes caught the pony who had fallen asleep under a tree.
Rainbow Dash was never the kind of pony who had the initiative to help her friends, she doesn't know why she really wanted to help Applejack.

In the past, she'd rather practice her flying skills or go for a nap on a cloud, which she just did, but that was because she's exhausted by the flight back from Cloudsdale. Earlier today, the she had flown to the cloud-city to pay her parents a visit, and what a visit it was, she had lots of fun with them. Mostly when they talked about Rainbow's childhood, and how similar it was to theirs.

It was now midday, Rainbow could feel the sun's heat replacing the cold breeze of the morning, and it's even hotter than what she usually experienced because of her work. Collecting all the apples from the trees was an exhausting work, she had to admit that Applejack was much better than her at this, and she admired her for that. Her persistence, her well-thought decisions, how responsible she was, and the one thing Rainbow's jealous of, Applejack's hardworking nature. All those were enough to give Rainbow the urge to look at the sleeping mare once more.

Working in the orchard was never a problem for Ponyville's strongest mare, her only problem lies within her troubled heart. She missed her parents so much, she kept thinking about them everyday even during work. She knew that she should get rid of them from her mind and focus on the present instead, but it was too much; so she kept it in the deepest pit of her heart, hiding it from everyone including her own family.

"Wake up!"

Every night she would dream of travelling around the world looking for them, and for once she dreamed of speaking to them, but it was all too vague to be true. She doesn't remember anything. Her problem was in the present, she has an orchard to harvest.

"AJ wake up!"

Applejack opened her eyes wide from her friend's call, ignoring her heavy eyelids, dry mouth, and tired body. She wasn't paying attention to Rainbow Dash either, her eyes were fixed on the piles of apples behind her blue friend.

"...Applejack?" Asked Rainbow Dash before she noticed what was going on, "Oh, that? You can thank me. You're welcome."

"Those..those can't be all the apples!"

"Fortunately, they are. I double checked."

Rainbow's grin made Applejack feel even more uncertain, but she knew that Rainbow's a trust-worthy pony. Better than Twilight at least.

"I thought I told you that I can do it by mah' self.."

"While you're asleep? I don't think so."

"Fine, thanks Rainbow."

Applejack sighed and got up on her hooves as Rainbow stretched, then they heard it.

"HEEELPP!!!"

The two looked at each other briefly, confused of what they just heard.

"Did you hear that Rainbow?"

"Um..yeah.."

"HEEEEELP!! ANYPONY!!!"

The scream came from the Everfree forest's direction, knowing that danger was certain, the two quickly made their way to the Everfree forest.

Rainbow scouted ahead, trying to locate where that voice came from. Beneath her was a valley, and trapped between a massive green creature and the rocks was a colt.
Rainbow gasped, before the colt was a cragadile.

"AJ, quick! There's a cragadile down there!"

"A cragadile?!"

"Yes! And a big one! There's a colt down there, gotta save him!"

"Rainbow wait!!"

Before Applejack could finish her line, Rainbow swooped down the valley toward the beast, kicking its head as hard as she could with her hind legs. The creature was surprised by Rainbow's sudden attack but it wasn't staggered, and it swung its rock-hard tail towards Rainbow who was speeding toward the cragadile to strike it for the second time.

And above the valley was Applejack panting and witnessing her pegasus rival fighting the beast, she knew how strong a cragadile was, and Rainbow Dash certainly had no chance against it. So she ran down a slope toward the bottom of the valley, toward her friend's side.

"I'm coming Rainbow!!"

Her speed was no match for the slow cragadile, she sent blow after blows. Kicking, punching, and even spitting at the unruly beast. She flew down and grabbed several stones. But she didn't see it coming, she was about to throw one stone when the cragadile pulled her down and bit her wing hard.

"Over here you ugly beast!!" Screamed Applejack as she leaped from the slope toward the cragadile's head, hitting it right in the eye before jumping off the creature back to the ground. Applejack had completely forgotten about her friend who was held by the creature's mouth, and so she watched as her Rainbow's wing was taken from her and her limp body slammed hard against the rocks. Applejack nearly cried at the sight of her friend being torn apart, 'I can't win this!' She thought. At least that was what blinded her mind until she saw the boulder resting by a hill.

Applejack had its full attention now, and that's all that mattered, she needed to save Rainbow. So she grabbed her lasso and pulled down the boulder toward her. Toward the beast. She quickly rolled to her left and made the run for Rainbow's life. She kept running toward Dash's motionless body, ignoring the cragadile. She knew that she owed Rainbow something, and she vowed not to let her go this way. At least.
The colt was still standing there, motionless, only then did Applejack notice who the colt was.

"Pipsqueak!"

The young pony didn't react.

"Gosh darn it, ho-"

There was a loud sound when the boulder smashed the cragadile, the loud sound of two rock-surfaces colliding, the sound of stones hurled at every direction, pieces of a cragadile falling. Applejack ignored them and kept running, even as the sharp debris pierced her skin her. It felt like a million mile's marathon to reach her fallen sister, but she did it. The pegasus' cerulean coat was tainted red, one of her wings missing, and the other badly disfigured. Applejack let out another gasp as she felt tears running down her face. She grabbed her hat and tied it tightly with her rope around Rainbow's wound, trying her best to prevent Rainbow from losing more blood. Then put her across her back and took Pipsqueak with her as she ran back to town, panicking. She must get her to the hospital before it's too late.

Author's Note

This is my first fanfic ever, so forgive me if it's bad! Anyway, any reviews will be welcome, be it negative or positive :D I'm still young anyway, and there's still a lot for me to learn ;D Next chapter is coming in the foreseeable future!

UPDATED! Thanks to crowscrowcrow for all his (Or her?) suggestions!