Breathlessby DimondiumChaptersStruggleSuddenSudden (Pt. 2)Ailments and AmouringSurpriseStruggleBrokehoof Lake was an area not known to many ponies-if one happened to mention it, the most likely response to its name would be a confused stare. It was only a lowly lake outside of Sweet Apple Acres-who cared what it was, or what it was called, anyways? Of course, each 'uncharted' area has its secret inhabitants, or in the case of one mare, a visitor. The reed-scattered, murky-with-silt waters were perfect for swimming. Especially after a long, hard day at work in the sun, nothing was better than taking a dip in the cool waters of Brokehoof Lake. It was this pony's favorite past-time, but now she was enjoying it with another pony- "I win again, Rainbow! Ya'll owe me 20 bits now!" Rainbow Dash immediately shot back an objection towards her friend-"No, you didn't! I said that you couldn't use the plants for leverage!" The orange mare chuckled. "Really, Dash? All's fair in water and war." The pegasus groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm really starting to regret agreeing to this..." "Ya'll scared of a little water, then?" asked Applejack, sending a quick splash in the direction of her friend. "Come on now, it won't hurt ya'." "Uh, duh." said the pegasus, shaking the water from her mane. "One more race, huh? Winner takes all, double up?" "You're on," agreed the earth pony. "First one across and back wins. Readysetgo!" In a sudden splash, the country pony had already begun her journey across the murky waters, sending up many subsequent ripples as she went. Her trademark ponytail was no obstacle-in fact, if anything, it made it easier to move at the speed that she went at then. Rainbow blinked once before grinning, shooting off across the water. Hoof over hoof, the cyan mare glided through the water, enjoying the cool feeling that it brought over the summer heat. Well, I can see why she likes doing this. But she isn't winning this time! While Rainbow Dash was a strong swimmer, Applejack was a stronger one. The orange mare's hind legs had been heavily been built up through years of apple bucking, and as she now reached the far edge of the pool, the power that they held was more than evident. The laughing pony passed by Dash, calling in between breaths-"Eat-my-bubbles!" Not if I have anything to say about it... thought the pegasus, as she rounded the edge of the body of water, taking a deep breath. This pony's going under, one way or the other. With a quick twist of both torso and trajectory, Rainbow was now underwater, moving with a steady speed soon to be upset. She slowly spread her wings, and began using them to funnel herself through the water. Haha, sucker... thought the cyan pony. She never said no-WOAH! The pegasus whipped around as a sudden jolt stopped her cold, knocking half of the air out of her lungs. A searing pain arose in her left wing, and she attempted to cry out before realizing her mistake-a precious bubble of her air now floated towards the surface, gone. Don't panic, don't panic... the cyan pony told herself, attempting to still her shaking limbs. Just head for the surface. Once again, as she veered upwards towards the surface, another jolt stopped her cold-this time pulling on both wings, and her left hind leg. It was too much to bear-she let out a short, high pitched shriek, wasting yet another bit of air. By now, her lungs were near empty, and her movements grew quicker as she tried both to find what held her, at the same time attempting to break for air. But the force held fast. Rainbow could feel the last vestiges of air in her lungs leaving, causing her chest to burn fiercely. She only managed one snippet of a desperately called name before she was cut off completely-"Appleja-". The cyan mare's plea for help was cut short as she struggled ever the harder, attempting to free herself from her unseen captor, which resulted in the last few bits of air jerking from her lips. But it was no use. As hard as she tried to avoid it, she was now taking huge gulps, trying to get any amount of air into her lungs, but only receiving deluges of liquid. Whether her vision was fading or not, it was hard to tell-the murky, enclosing waters didn't allow much light through. But what Dash did feel, above the pain and the panic, was herself slipping away. Her last thought was to live, and the last sensation that she felt was even more repeated tugging on her wings, but more urgently... Thump. Thump. Thump. What is that sound? Is it a heartbeat? thought the pegasus. Am...am I dead or something? The thumping repeated itself, this time more insistent. A panicked voice cried out from somewhere above her-"Breathe, darnit, breathe!” There was hardly any time to process who the voice could belong to, before the thumping returned yet again-now the source was evident, it was, in fact, on Dash's chest. But the key word was "on"-isn't it rude to be hitting a dead pony? I thought etiquette would show that much... The thumping stopped, as Rainbow lay still. She felt herself drifting, as if in mid air. How could a pony be hitting her if she were in midair? Her thoughts soon ended, though. A frantic, trembling force pried her strangely still lips open, leaving just as quickly as they'd come. The voice rang out once more, strangely echoing-"You ain't leaving me, Rainbow. I won't let ya'!" Soon after, another thing forced itself upon her-it felt like another pony's muzzle, a familiar one. The vague feeling of air filling her lungs was enough to cease her 'drifting', causing her surroundings to become more evident. The ground felt unusually solid beneath Dash's back-even with her limp, unresponsive muscles, she could feel it. Along with the unforgiving ground, there came a shooting pain in both of her wings. She was unable to respond, however, and simply lay wherever she was, wishing she could cringe. The thumping repeated itself, before the supposed muzzle returned to her own, and air once more forced itself into her lungs. This was enough to stir her reflexes, and she coughed suddenly, causing the invader of sorts to withdraw. She coughed again and again, as her muscles suddenly shot her upwards, before being stopped by a heavy weight across her torso. Her eyes remaining shut, the pegasus turned to the side, and continued coughing. Well, I'm not dead, but oh Celestia it HURTS... A gentle splattering of water made itself known as the cyan mare felt herself regurgitate the fluid in her lungs, clearing her airways. Immediately, she took in a deep breath, a second, and a third, gasping in as much oxygen as possible. Her head flopped back down, and her eyes opened into a squint, attempting to make out what was pinning her down. Still taking deep, hurried breaths, Rainbow Dash fought to see through the sudden glare of the sun that now rained down upon her eyes. A vague hue of orange surrounded some sort of shape, but it was not quite evident. The only detail that she could make out was a pair of shimmering, emerald eyes. "Rainbow!" shouted the orange figure. "Ya'll had me worried sick to death, ya' know that? When ya'll didn't come up, I thought it was a trick! But then when you never came up, ah thought you was done for! You gotta' be more careful! I literally had to just save your life right there!" Dash could make no response, except to lay on the hard dirt surface, shuddering with each breath she took in. The orange figure continued rambling, and as her vision sharpened, she recognized it as Applejack. Her trademark ponytail was sopping wet with water, as was with the rest of her body. Ordinarily, Applejack hardly got her mane that wet while swimming, but the conclusion soon came to Rainbow's foggy mind- She...she saved me... "...and just 'cause my granny taught me CPR a while 'go, doesn't mean I hav'ta' use it!" The orange mare's expression softened, as she peered closely at the rainbow maned flier. "Ya'll are OK, right? Besides the..." Her voice trailed off as her gaze darted to the side. "...never mind." "I...I think so..." wheezed Rainbow. "Thanks to you..." "T'aint no problem...it's jus' that I sort of-" The cyan pony waved her hoof in the air, signaling for Applejack to stop. Rainbow Dash took a few gulps of air, preparing to speak. Her breathing had more or less settled, but her nerves were still frayed. "I just wonder...did you ever see what did it? Like...I-" "I haven't the faintest," interrupted Applejack. "Some sort of spiky plant had gotten you all tangled up or something. I don't know what it's called, but I see 'em all the time 'round here. Near the bottom, so I stay away. Just...yeah." "Oh." said the pegasus. She sighed, looking up at the earth pony with unsteady eyes. "Seriously, Applejack," she insisted. "I don't know how to thank you...I mean, I was just drowning, and it hurt a bunch and then...along came you." The orange pony smiled weakly, tossing her mane. "Aw shucks, it was nothin'." "Just one thing..." "Yeah?" "Could you please get off of me?" Applejack chuckled apologetically, obligingly moving off of the cyan mare. "Sorry." Dash groaned, hauling herself upwards. Her head swam from the effort, and she soon found herself back on the ground. "Ugh...dizzy..." she managed. Almost immediately, the southern mare was once more looking at the pegasus with copious amounts of concern. "You sure that you're okay?" she asked. "I mean, if ya' can't even sit up..." One last attempt, and one last groan, and Dash had her answer. "Well, I...don't think so." Strangely, the orange mare sighed. "'tis exactly what I was afraid of..." she muttered. "C'mon, we gotta' get you to a hospital. Like, now." "Hospital?" asked the cyan mare. "Applejack, I'm fine. Just give me a little while to rest, I can handle it." "It ain't whatcha' think, Rainbow..." "What?" Applejack ignored her, turning towards a nearby bush and reciting some familiar words: "Giving away a secret is the best way to lose a friend." "FOR-E-" "Good, Pinkie, you're here." said Applejack as a familiar pink pony popped out of the bush that she had been facing. "No time to explain, get down to the