New Loyalties

"What the..." Applejack said, astonished as she looked out at her dark fields and up at the even darker grey skies.

But the weather chart said sunny skies all week! the orange earth pony thought as she tried to look for a familiar blue speck working in the clouds. It didn't take her too long to find it and yell upward, "Rainbow Dash!"

The pegasus heard her name being called and zipped down to her farmer friend. "Hey AJ, I'm guessing this is about the clouds?"

"Hay yes its about these darn clouds!" Applejack said through gritted teeth. "You promised me that tha weather would be sunny fer 'bout two weeks! I can't train AB, or even work like this!" She waved towards the sky to emphasize her point.

Rainbow Dash kept a stern look about her as she said, "I know, AJ. I know. Look, don't you think I know this sucks too? I know how much rain Sweet Apple Acre's has been getting..."

"Mah trees are damn near water-logged!" shouted Applejack.

"Again, I know," Rainbow dash said, starting to get annoyed, "but I can't do anything about it. Orders from up top says we gotta have another storm." She turned and was ready to fly off and help the weather team until she was again interupted by her friend.

"Hey! Don't you be goin' now! Can't you pull a string or two and get them clear up... at least a good bit o' the Acre's?" Rainbow turned around and saw that AJ had a pleading look in her eyes now.

Rainbow Dash turned around to see an Applejack who seem to be pleading, from her eyes to her soul, with Rainbow Dash. The pegasus put her hoof over her eyes and sighed. When she breathed back in through her nose, she could smell hard apple cider emanating from Applejack. Oh no. I don’t wanna deal with this… Rainbow knew how her friend could get when she had even a bit of the drink in her. Well, time to walk on some eggshells.

“Listen, AJ... I wish I could help. I called in all of my favors recently. Some for my job, some for personal reasons.” She looked into Applejack’s eyes. “I’m sorry. My hooves are tied.”

Applejack huffed. “Bullshit.”

Dash recoiled a bit from shock. “What?”

“Bull. Shit!” the orange farmer repeated, much louder than last time. “My farm needs tha sun! If’n it rains again, I’m sure to lose a good chunk ‘o th’ farm!” She looked her friend in the eyes, more anger than anything residing in them. “You’re gonna move them clouds. Now.”

Rainbow Dash could believe how mad her friend was getting, taking into effect the crop and the booze on her breath. She wanted to help so bad… but she couldn’t, as far as her job was concerned. The ponies at the top said there needed to be heavy rain today. If Dash interefered with much of it, her boss would definitely fire her. That bitch needs to lighten up a bit, Dash thought. With a fight incoming, Dash tried one last shot of diplomacy. “Applejack, if I mess with this storm, like I’ve done for you before, I’m sure to get fired! I want you to understand that I want to-”

“No ya don’t.”

“W-What?”

“No, ya don’t wanna help me! If ya did, you’d be doin it right now.” Applejack said, now turning furious, and putting her face in Rainbow’s. “If you were mah friend, I’d be lookin’ at clear skies by now!” Dash was about to interject, but was cut off but her friend. “Heh, to think you were given the Element of Loyalty. What a joke.”

That was it. That was all it took to light the pagasus’ blood ablaze. “Hey,” Rainbow dash screamed, “what gives you the fucking right to say that shit?!”

The farmer chuckled and asked, slowly, “How have ya been loyal lately?”

Rainbow’s brain came to a halt. If she was honest with herself, she couldn’t think of any times recently. There was the time when… no, I bolted when Discord showed up that time. M-Maybe there was… not that either…

Applejack could see her friend’s mouth working, her legs scratching and gripping her head. “Quite yer blubberin’, Dash. Ya know, just as well as I do that you’ve done plum nothin’ loyal fer a while now.”

“At least I’m loyal when it matters!” Rainbow burst.

Applejack’s smug smile flattened and Rainbow could swear she saw flames behind those emerald eyes. Then she started screaming. “When it matters? You’re loyal when it matters?! It matters right now! Mah farm’s gonna drown cause ya don’t have enough loyalty in ya ta get ridda these clouds and save mah farm! How dare you even call yerself loyalty you stupid flying cunt!”

Rainbow… couldn’t function. Her friend… if she still was a friend, had just been so cruel to her. So vile. She didn’t know how to handle it. So, her brain decided take the first out it could. Her body turned towards Fluttershy’s cottage, tears brimming in her eyes, and extended her wings. “Fine… then get rid of the clouds yourself, hick, cause I’m not doing it for you. Fuck, maybe your farm drowning will teach you a lesson.”

With that said, Rainbow flew off towards Fluttershy’s cottage, leaving behind her ex-friend to find some comfort in the one pony who would definitely think she was still worthy of her element.