Rain poured heavily over Ponyville and Applejack found herself caught up in the middle. Her weekly supply trip into town had flown south on her, leaving her stranded in the powerful storm. When she first set out for town, she remembered seeing the dark thunderclouds forming above. By the time she had made it into town, a light drizzle had started up, sending ponies in a rush to make it home before the storm hit fully. With her business finally concluded, Applejack started for home, only to find that the storm had taken a turn for the worst. Deciding she'd rather be home, the earth pony pressed on, further into the storm.
The storm raged on fiercely overhead. Rain felt like nails as they made contact with Applejack's coat. Lightning crackled, and thunder roared, with such intensity that even the biggest of beasts would cower in fear. Applejack made her way out of town, down the lone road home. She struggled hard against the wind and the rain, often halting to keep her balance. She looked forward, squinting as the rain splashed into her face. Still, her expression carried an aggressive determination, the will to make it home. Staring straight into the hazy grayness, Applejack took another step.
A particularly strong gust of wind blew past Applejack, ripping the straw hat from her head. Frozen from the chilliness of the blast, she watched has her hat tumbled end-over-end heading straight for the Everfree forest. She took off, racing against the wind and haze to keep her precious hat in sight. The storm picked up, and the rain grew heavier, harder, almost frozen. She ran with the wind now, not against it. The howling squalls serving as a propeller, driving Applejack forward with blistering speeds. However, the wind also worked against her. It carried her hat faster than she could go, and soon it began to fade from view.
Applejack slid to a stop. She stood, breathing heavily through her mouth. Her chest rose with each greedy intake of oxygen, and fell with every exaggerated exhale. The sounds of swirling wind and vicious rain blocked out everything else, creating an eerie atmosphere to the darkened forest. One thought ran through the earth pony's mind, 'Where's my hat?' 'Find my hat.' The two phrases repeated over and over in her head. Minutes passed, and Applejack had not moved. Her breathing returned to a somewhat normal pace. She was drenched now, and starting to shiver badly. Water ran off of her in steady flows from her mane and tail.
CRACK
Lightning stuck close by, causing the apple farmer to jump. Thunder boomed closely behind it, too close. Her body was shaking now, chilled to the bone and full of adrenaline. Slowly, she stepped forward. 'One hoof at a time,' she told herself through gritted teeth. Within an instant her vision went white. A thunderous crack rang out through the skies. Dazed by the flash, the earth pony stumbled about for her sense of vision. A nearby tree had taken the lightning's full force. Cracks ran up the length of the tree, splitting wider with each passing second. Suddenly the tree toppled, and Applejack crumbled.
Applejack awoke to the warm, itchy feeling of a blanket draped over her. Her ears rang with the sounds of rushing blood. Her eyes flickered in an attempt to adjust to the bright setting she now lay in. Something behind Applejack shifted. The sudden stir alerted the earth pony to another presence in the room. A presence that curled into her backside with a limb draped over her mid-section. Applejack lifted the covers, revealing a cyan foreleg cuddling deeply against her stomach.
"Rainbow Dash?" Applejack said confused.
A loud, exaggerated yawn replied, followed closely by a series of stretches and cracks. The limb retreated from around Applejack's mid-section.
"The one and only," said a half-awake Rainbow Dash.
"I'm glad you're awake," Rainbow Dash said, removing herself from the cozy mess of blankets and shaking herself into full alertness. "I was getting pretty worried," she added as she trotted over to a chair across the room from Applejack.
Applejack took this time to survey her surroundings. She sat up. Bare, wooden walls encased the small single room, which felt even smaller by the large fireplace residing on the far wall. The dirt floor was damp and cold. Across from Applejack, a table with two chairs stood, Rainbow Dash in one. Upon the table laid the remnants of the farmer's earlier trip into town. She sighed deeply, throwing her head back against the cold damp pillow.
"Where are we?" she asked aloud, somewhat to Rainbow Dash, but mostly to herself in an attempt to jog her memory.
"We're in the Everfree Forest. It's a storm protection shelter," Rainbow Dash answered.
"How did Ah get here? The last thing I remember, I was chasing…" Applejack stopped mid-sentence. She sat up quickly, releasing a sharp pain from her stomach. Her body went limp causing her to crash back down into the tangle of blankets.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash hopped off the chair, rushing to the earth pony's side. "Are you okay?" she asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine, Rainbow, thanks."
Rainbow Dash dropped her head, causing her soggy mane stick to the top of her head. She stood up again, slowly walking back to her chair. "Look, Applejack, I found you under a tree… You weren't breathing. I panicked and brought you here. I was so scared that you-you weren't gonna make it," Rainbow Dash said, holding back the oncoming tears.
"Ahh shucks, c'mon, Rainbow. It takes more than a little ol' tree ta keep me down."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Rainbow Dash glared at her. "It looked as if that tree had cut you in half!"
"I was just tryin' ta get mah hat."
"That stupid hat could have gotten you killed!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"You take that back!" Applejack shouted back. "That hat was a gift from mah parents. And now it's lost forever…" Applejack said, turning away from Rainbow Dash.
"Actually, I went back out and found it," Rainbow Dash said, trotting over to the fireplace to retrieve the hat.
Applejack rolled back over, "You put it by the fireplace!" Applejack shrieked. "You'll ruin it that way!"
"Well duh, it was wet. How was I supposed to know that it would ruin it?" Rainbow Dash said, placing the hat beside the earth pony. "I was just trying to help, geez."
Applejack sighed, "Ah know, Rainbow. Yer intentions were good, thank you."
"I think you should go back to sleep, Applejack. Your body needs rest," Rainbow Dash explained.
"I suppose yer right, sugarcube," Applejack said with a yawn of compliance.
Applejack laid her head against the soggy pillow once again. Before closing her eyes she caught one final glimpse of Rainbow Dash. The look of worry in the Pegasus's eyes stuck Applejack as odd. Rainbow Dash never acted like this before, was she really keeping an eye on her while she slept?
"You still awake, Applejack? Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack gave a soft sigh and answered, "Yeah. Ah can't sleep with ya watchin' me like that."
Rainbow Dash stood up and trotted towards the makeshift bed. She tucked herself underneath the mess of blankets. Applejack closed her eyes, a feeling of ease washing over her now that Rainbow Dash was going to sleep. Her eyes sprung open once more when she felt Rainbow Dash cuddling into her backside.
"Uh, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack blushed slightly. "What are ya doin'?"
"I'm sorry, Applejack. For worrying about you so much," Rainbow Dash said. "I know I can be brash at times, but I'm only like that because… you mean a lot to me."
Applejack smiled, turning over to face Rainbow Dash. The two ponies shared smiles, faces glowing. Rainbow Dash nuzzled into Applejack's neck and Applejack held her tightly. No words were spoken, each too occupied by the comfort of being embraced by the one they cared for most. Rainbow Dash was the first to fall asleep, her chest rising and falling gracefully with every breath. Applejack brushed Rainbow's matted mane from her face, taking just a moment to appreciate the sleeping pony.
Gently she leaned in, kissing Rainbow Dash's forehead and said, "Ah love ya, Rainbow Dash," before drifting off to sleep.