hospital, tell 'em to bring over a stretcher on the double. Brokehoof Lake." Pinkie saluted with a giggle, enthusiastically replying "Will do!", before glancing at the pegasus, and wincing. "Ouchies!" she said. "You gonna' get a band-aid for that?" Band-aid? "What?" "Pinkie." grumbled the orange earth pony. "Now." Pinkie Pie only beamed wider. "Okay!" she chirped. Then she cleared her throat, passing a hoof over her face. It set in serious lines once more as she slowly sank into the bushes, finishing what she'd started. "-veerrrrr..." A short silence followed as Applejack paced nervously in front of the pegasus. "...band-aid?" asked Dash. "What's she-" The freckled mare immediately lunged into Rainbow's face, speaking in a quick, tight voice. "Ya'll don't worry 'bout her, Pinkie's going to be Pinkie. Now just sit tight so we can make sure that you're OK, and try not to sit up or look back or nothin'. Got it?" "Look back?" echoed Rainbow Dash, beginning to turn her head to the side. As her gaze froze, the hurried-and rather forceful-warning cry from Applejack hardly registered. Her rose hued eyes had alighted rather quickly on her wings, where they froze,and shrank. Though her wings seemed to be extended properly, as they would be on her back, it was what was actually on them that made her heart skip a beat. Across both wings, were a score of deep red scratches, which had seemingly even scraped off some of her feathers. A scarlet, deeper red liquid ran in thick rivulets along the path of gravity, clinging to everything that it could. Blood. Lots of it. Like, just... "Rainbow, quit shakin'! You're gonna be fine-...I hope." Dash's shell-shock only worsened as Applejack tacked on the last two words. "You h-hope?" she stuttered, whipping her head towards the country pony. "I...I mean, I can't even...there's just...nothing. I...I'm scared, Applejack. I can't even feel my wings. They're just...there." The orange mare sighed, finally managing to seat herself on the ground, though her tail still swished, agitated. "That's what I was 'fraid of..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I had to save ya'll, and to do that, I had to tug as hard as I could. You did come out, but not without quite a bit of effort. And that's what got me. I had to choose between either doing what I did, or running the risk of going slower, and losing you. I can't lose ya', Rainbow, all right? Not by my own two hooves, not on my life." The earth pony froze, absently covering her mouth with a hoof. "Ah...kinda' yelled near the end, didn't I?" Rainbow managed a shaky nod. "Sorry 'bout that..." apologized Applejack. "It's jus' that...well, I've been having these problems lately, and...oh who the hay cares, look at you." amended the orange earth pony. "Just hang on. Them doctors should be here soon." As she finally met the pegasus' gaze, Applejack's voice was far from anything that even resembled 'composed'. Her eyes shone with regret and empathy as she spoke seven words to her friend. "You're going to be okay. I promise." "I don't e-" Ignoring Rainbow Dash's worried musings, the earth pony shifted around until she was next to the rainbow maned flier. With one movement, her head came to rest on the cyan mare's chest, as she reassuringly snuggled into the small crook on the side of Rainbow's body. Interestingly enough, the pegasus began taking deep-though shallow-breaths, as the warmth of the earth pony provided a certain sense of security, making it just a little bit easier for her to relax. Even with all of the worries, the fears, and the frights that the polychromatic mare had, she might have found it hard to believe that her eyes closed right around then. But close her eyes, she did. With the gentle presence of a kindred soul next to her, it was enough. Rainbow Dash did not fall asleep, per-say. What she did do, was drift into a rather subcutaneous state, not unlike the way some trauma victims suddenly 'zoned out' from their situation, as if to shut out the world. Time became seemingly nonexistent, along with her general sense of direction and attention span. The last worldly things brought to her attention were the sudden absence of Applejack, as if she'd suddenly stood up. The other was a gentle touch on her forehead, which left a pleasant sensation behind. It seemed oddly similar to a bird landing gently on her head, until a voice spoke out. "I shoulda' been more forward with ya' Rainbow..." it said, tinged with a gentle southern accent. "And 'cause I didn't, now I've gone and let somethin' bad happen to ya'. But just know, that either way, whether I still hate myself or not, that -oh, good. They're here." Hoovesteps echoed around her, or so she thought-were they really echoing? Were there even hoovesteps at all? Who did the steps belong to? And what had come in contact with her? A leaf? Perhaps a feather? It was rather light to the touch... "You're gonna' be OK, Dash." repeated the voice. The rainbow maned flier could feel herself lifted up by an exterior force, and that was enough to force her eyes open. It wasn't quite enough to clear her foggy mind, though-she was still lingering on what that touch might have been. The words still had no effect on her. Her sight, however, worked well enough. Staring back at her was a rather nervous sort of mare-her emerald eyes sparkled with determined vigor, but everything else seemed to scream 'reluctance'. A weak grin spread across Applejack's face, as she took hold of her friend's hoof, and nodded. "I promise." Author's Note(A/N): "LIKE OH MAH GAWD, DAT CLIFFHANGER IS SO UNSATISFYING." It made you want to see what happens next, right? Plus, uh, the next chapter is right there. I wouldn't fear too much for Rainbow. This is only the hook. Anyways, from here on, my chapter format will be largely scattered. You'll see what I mean. Or not. Meh, who cares. SuddenRainbow Dash groaned as she more or less became aware of her surroundings. If there were any. As she took note that her eyes were closed, and hence she couldn't see anything, she smirked. Duh. That was when two voices asserted themselves. The pegasus froze, attempting to make out what they were saying. Though the words bounced erratically around in her head, and were nearly impossible to discern, she could hear a few faint words shot back and forth. "Five days? Five whole days?" "I'm afraid it's a little more than a simple cut or two. Rainbow Dash did suffer some rather severe blood loss, and a slight stutter to her respiratory efficiency, and a mild case of thorough exhaustion. As such, she'll have to either stay here to recover, or..." "Or what?" "...or one of her friends or relatives can take her in, provided that they allow her plenty of water, rest, and-" One of them chimed in, with a tone of complete certainty. "I'll take it." The other voice had a questioning, almost astounded ring to it. "Are you sure? Caring for a nearly completely incapacitated pony is a great difficulty. Do you even know if they-" "First of all, I." corrected the voice. "Second, if ya'll think I can't handle this, do ya' really think I'd be offerin'?" "Well, many ponies think they can. In reality, it ends up too much for them to handle, and...they end up back here." said the first voice. It had a rich, deep accent, quietly polished with the tones of a northern origin. "Ah don't care!" cried the other voice. It had a rather distinct southern tone, and perhaps it was the speaker's intention, but it cut clearly throughout the air, despite her rapidly dwindling grasp on consciousness. "Do ya'll even know what I'd do for this pony? Why I do it? How I feel?" The last words that Rainbow heard faded away before a clear statement could finish itself. "I do this because she's more than a friend! Rainbow Dash is..." -- "Is she waking up?" "I dunno'! I mean, she looks all tired and stuff, so it could be a while." Slowly, the pegasus attempted to force her eyes open. Despite her attempts, it took quite a bit of flickering before they finally came open. The five blurry figures around her immediately hushed, and an excited voice spoke up. "Ooh, she is, she is!" Dash squinted, trying to sharpen her vision. Her vision was swimming, and it was almost impossible to make heads or tails of anything. This is worse than the time I whacked my head into a really big cumulonimbus cloud... "Be quiet, ya'll," commanded a stern voice. "Let the mare get herself aware and what not." Still attempting to pierce the haze that covered her vision, the cyan mare spoke. "I-...ugh...where am I?" A tap on her shoulder quickly drew her attention, as the strong, commanding voice spoke out again. "I think ah can answer that one. Welcome to the Apple Residence, where there's a two cider minimum, good health permittin' of course." Rainbow Dash blinked, managing a weak shake of the head. An orange splotch made its way into her sight, followed by everything else around her. In front of her stood a smiling orange mare, with a yellow, braided mane, and a stetsoned head to top it all off. Next to her stood a gently bouncing pink earth pony, who beamed at her as she noticed the pegasus' gaze. Standing quietly and acceptingly off to the side was a yellow pegasus, who hid behind her bubble gum pink mane while gazing with concern at the cyan mare. Her eyes seemed to be stained with a few tears. A white unicorn stood next to the yellow mare, gently cradling her with a lone hoof-it appeared that she was unaware of Rainbow's awakening. And lastly, a lavender unicorn mare stood on the other side of her, occasionally stealing glances at the orange mare on the other side of her. It was only then that she noticed her actual surroundings-she was in a wide rustic-orientated bed, possibly big enough for two ponies, propped up by two pillows instead of one. A softly colored orange and brown blanket was spread over her, sheltering her from whatever cold gusts might exist in the room. She noted that it was a very soft thing, as if hand- knitted with extra care. The supposedly wooden walls were colored, of all colors, with a deep green that almost made the pegasus feel like she was sleeping in a tree. "...Applejack?" she asked, trying to corral all the questions she had into something coherent. "Did you...I mean, how did I..." Taking a hint, Applejack launched into an explanation. "Y'see," she began. "You were more or less cleared to go, even though the doctor said you lost a lot of...um...well, blood." An almost unanimous wince rippled across the room, before the orange earth pony continued. "But he said as long as someone could take ya', you could go. So I went for it, but I tell ya', I was worried." "Didn't you say something about that argument in the waiting room, like, you told me that you-" The sudden outburst of a certain pink mare was quickly silenced by a quick whack to the chest by the country pony. "Not now, Pinkie..." grumbled Applejack, putting a noticeable staccato on each word. "You'll. Blow. It." The pink mare cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. "Really? I was talkin' about Cider Season, but all right! Hey, Rainbow! Did you also know that-" Instead of the orange earth pony interrupting the rambling mare, it was Twilight Sparkle that now cut in. "Pinkie," she began. "You really shouldn't tell her that. She's obviously still a little shell-shocked, and something that big won't help much." "Oh..." "Uh, girls..." said Rainbow, frowning. "I'm still here. And...can anypony tell me what this big old secret thing is?" Almost in perfect unison, all the ponies in the room turned to Applejack. Even Fluttershy raised her head hesitantly. The orange mare stared back, taking a reluctant step back. "...can ah finish my little explanation first?" she asked quietly, a slight tinge coming to her cheeks. "But of course, darling!" said Rarity. "But you know, if you keep these things bottled up, it does horrible things with your emotions!" The white unicorn sighed, glancing towards the ground. "Of course, I'd know that result...these things always stay unrequited if you keep them secret." Applejack cleared her throat. "Ahem, riiiggghhhttt..." Rolling her eyes, the farm pony continued. "Anyways, when I got ya'll back here, you were tossin' something fierce. You looked like you was fighting some sort of invisible ghost pony or somethin'." Twilight raised a hoof, and the orange mare glanced quizzically at her. "Yes, Twi'...?" "Are you entirely sure that you can handle this?" asked the lavender mare. "Taking care of a-" "Twilight, you sound just like that doctor, so I'll ask that ya' stop right there." said Applejack. "I can full well handle it-when ah make a promise, ah keep that promise." At this, Pinkie Pie glared. "Are you suuuurrreee?" she asked, layering her voice with obvious contempt. "I'm sure, Pinkie," assured the stetsoned mare, giving a nod towards Dash. "If I promise that my friend's gonna' be okay, she's gonna' be okay." Fluttershy took advantage of the silence that settled briefly over the room. She stepped forward, looking over the other pegasus with concern. "Are you...all right now?" she asked, with a noticeable quavering in her voice. Rainbow wanted to say that she didn't know, seeing as she truly didn't. Lying down, sure, she felt more or less fine. But standing? Sitting up? Let alone anything like flying? But the way that the timid mare's gaze wavered, the way that her upper lip trembled, and even the way that a few tear stains remained on her cheeks made the pegasus sigh, and change her mind. "Yes, Fluttershy." she said, managing a fake smile. "I'm good enough right now." "Now then," continued the orange earth pony. "Since we've all made sure that Rainbow here's all right, how 'bout we can get ourselves a little time alone?" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Applejack, are you really going to-" "Relax, Twi'," interrupted Applejack. "It's jus' that if ah caused this while mess, I should say somethin', and...well, ya'll are kinda' making me nervous here. You keep slippin' this way and that, and one more slip and poor Dash there ain't even got a chance to react correctly." The other mares nodded-they were well aware of the possibilities of saying a few wrong words around a stricken pony. "Come on, girls." instructed Twilight, starting off for the door, allowing the others to follow. "Let's do as she says-I'm sure Rainbow needs her rest anyways." As soon as the soft click shot through the air, the orange mare turned back to the cyan pegasus, her expression solidifying. "Tell me, Rainbow." began Applejack, taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash on the bed. "What would ya'll describe flyin' to be?" Rainbow frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? I thought we were-" "Jus' tell me. Ah'm a little curious. Plus it'll give you a li'l something else to focus on, other than...y'know..." The pegasus took it into thought with a gentle 'Hmmm'. "Well, there's kind of three ways I can describe it, because like...well, one's real, and the other two are just kinda'...I dunno', just sort of made up." "Tell ya' what," said the orange mare, reclining back opposite to the pegasus, resting her back on the bedpost. "How 'bout ya'll humor me, and try to 'splain them all." Huh? "Well, I still don't get why, but all right." said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. "The first one's the real one-you're actually flying. Like, the wind's in your mane, your heart gets faster, and speed is the thing. That's like the second best type." The orange mare arched an eyebrow at the young flier. "Second?" she asked, her tone taking on a strange, hopeful tone. "What would the first one be, then?" Aw jeez... thought the pegasus. I gotta' stall here, she knows what I'm talking about... "I'll get to that," she said. "Next up is the first 'fake one', or 'one that I'm not even completely sure of'." The earth pony nodded, motioning for her to go on. "You know that feeling you get when you're fighting for something, like, victory in that big race, or trying to reach that cider goal?" Again, Applejack nodded wordlessly. It made the cyan mare unusually uneasy about continuation, but nonetheless, she went on. "That's the second one," she explained. "It isn't actual flight, but it's right behind it. The way it also gets you pumped up and ready for action...you know that, right?" The stetsoned mare chuckled. "Sure do," she said. "This is a lot better than just sittin' around doin' nothin', huh?" "Yeah." A silence fell over the room, and Rainbow began to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia, I can at least wai- "So tell me, Dash," said Applejack, as if intentionally interrupting the pegasus' respite. She took off her brown hat, and began tossing it back and forth in such an easy manner, that Rainbow Dash could have sworn she'd been possessed by the ghost of coolness. If that sort of thing existed. "What exactly would the best form of flight be?" asked the orange mare, finally flipping the hat onto the bed next to her. "Ah'd love to hear it." "Oh, uh..." Dash looked around the room, trying to avoid the earth pony's gaze. "It isn't much. Kind of a pegasus thing." Yet again, Applejack raised an eyebrow-come on, quit doing that!-but this time accompanying it with a gentle smile. "More than actual flyin'?" The cyan pegasus growled a low growl. Caught the bull by the horns, eh...? she thought. All right. Let's dance, Applejack. "Oh whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Fine." "Ah knew ya'd come around." "You ever been around that one pony?" asked Dash. "The one whose name makes you quiver in your hooves in nervousness?" "You bet yourself two hundred bits ah have," said the earth pony. "You know, the one whose name you whisper to keep your head up on a cloudy day...the one who brings the sun to any day you have...the one who you even dream of just being able to simply be with, and each moment is a huge gift?" By now, it seemed less and less like Rainbow Dash was talking about flight, but the orange mare nodded, with a soft "Eeeyup." "The one whose mane catches your eye from afar, as does her wonderful figure, and sparkling eyes?" Applejack chuckled. "Well now, who knew ya'll were a li'l bit 'poetic'?" "Ah, shut up." spoke the cyan mare. "Trying to make a point here...though all the time spent near Twilight doesn't really help..." "My lips are sealed." promised the farm pony, making a quick 'zipper-across-the-lips' gesture. The rainbow maned pegasus swallowed- unusually nervously, it might be said-before continuing. "The pony who would do anything for his- or her, I don't judge-sister or brother, and who also isn't afraid of a little competition?" A consenting, ever silent nod came from Applejack as the cyan pegasus went on. "Have you...ever been...in love?" "Sure have," replied the orange pony. "And I know what ya'll are talking about." "No, Applejack, you...don't." insisted the polychromatic pegasus pony. "I've felt that way before. She was a nice mare, and pretty much all of the stuff that I just said. But...what if I told you that she's somepony that you know?" By now, the pegasus had the orange mare's attention. Applejack crept forward, until she was next to the pegasus once more. "Do say more..." she said, looking with curiosity towards the blue pony. "Well, she's a pony that I know pretty well, too," explained Rainbow. "She's 'bout as tall as me, 'bout as awesome, but those eyes...hay, I could get lost in those things. But the thing is, she..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "...I have a feeling that she knows. It's just like she says nothing, just so it isn't awkward." The orange mare let out a thoughtful 'hmmmm...' as she rested her chin on a hoof in thought. Eventually, she sat up. "I think I know what ya'll are tryin' to get at..." she said, a sly smile spreading across her face. "This ain't about flyin' no more, is it?" The pegasus' face set in serious lines as she clapped slowly. "Bravo, Applejack. You cracked the case. You're a master of investigation." "Aw, hush up, now," said the blonde-maned pony. "Let me see if ah can help-ya'll seem to be awfully on the fence 'bout this friend of yours." "Yeah, sure, let's put it that way." Applejack cleared her throat. "So tell me, sugarcube. How long ya'll been feelin' that way?" The pegsasus shrugged. "Dunno'. Few months? A year? Hard to tell." "Ah see." The earth pony shifted around slightly in response to this statement. "So you say that this pony's willin' to do anything for her family, and most likely, her friends. The question is, what would ya'll do for her?" At this, Rainbow scoffed. "Pretty much everything," she said. "Fly 'round all of Equestria, or just simply get her a cup of coffee-whatever she wants, I suppose." The farm pony made no response, except to nod. She replaced the stetson back on its resting place, tilting it forward so that her eyes were obscured. With a slow-and strangely funny-dramatic movement, she gently tipped the brim up, and spoke. "Would this here pony be called 'Applejack?'" Immediately, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. "Uh, w-what are you talking about? You know that this is a different pony, right? I mean, come on! You're kidding, right?" The earth pony only smiled back at her friend. "I know this one nice mare, too." she said, gently brushing aside the reaction that the cyan pegasus had hurriedly thrown out. "Thing is, she has a few issues of sayin' stuff when the opportunity presents itself ta' her. Y'know what her name is?" Glad for the supposed change in subject, the pegasus shrugged. "I 'unno'." Applejack's grin budged only the tiniest margin as she rose, creeping with a careful gait until she was directly above Rainbow. The cyan mare shrunk back as much as was possible, drawing deeper into the pillows that propped her head up at a suitable angle. Despite her efforts, the orange farm-pony's gaze approached hers, and she found her own words echoing in her head soon enough. 'Those eyes...hay, I could get lost in those things.' The crispness of the orange earth pony's breath slowly registered in her brain as those emerald eyes that sparkled so valiantly finally came to a halt. "Some call her 'the best flier in Equestria'..." With each second, Dash could feel her heart rate picking up-despite this being pretty much what she wanted, the possibility that it was a dream was too much not to simply freak out silently, as she did now. "Some call her a downright trustworthy weathermare...but ya'll know what I call her?" Applejack's voice had slowly dropped in both tone and volume as she crept closer and closer to the last words, as if relishing the suspense that she was creating. Without waiting for a response, the blonde maned pony leaned close enough to virtually be touching noses with the polychromatic pegasus-only millimeters separated them now. "Ah just call her 'Rainbow Dash'." ... ... A/N:BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... *breath* ...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I got you going SO FUCKING GOOD. HA! You're on the edge of your seat now, aren't you? My original intentions were to end the story progress after Chapter 1, releasing 2 a while later. But instead? I give you two, but give you the worst cliffhanger ever. How does Rainbow react? Will our pthalocyanine pegasus emerge perfectly pristine from this particular predicament? Will Pinkie choose the worst time to bust in? Will a flying spaghetti pony mess up Ponyville? Find out next chapter! Sudden (Pt. 2)A/N:confound this headcold! It drives me to suck at writing! Regardless, just read this. Chapter 4 is about 1/5 done. Go on, scroll down! "Woah. Woah, woah, woah. How about you back that train back about 200 billion miles, and give me a chance to clean out my ears. Because I don't know if what I'm hearing is correct." Almost as quickly as the moment had came, it subsided. The orange earth pony frowned, obligingly stepping back from the pegasus. "Oh..." Her voice was low and short, as if choking back something else. "All right then. Ah...'spose I should've expected somethin' like this." Rainbow sighed as she watched the dejected farm pony slink backwards, until she came to rest once more against the bedpost. Applejack's head dropped onto her hooves, and the brim of her hat once more obscured her eyes. "Applejack, I didn't-" "Ah'm sorry if I caused ya'll any discomfort, but ya'll don't have to rub it in." The orange mare's gaze didn't even bother to rise as she spoke, instead remaining cast downwards. The only indication of any sort of emotion was her voice, which was remarkably steady. A small grin managed to creep onto Rainbow Dash's face as she had a plan. A great one. Possibly the best one ever. "I'm not rubbing it in, AJ," retorted the cyan mare. "I'm just saying...something like that is about as likely as...well, birds flying north for the summer. It just doesn't make sense." "Ah know, and I shoulda' understood that." agreed Applejack. "Jus'..." she sighed, finally raising her gaze for Rainbow to see. It was everything that her voice didn't suggest-tears sprang in small rivulets down her face, pooling gently near the bottom portion of her muzzle before gently plipping onto the bedsheets. Her mouth was heavyset in an intense frown. "I...guess I should be on my way..." continued the orange mare, dropping her gaze once more. "Again, I'm just sorry, and...if ya' need anything, just holler. I'll still be glad to get it fer' you." "Just...one thing, Applejack." said the pegasus. The blonde maned pony's gaze rose, and she cocked her head half-heartedly. "Yeah, sugarcube?" Dash smiled reassuringly, scooting forwards and sitting up almost simultaneously. She found that sitting up, while it required a decent amount of effort to initiate, it was actually pretty easy to maintain. She raised a hoof to the orange mare's eyes, gently wiping away the tears that Applejack had seemed to given up withholding. She gazed into the sparkling emerald eyes that brimmed with reluctant acceptance, and spoke. "Applejack. You do know birds do fly north for the summer?" Confusion flittered across the earth pony's face as all signs pointed to 'huh?'. "Come on now, south for the winter..." encouraged Rainbow. "...and north for the..." Applejack's voice trailed off as the realization finally came to her, with a widening of the eyes. "...summer..." Grinning wider than a loon, Rainbow Dash nodded. "Took you long enough." The orange mare's face seemed largely ambiguous as she struggled to get out the right words. "You little backstabbin'...twisted...unfailingly annoying...little..." Eventually, Applejack threw up her hooves. "Ya' know what? I think ah give up here. I'm torn between both kissin' ya' and killin' ya'." "How 'bout we just go for that first one?" The earth pony smiled. "Well, all right. But only 'cause I still owe ya'll somethin'." Closer and closer the two mares got, as Rainbow could feel the gentle tickling of her friend's breath against her muzzle. It was only when the soft touch of a pair of lips met hers that there came an unusually singsong voice from the doorway. "...Dashie and Applejack, sittin' in a tree room! K-I-S-S-I~-" "PIN-KIE!" roared the two ponies in almost perfect unison. The pink pony giggled. "Ooh, nice! I was gonna' finish with 'N-G', but you did it with my name! That's super duper fantastic! But you were just a liiiitle too low and late. Next time, maybe!" As she noticed the bouncing pony expectantly watching her and Applejack, Rainbow immediately dropped her intense stare, as if it could hide the sudden burning in her cheeks. "Uh, Pinkie. This isn't what it-" "She knows, Rainbow." interrupted the orange mare. "All of the girls know." ...was this some sort of thing that went on for whole years? "What?" asked Dash. "When did this happen?" The farm pony shrugged. "This mornin'. When they all came on over to check on ya', I accidentally let it slip to 'em. They only knew 'bout me that far, but...ah guess Pinkie knows both sides to it now." "Yep! And d'you know what this calls for?" Don't say it, don't say it, for the love of Celestia- The pink pony's eyes twinkled as she reared up on her hind legs, tracing the lining of an invisible banner as she excitedly shouted, "A SUPER-DUPER-FUNTABULOUS 'EVERYTHING WENT WELL AND STUFF AND MAYBE A LITTLE BETTER OR PERHAPS IT WAS PLANNED I DUNNO' PARTY!" Pinkie Pie quickly took on a thinking expression. "Hmm...how much space do I need for that...maybe if I write super duper small...hmm..." "Pinkie. A party won't be needed." said Applejack, gesturing to Dash, of whom had retired to her resting place among the two pillows. Already, her eyes were closed, as if she were intent on simply ignoring the party pony. "Rainbow's tired 'nough, and I'm sure a party won't do much ta' help her." "Maybe when she's better?" asked Pinkie, her expression softening in the hopes that she would get to throw a party no matter the case. The orange pony looked carefully at the cyan mare-her chest already slowly rose and fell in a steady rhythm, seemingly completely relaxed. A peaceful grin half hung on her face, as the wonders of dreamland enticed her to a state of ecstasy. "...we'll see, Pinkie." said Applejack, not even bothering to look at Pinkie Pie. There was something about the incredibly...at peace way that the pegasus lied in that made her smile. As far as she'd seen, she wasn't even that comfortable on a cloud. "Little critter musta' been tuckered out a whole load..." the farmpony muttered. "Oh. OK!" chirped Pinkie, beaming widely once more. "Well, I gotta' go plan for it now, anyways! See you later, AJ!" "Bye, Pinkie," replied the orange earth pony, listening to the sound of hoof steps and then the quick slamming of a door. That pony needs ta' learn how to close a door quietly... thought the blonde maned pony, snorting as she did so. She opens 'em softly enough. A sudden shifting and mumbling from the young flier brought Applejack out of her thoughts. "Oh, Suns...you're so...funny..." The emerald eyed mare smiled slightly at her friend. "Talks in her sleep too, eh?" she asked, more or less to the abiotic entirety of the room. "Interestin' to know..." Grunting, the orange mare quickly rose and hopped off the bed, taking scrupulous care not to disturb the soundly sleeping pony who occupied it. She turned to go, but her hooves seemed unwilling to do such a thing. It felt strange, really. It was as if some otherworldly force had told her to stay in the room. On an impulse, the farm pony turned her head towards a small three-handed clock near the corner. 9:46, it read. Applejack groaned inwardly, slapping at her forehead. Duh, 'course it's that late. Ya'll been up all day waitin' for her to wake up, and it did take a little while. Frowning, the mare plopped herself onto her haunches, and absentmindedly scratched her head. What to do 'bout sleepin'...Rainbow has my bed, Mac takes up literally all of his, Granny don't need nopony else with her, since Applebloom's likely there... Only one choice, then. The sturdily built orange mare arose, rather largely stretching out her leg muscles, and letting out a yawn that was sure to have woken the heavens, or at least from her perspective. She walked over to the opposite side of the soft mattress, climbed in, hiked up the sheets, and closed her eyes to prepare for the next day. Almost as quickly, her eyes flickered open again. Something didn't feel right, something that told her that she was missing something. But what? As the cyan pegasus stirred once more, Applejack had her answer. She rolled to her side, before bringing herself into a half-sitting position. It was high enough for her to see Rainbow Dash's expression, which had faded into an absently unpleasant frown. The way she twitched ever so slightly while supposedly sleep-racing, however, brought a smile to the earth pony's face. Applejack leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on the rainbow maned pony's forehead. "G'night, Dashie. Love ya',"she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. Without waiting for a response-why would she, anyways? Rainbow was asleep-she rolled back over, hanging tightly onto the covers and letting her head drop onto the single pillow that remained on the other side. Sighing, she reached up, dislodging the stetson from her head, and tossing it skillfully to the foot of the bed. It was only when her connection to the conscious world began to fade that Applejack became aware of a gentle whisper floating back to her. They soothed her mind, bringing a semblance of relaxation to what used to be a turmoilistic cesspool of thoughts, along with bringing a gentle warmth to her body that any blanket could not provide. The earth pony did register that she actually felt the warmth-the cyan mare must have turned over and came to rest against her own self, as it must also have been her who was whispering. "Night, AJ. Love ya' too." A/N:This originally was not a whole chapter. But as I said, my format is largely scattered from henceforth. Meaning chapters will likely be either short-1500 or so words-or long-3000+.I have a lot more for next one, so stay tuned! Watch out for remnants of Sad...and also remnants of an actual, meaningful plot! *badumtss* ...this early update is only because I felt guilty for laughing at you guys. But,as consequence, all you get is a 'yoink!' and a 'd'awwww...' moment. Ailments and AmouringA/N:Oh my god. 101 favorites? That's over the 100 mark! And you guys just beat my old story's record. For that, I give you this early, before Chapter 5 is done. Since I got 100 buckin' people waiting. (...but, that leaves you with another cliffhanger. I wanted to finish Chapter 5, so...yeah. I guess you guys can say that you deserved it. :trollface:) "Nngh...ugh...go away, sun. I'm...tryin' to sleep..." Rainbow Dash frowned, batting absently at the errant sunbeam of which landed directly over her eyes. Of course, it was not a tangible force, and continued relentlessly pouring onto her tightly closed eyes. Her rose eyes drifted slowly open, remaining in a squinting position as she adjusted to the sudden deluge of brightness. Urgh, this is exactly why I always sleep with my back to the sun... After lying for a few rather unpleasant moments in the sun, Dash attempted to sit up. Her efforts were met by utter failure-the soft fluff of the mattress called to her quickly, as her back and leg muscles quivered in their effort to hoist herself from the sheets. Sighing, she flopped back onto the pillow. Already, her head had begun to pound heavily, eliciting a slight moaning from the pegasus. Sheesh, headaches day after day, huh... The headache soon proved to be the least of her worries, however. As her cognitive senses awoke along with her finer mental faculties, she was aware of a slight sheen of sweat that covered her entire body, along with a rather persistent dull aching. It puzzled her, but as she grasped awkwardly at her head, the apparent heat of the air around her became largely apparent. "Nngh..." she said, repeating the vaguely drowsy sound she had made only minutes ago. The sudden coarseness of her voice didn't help much as she continued. "Applejack. Y'there?" No response from either next to her, or even from the door. The cyan mare frowned. "Applejack." she insisted, raising her voice slightly. "Hello?" The door did, in fact, find itself being swung open a few seconds later. The face peeking in, however, was not the expected one. It was a small, yellow face, with curiously sparkling gamboge eyes. "She ain't in here at th' moment," said Apple Bloom. "Want me t' get her for ya'? Anythin' ya need? 'cause Applejack said that while she's out buckin' trees, if ya' need anything that ah can get, ah should get it, so..." Rainbow thought it over as much as her foggy mind could. If Applejack was busy, should she really intrude like that? Then again, she did say... She drew breath to reply. "I...think you should go get her. It could be...kind of big." The filly nodded, and with a quick hop, she sprang away from the door, calling for her sister all the while. The cerulean mare sighed, leaning back into the bed. Her eyes closed moments later-it seemed there was an unusual strain on even keeping them open. Not to mention the way that her stomach seemed to quarrel with self-deprecating intentions, it was rather unpleasant all in all. "Rainbow? Ya'll right?" The worried voice shook the pegasus out of her stupor, and she pulled her eyes open. Applejack stood in the doorway, brow drawn low over her gaze. Though she was slightly out of breath, likely from the exertion of bucking thick, tonne-weighted trees, it didn't seem to be any difference in changing her demeanor. "I can't say for sure..." said Dash. "I'm not feelin' too hot, that's for sure." The earth pony wordlessly trotted over to the rainbow maned flier, carefully looking her over. Eventually, she placed a hoof against the pegasus' forehead, before withdrawing it. "Well, ain't it no wonder..." she said. "I'm not a doctor, but ah'm pretty sure ya' got a fever or something of the sorts. Ya'll are burning up." Great. "Ain't much I can do fer' that," continued Applejack. "I never was one who knew much 'bout treatin' ponies, but..." she shrugged. "I'll do what ah can. Hang tight for a sec'." With that, the orange mare quickly withdrew from the room, with an urgency rivaled only by a distressed mother attempting to save one of her foals from an untimely fate. As such, Dash only had to wait for an estimated half-minute before Applejack re-entered the room, though Rainbow only knew so because of the gentle clip-clop of hoof steps. Once again, she had succumbed to the temptation of resting her eyes, as they seemed to be heavier than a bloated storm cloud. The cyan mare felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Sit up for a second please," said a voice, decidedly Applejack's. Rainbow obliged, managing to prop herself up from the lower back and up with the aid of her feathery head cushions. "Ya'll need to drink some water." The next few minutes were quite a haze to Rainbow Dash. She did, in fact, offer the proffered glass, drinking rather eagerly-she was more parched than she thought she was. Apple Bloom had re-entered shortly after she had finally managed to rest her head back upon the pillow, allowing her eyelids to sink down, cutting out her vision. After a quick "thank ya' kindly", the orange mare had draped a cool, dampened cloth across her forehead. Though it did little to soothe the head pains, it did somewhat reduce the uncomfortable stuffiness that'd presided previously. For minutes after, the country pony remained, talking about things that she couldn't remember if she tried-something about trees, something about Twilight, and even about the pegasus herself. It was a mystery as to when the stetsoned mare had left, but she remembered how she'd went. Applejack had given a quick nuzzle to the half-responsive flier, before quickly arising, speaking few words. "Gotta' get back to work. Hope ya'll feel better." And then, as soon as the click-clack of a walking pony reached the door, they stopped. "I, uh..." The other mare had hesitated there, a slight shuffling sound catching the cyan mare's ears. Though she felt only a smidgen better, her senses had quickly returned, and now she could make out the low keyed mumbling that the orange mare continued with. "I, uh.." she had echoed. "Ah wanted to...talk, but...I 'spose it could wait...plus, ah...ah need some time alone. Just...don't wait up." And then she was gone, in a hail storm of hoof steps. Almost as quickly, Dash succumbed to the gentle calling of darkness, leaving her with a single thought: What the buck is going on? "Dashie...Dashie..." Rainbow frowned, shifting around under the bedsheets that wrapped around her. Hopefully, with this minor action, the phantom voice would disappear. "D-Dashie...please, w-wake up..." Once more, Rainbow Dash moved around, pawing at the air, annoyed. Go away. I need my sleep about as much as you're annoying... Instead of a voice, a rather abrupt sniffling came from her left. A great silence followed, punctuated only by the choking off of apparent sadness. "J-just for a second...please..." pleaded the rather bothersome voice, shattering what had been a rather enjoyable silence. "If you say one more word...I swear to Celestia, I'll-" "Shhh!" interjected the voice, albeit rather unsteadily. "Be quiet! You gotta' me-promise that you'll stay silent, all right? Nopony knows I'm here!" Me-promise? Either they meant 'promise me', or...no way. Could it be... "Pinkie Pie?" A half-hearted giggle now emanated from beside her. "Nice guess, Dashie! No eye cheatin' for you, huh?" The pegasus turned to face the pink mare, managing to pull her eyes open as she did so. And frowned even deeper, if it were possible. Sure enough, in the dim moonlight-I slept all day, didn't I?-there stood Pinkie, the party pony who presided precariously pompously in her partying pride over pretty little Ponyville. But she was different. Instead of her incredibly bouncy, almost rubber-like quality hair which bounced around to no end, there hung a straight mane. Devoid of any fun, or flavor. Gone was the ear-stretching quality of the earth pony's smiles. She wore one now, but it seemed incredibly forced. And was it her, or was there a soft glinting upon her cheek that twinkled gently in the shafts of moonlight? "Do you have a second or two...?" asked Pinkie, her seemingly fake smile slowly waning. Unconsciously, the pegasus nodded, all attempts to make a witty comment forgotten. The pink pony chuckled. "Of course you do..." she muttered. "I...just have a question for you." "Was it really worth waking me up at...Celestia knows when?" asked Rainbow Dash, a hint of malice re-entering her voice. Ignoring the biting remark, Pinkie Pie continued. "I...is it true? Do you really..." "...do I really...?" "I mean, I..." Pinkie trailed off, evidently fumbling for words. "...would you ever leave me, Rainbow?" "Pinkie?" Dash pulled herself up, noting that the fever must have been broken, since the effort required was now minuscule rather than major. "Are you all right? What would make you ask something like that? Of course I wouldn't! You're my best frie-" "Yes, I know, best friend..." interrupted Pinkie, sighing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was definitely keeping her down. And such action was pretty difficult-Pinkie Pie always looked on the optimistic side. If there was one. "It's just..." The pink mare's gaze dropped, and once more, she was fumbling for words as she swiped at her face for whatever reason. Her head eventually raised once more, and even though the moonlight only gave a very slight picture of rather anything around her, the pegasus could very well see the tears in Pinkie's eyes. There lay something deeper, however. Something that the cyan mare nearly started upon seeing. It was sadness. Pure, unmoderated, melancholic sadness. No longer did even a shred of the party pony's upbeat demeanor remain-it was as if someone had decided that too much happiness was too much, and scooped every last bit of it out of the happiest pony to ever exist. "Pinkie...?" said Dash, absently reaching out a hoof towards her friend. "Come on, what's wrong? We aren't going to get anywhere by hopping around like this..." "It's about y-yesterday..." The fuchsia maned pony's gaze dropped once again, hiding the trail of tears from the concerned flier's eyes. "Yesterday?" By now, the cyan mare had actually made an attempt to slide out from the bed, and found that her legs supported her quite well. The only weakness that showed was landing, and even then, the second that her legs buckled seemed incredibly short. She now walked over to the distraught mare, gently lifting her head with her forehoof. "Pinkie, it's all right." she reassured the earth pony. "It's nothing that you could've stopped yourself from doing, and you would've found out sooner or later." "Not that, Dashie." replied Pinkie, batting away the hoof which held her gaze up, though she continued looking straight into Rainbow's eyes, as if she could see her soul. "I...are you happy, Rainbow?" "Happy? Happy?" Dash's voice escalated in what could be called pure disbelief. "Pinkie, this is why you're upset? I mean, to answer you, sure! But not if you aren't! What sorta' question is that, anyways? Would you really have any trouble-" In the middle of possibly the largest tirade she'd gone on in a year, Rainbow Dash felt herself being attacked by a huge, eager ball of pink fur. Too late, she tried to brace herself. But there was nothing to brace for except for the emotional impact that followed. In fact, the fur was none other than Pinkie. Instead of bowling the cyan pegasus over, she had stopped short, instead burying her face into Rainbow's shoulder. Her front hooves went around the pegasus simultaneously, pulling her tight. It was enough to silence Dash, as the pink pony gently shook in her embrace. It was a great few seconds before Rainbow Dash found a free hoof to return to Pinkie, awkwardly patting her back. This seemed only to make the pink pony more upset, allowing a few mournful cries to eke out at a level that was actually audible. Eventually, Pinkie Pie spoke, her words slightly muffled as she refused to rise from the crook in the pegasus' neck. "I g-guess that's fine, but...it's too late...I know you and Applejack want to be together, and live the happy life that everypony dreams of, but..." It was then that the pink mare pulled back, aiming her thoroughly submersed light blue irises towards the confused cyan pony. As soon as her gaze dropped once more, so did the rest of herself, leaving her chin on the floor, hooves crossed over her muzzle, as if trying to halt what she said next. But go on, Pinkie Pie did. And it was the complete opposite of what the rather intrigued flier had been expecting. "I-...I thought that we could do it together..." A/N: "ZOMGWTFOMGBBQTJGSRWICEFTSNWTHAYTTRSALAGSGSHDUXGFFUXGCKVHOGTFFFYJFDUHDFGDFFBBKPKHŸÖXDUZĆÑSTCHÀRĘHÔTPØÑŸSĖXTACOBELLQUEENWHATEVERDAIRYSTUFFILIKETURTLESDONTTOUCHTHATCACTUSSUNTOUCHESCWCTUSYOUREDEADTOMELOLASDFMOVIEGREENGIANTFANCLUBATTACKINGMIDGETGANGSTERS???!?!?!?!!!!" There. Now you don't have to leave any comments saying that. I did it for you. 'welcome. Any comments NOT expressing incoherent surprise-coherent surprise welcome, as long as some sorta' prediction is included-are encouraged. I call to attention my earlier blog post, though. The one first mentioning this story. Now that I have the actual plot to follow, progress should be somewhat quicker, and less...random. Also, about the title...Amour(n):a usually illicit love affair. So eeyup. Drama up in this bitch. SurpriseSurprise. Pure surprise could be the only word to describe the mood that draped over the two mares. And even as Rainbow recoiled both mentally and physically, she wasn't the only one to do so. Pinkie, too, visibly tensed as Dash only managed one word, her features contorted into utter confusion: "What?" Pinkie Pie immediately made a decision, which was almost as fast as she could gobble down a cake whole. She sprung up, and leaped for the door, which was her only means of exit available. As she did so, the pegasus managed a haphazard grab for the party pony, but she fell just short. By now, Pinkie had reached within a few inches, quickly extending her hoof in an attempt to wrench it open as she went. Unfortunately, she tripped. However, 'tripped' would be an understatement. Saying that she stumbled over her rear hooves before smacking her face into the door full force was a lot more accurate. "Ouch..." It was dead silent after Pinkie crashed into the door. The pink mare's face remained firmly planted into the oaken door, as she refused to get up. It was either seconds or years-Dash didn't know which-until the silence was broken by the cyan pegasus. She sighed, looking down. "...Pinkie..." No response. "...call me crazy, but...we need to talk." "No talking." said Pinkie, rising from her unceremonious place on the floor, shaking her head simultaneously. "Pinkie, this isn't something you just blurt out." The pink mare arched an eyebrow, as if saying "really?", before shaking her head even more furiously. "I mean, yes, but...not now. Just..." The earth pony stopped, simply spreading her forehooves wide. A slight cock of the pegasus' head followed, and the pink pony dejectedly stood upon all four hooves again. "Never mind..." she said, before pausing to scratch at her head. Once again, the silence reigned supreme in the room as neither mare wanted to say anything. Pinkie simply stood accepting of whatever was to befall her, but in contrast, the pegasus' mind was racing at miles per minute. First Applejack-admittedly, it was kinda' shared-but now Pinkie? I know I'm irresistible, but for Celestia's sake! It gets a little annoying when someone who you half can't stand falls for you... And what the hay would Pinkie even see in me? She's an entirely random, hyper, seemingly reality-breaking pony who throws parties about as much as I take flight. I mean...seriously? Eventually, Rainbow made a decision. She'd have to get all of the info she wanted from Pinkie Pie herself, because this was strange. Even for Pinkie. Before she could speak, however, the pink pony instead interjected, finally meeting the prismatic pony's eyes with arguably some of the best puppy-dog eyes that there were. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" she asked, with the simplicity of a foal addressing its mother. "This ruined the whole friend thing, didn't it?" "Pinkie Pie. Please, get ahold of yourself." said Dash. "I don't think anything could ever ruin that, first of all. Not if you managed to destroy my house, not if you shaved me bald, not if you even put me in the hospital with two broken legs. Not even if you chained me into a wall and tried to bake me into a cupcake." "But I wouldn't-!" The pegasus managed a light chuckle, though not too heavy-this was delicate ground she tread on, more so than a crumbly cloud, and she knew it herself. Pinkie Pie was one of the most emotionally prone ponies that she knew, considering how when they didn't go to her parties for one day, she broke down and went pretty much crazy. "I don't think anypony would," she reassured the earth pony. "The point is, Pinkie..." As she spoke, the cyan mare had circled around Pinkie, and now lay a hoof around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "...you're my best friend, no matter what." Pinkie Pie said nothing, but instead simply reached up to the hoof, and gently covered it with her own, closing her eyes and taking a few shaky deep breaths. The tears now simply ran silently down her cheeks, instead of being torn free by silent sobs. It seemed more of a defeated stance, but to the rainbow maned flier, it was better than nothing. "And nothing's gonna' change that," she continued. "Not even a...'misunderstanding' like this." It was a few seconds before Rainbow Dash risked another question, the biggest one of all. The caution in her voice was evident, even to the pink pony, as she chose her words as carefully as possible. "...but I have to know...why? I mean, not that it's bad or anything, but...I'd like to know. Y'know, because it's sort of unusual to suddenly have a friend...confess to you." "I-I..." Pinkie turned her head towards the door, keeping her gaze fairly lowered, so as to not arouse suspicion. It was so unnoticeable, that the party pony could have managed to reorient herself and dash through the door in a trail of tears if she wanted to. But instead, she returned her line of sight back to its original position, continuing. "Well, I was having fun at a party like usual with everypony...but then I noticed something." A certain layer of uncertainty entered Pinkie Pie's voice, as she sighed. "I was talking to you-by the way, nice pancake joke-when I just felt something-" "Ahem." The chromatic pegasus gently cleared her throat. "I'm all for a story, but...not now. Can you just cut to the point?" Too late, Rainbow realized that her impatience was a large mistake, as Pinkie tore away from her grasp, letting loose a short yelp. "I just knew it!" she cried, voice wavering with now unrestrained pain. "You don't even care how I feel! I knew it, I just knew it!" Dash absently took a step backwards as the pink pony advanced towards her, her eyebrows lowering over tearful, hurt eyes. "That's exactly why I had my doubts about coming in here at all! Goodbye, Dashie! Have a good night!" With a final stomp, Pinkie quickly turned on her hind legs, before hopping with one large bound towards the door. With skill rivaling a rodeo pony's lassoing prowess, a quick flick of her straightened tail yanked the door open, and without even checking her speed, the pink mare hurriedly galloped away, no longer hiding her wails, which echoed freely down the hallway of which she receded into. Rainbow Dash shook her head, clearing the confusion from her mind. "Pinkie!" she yelled. "I'm sorry! Come back!" A short, almost interminable interval followed as the hoof steps ceased, leaving absolute silence. The pegasus held her breath, hoping that perhaps Pinkie might give it another chance. Her anxious waiting paid off, as hesitant hoofsteps started back towards her. A tearful pink face reappeared in the doorway, tilted to the side. "I...I only want one thing..." said the fuchsia mare. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry..." apologized the rainbow maned pegasus. "I'll listen." "You don't have to if you don't wanna'..." said Pinkie, hesitantly stepping into the room once more. "Really?" The pink pony nodded, and once more spread her forehooves wide. Again, the pegasus drew breath to ask why she was doing that, but then she stopped. A small, weak smile spread across Pinkie Pie's face for the first time in minutes, and immediately, she understood. Without another word, both mares stepped forward, and locked each other in a hug that said possibly more than any words could have. Dash felt the party pony's breathing slowly settle, as her forelegs tightened around her neck. "Dashie..." "Hm?" "I'm glad we're still friends." A small grin broke out across the pegasus' face. "Pinkie-...you know what? We're more than that." "We are?" "Yeah. We're best friends." Another silence followed shortly after. Pinkie eventually broke it. "I just wish..." "Sorry. It's-..." Maybe I shouldn't say that... "It's you, not me"? Come on, that's just hurtful. Nah, just keep silent. You can pry on stuff later. Pinkie Pie stepped back, now fully smiling. The tears upon her cheeks were no longer fresh, and her hair was back to its normal, bouncing, curly self. "I'm sorry for gettin' all over-reacty..." she said, scratching at the back of her neck. "If my friends are happy, then I'm happy...I shouldn't try to change that." "Hey, we all do stuff like that sometimes," said Rainbow. "I guess I should apologize for not being all that open to what you had to say..." "Apology accepted." Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. "I didn't...ah whatever, close enough." "Just 2 things, Dashie." said the party pony. The cyan mare tilted her head, indicating for Pinkie to go on. "How did the entire Apple family sleep through me stompin' and you yelling and stuff?" "That's easy," claimed Dash. "Heavy sleepers run in the family. Heck, look at Granny Smith." Pinkie giggled, a tiny bit of her normal self reappearing in her eyes. Perhaps there would be a little hope for her... "And also, Rainbow..." "What?" "You smell like rainbows. It's funny, because, your name..." Dash smiled, shaking her head. "Pinkie Pie..." she said, finally grinning widely at her friend. Rainbows didn't even have an odor as far as she knew, but the one thing that she knew for sure... "...you are so random." "Well then, ah guess that's it. Ya'll should be free ta' go." Rainbow looked at the farmpony across from her, before looking down at the dirt floor, and kicking at it. The trees seemed to hold their own breath as she turned to the single path behind her which threaded its way towards the horizon. She turned back, raising an eyebrow. "That's it? I just...go?" Applejack shrugged, drawing to attention just about how much she was willing to dwell on the subject. "It's been 5 days, hon. Much as I'd love it if ya' could stay here, y'gotta' go. I did my part, now go. Ya'll got a life ta' live." "But am I-" The earth pony rolled her eyes, before fixating them sardonically on the pegasus' own. "You're good to go, Rainbow. Doctor only said a few days, an' it's been a few." Dash frowned. "Oh. Uh, all right then..." she said, reluctantly turning her back on the orange mare. "Bye, I guess..." It was only when the chromatic pegasus began to lift into the air when Applejack's voice cut through the air. "Now wait jus' a second," she said. Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground, curiously turning to her marefriend. "Ah know I've been spendin' a little time alone..." said the orange earth pony. "Little?" "OK, maybe a lot." admonished Applejack. "But that's beyond the point. Ah got somethin' you may want to see. C'mon, now." Without another word, the stetsoned mare started off towards the path behind the pegasus, but instead cutting a left where the path continued straight. Dash quickly shook out her wings-which had hardly been used recently, save for just a few seconds ago-before taking to the air, coming to a gentle hover near Applejack as she trotted on, a sly smile plastered on her face. "Where we goin'?" asked Rainbow. "Somewhere." "Soooo specific..." The two mares continued along in mutual silence, only the occasional attempt at conversation being made. All attempts ceased, however, when a familiar body of water came into view... "This place?" asked Dash, eyeing the lake with a certain level of contempt. "I've seen it. What's so special?" "Let me answer that with a story," said Applejack. "Oh Celestia..." Rainbow dropped to the ground, slapping her forehead with a hoof. "Oh all right then, be no fun." said the earth pony, rolling her eyes. "If you really wanna get right to it, jus' look at the water." The pegasus complied, squinting to get a clearer view. No longer were the waters of Brokehoof Lake stained a murky dark brown, rather instead they nearly glistened with a certain cleanly nature. "Like what ya'll see?" asked Applejack, stepping into the water with a careful tread. Rainbow shrugged in response. "So what, it's less brown. Do I care?" "Ain't all, hon. C'mon in." The farm pony quickly dove into the water, pressing on into deeper waters, where she treaded, awaiting the pegasus' entry. "Come in? If you say so..." Grinning, Dash leaped across the body of water, landing with a huge splash that left her submersed in the water. As she opened her eyes, letting out a silent chuckle, there quickly came a pair of emerald eyes that met right in front of hers. An orange hoof pointed downwards, towards the bottom of the lake. She obliged, taking note of the lack of features. Nothing was there except for the muddy floor of the body of water. However, the fact that she could see further than a few feet said volumes about just how clouded the water had been before. As she looked back up at the earth pony, she saw her pointing upwards instead, before giving a powerful kick with her hind legs, breaching the surface. The pegasus followed, swiping water out of her eyes as she finally released the breath she'd been holding, taking in great gulps of air of which she desperately needed. "I don't...see anything..." she sputtered. "Agh, think I got waterlogged or something..." "Well 'course you don't!" exclaimed Applejack. "'ain't supposed to!" "...can you tell me why I'm supposed to care?" "Ah spent all this time with a few others cleanin' up the place so that stuff can never happen again." The orange mare explained. "I'd at least expect a little gratitude, y'know." "Right." Rainbow smiled, tilting her head in a manner to almost be described as deviantly sultry. "Does this count?" "Does wha-" Before Applejack even had a chance to voice her curiosity, a cyan hoof pushed her under the water, upon which she quickly pulled herself to the surface, sputtering. "What the hay were ya'll thin-" Once again, the farm-pony was silenced, though by something a lot less abrupt-and just plain rude-than a sudden dunk underwater. Instead, mid-rant, she was not silenced by the actual need to hold her breath, but rather from the thing she least expected treading water in the middle of a lake: a kiss. In hindsight, Rainbow Dash thought it was a pretty well executed plan. Dunk her in the water, she comes up yelling, and while her mouth is as wide as it always is when she's shouting at...whoever, take her by surprise. She soon found it to be a very good 'plan' indeed. Within seconds, the orange mare stopped trying to yell over the pressing of the other pony's lips-that was no easy feat for sure-and finally returned the kiss in earnest. It was a great many seconds, perhaps minutes before Dash broke the kiss, to immediately hear the words, "You know that that doesn't excuse yourself from dunkin' me, right?" "What, you don't like being underwater?" The pegasus raised an eyebrow playfully before continuing. "What if I do it again?" "Maaaayyybee..." replied Applejack, her gaze slowly moving left, right, and back again. "Don't know 'til ya' try, do ya'?" Without warning, the earth pony surged forwards, this time taking it upon herself to initiate the kiss-but this time, her intentions were entirely different than Rainbow's own... A gentle pomf! could be heard by both ponies, and the pegasus' face slowly began to color as she pulled fervently away from the other mare. "H-hey!" she stammered, turning rather futilely towards her back, attempting to push back the now extended feathery appendages while also maintaining her tread. "No fair!" "All's fair in love 'n' war, Rainbow." "Yeah?" The polychromatic pegasus momentarily turned from her rather involuntarily extended wings, and smiled. "I guess that means this is war, then." Applejack smiled back, winking. "Ah guess it is...'sweetie-pie'." War time, indeed, it would become for the two mares. Perhaps not at that very moment, but perhaps later on. But for the moment, it was most certainly 'love' as the two mares came together for another- this time mutual-kiss, their lips meeting with a kind of gentle passion that hadn't been used before at all between the two. And as the two ponies pulled back and looked into the others' eyes, it was so-they were young, and they were in love. With a gentle smile from Rainbow, the two mares instead pulled each other into a hug, still treading with their hind legs. Rainbow Dash heard nine words over the warmth and contact of her marefriend. Nine words spoken quieter, and with less rough accent than usual. Nine words that were, dare she assume...genuinely caring. "You know I love you in the end, Rainbow." Dash couldn't help but to smile, as she swore she felt her heart melting. With a squeeze, she too said a few words, perhaps words very long overdue. But she felt almost lifted to say them, as if she were given a final sense of closure that the first night hadn't given her. "I love you too, Applejack."
StruggleBrokehoof Lake was an area not known to many ponies-if one happened to mention it, the most likely response to its name would be a confused stare. It was only a lowly lake outside of Sweet Apple Acres-who cared what it was, or what it was called, anyways? Of course, each 'uncharted' area has its secret inhabitants, or in the case of one mare, a visitor. The reed-scattered, murky-with-silt waters were perfect for swimming. Especially after a long, hard day at work in the sun, nothing was better than taking a dip in the cool waters of Brokehoof Lake. It was this pony's favorite past-time, but now she was enjoying it with another pony- "I win again, Rainbow! Ya'll owe me 20 bits now!" Rainbow Dash immediately shot back an objection towards her friend-"No, you didn't! I said that you couldn't use the plants for leverage!" The orange mare chuckled. "Really, Dash? All's fair in water and war." The pegasus groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm really starting to regret agreeing to this..." "Ya'll scared of a little water, then?" asked Applejack, sending a quick splash in the direction of her friend. "Come on now, it won't hurt ya'." "Uh, duh." said the pegasus, shaking the water from her mane. "One more race, huh? Winner takes all, double up?" "You're on," agreed the earth pony. "First one across and back wins. Readysetgo!" In a sudden splash, the country pony had already begun her journey across the murky waters, sending up many subsequent ripples as she went. Her trademark ponytail was no obstacle-in fact, if anything, it made it easier to move at the speed that she went at then. Rainbow blinked once before grinning, shooting off across the water. Hoof over hoof, the cyan mare glided through the water, enjoying the cool feeling that it brought over the summer heat. Well, I can see why she likes doing this. But she isn't winning this time! While Rainbow Dash was a strong swimmer, Applejack was a stronger one. The orange mare's hind legs had been heavily been built up through years of apple bucking, and as she now reached the far edge of the pool, the power that they held was more than evident. The laughing pony passed by Dash, calling in between breaths-"Eat-my-bubbles!" Not if I have anything to say about it... thought the pegasus, as she rounded the edge of the body of water, taking a deep breath. This pony's going under, one way or the other. With a quick twist of both torso and trajectory, Rainbow was now underwater, moving with a steady speed soon to be upset. She slowly spread her wings, and began using them to funnel herself through the water. Haha, sucker... thought the cyan pony. She never said no-WOAH! The pegasus whipped around as a sudden jolt stopped her cold, knocking half of the air out of her lungs. A searing pain arose in her left wing, and she attempted to cry out before realizing her mistake-a precious bubble of her air now floated towards the surface, gone. Don't panic, don't panic... the cyan pony told herself, attempting to still her shaking limbs. Just head for the surface. Once again, as she veered upwards towards the surface, another jolt stopped her cold-this time pulling on both wings, and her left hind leg. It was too much to bear-she let out a short, high pitched shriek, wasting yet another bit of air. By now, her lungs were near empty, and her movements grew quicker as she tried both to find what held her, at the same time attempting to break for air. But the force held fast. Rainbow could feel the last vestiges of air in her lungs leaving, causing her chest to burn fiercely. She only managed one snippet of a desperately called name before she was cut off completely-"Appleja-". The cyan mare's plea for help was cut short as she struggled ever the harder, attempting to free herself from her unseen captor, which resulted in the last few bits of air jerking from her lips. But it was no use. As hard as she tried to avoid it, she was now taking huge gulps, trying to get any amount of air into her lungs, but only receiving deluges of liquid. Whether her vision was fading or not, it was hard to tell-the murky, enclosing waters didn't allow much light through. But what Dash did feel, above the pain and the panic, was herself slipping away. Her last thought was to live, and the last sensation that she felt was even more repeated tugging on her wings, but more urgently... Thump. Thump. Thump. What is that sound? Is it a heartbeat? thought the pegasus. Am...am I dead or something? The thumping repeated itself, this time more insistent. A panicked voice cried out from somewhere above her-"Breathe, darnit, breathe!” There was hardly any time to process who the voice could belong to, before the thumping returned yet again-now the source was evident, it was, in fact, on Dash's chest. But the key word was "on"-isn't it rude to be hitting a dead pony? I thought etiquette would show that much... The thumping stopped, as Rainbow lay still. She felt herself drifting, as if in mid air. How could a pony be hitting her if she were in midair? Her thoughts soon ended, though. A frantic, trembling force pried her strangely still lips open, leaving just as quickly as they'd come. The voice rang out once more, strangely echoing-"You ain't leaving me, Rainbow. I won't let ya'!" Soon after, another thing forced itself upon her-it felt like another pony's muzzle, a familiar one. The vague feeling of air filling her lungs was enough to cease her 'drifting', causing her surroundings to become more evident. The ground felt unusually solid beneath Dash's back-even with her limp, unresponsive muscles, she could feel it. Along with the unforgiving ground, there came a shooting pain in both of her wings. She was unable to respond, however, and simply lay wherever she was, wishing she could cringe. The thumping repeated itself, before the supposed muzzle returned to her own, and air once more forced itself into her lungs. This was enough to stir her reflexes, and she coughed suddenly, causing the invader of sorts to withdraw. She coughed again and again, as her muscles suddenly shot her upwards, before being stopped by a heavy weight across her torso. Her eyes remaining shut, the pegasus turned to the side, and continued coughing. Well, I'm not dead, but oh Celestia it HURTS... A gentle splattering of water made itself known as the cyan mare felt herself regurgitate the fluid in her lungs, clearing her airways. Immediately, she took in a deep breath, a second, and a third, gasping in as much oxygen as possible. Her head flopped back down, and her eyes opened into a squint, attempting to make out what was pinning her down. Still taking deep, hurried breaths, Rainbow Dash fought to see through the sudden glare of the sun that now rained down upon her eyes. A vague hue of orange surrounded some sort of shape, but it was not quite evident. The only detail that she could make out was a pair of shimmering, emerald eyes. "Rainbow!" shouted the orange figure. "Ya'll had me worried sick to death, ya' know that? When ya'll didn't come up, I thought it was a trick! But then when you never came up, ah thought you was done for! You gotta' be more careful! I literally had to just save your life right there!" Dash could make no response, except to lay on the hard dirt surface, shuddering with each breath she took in. The orange figure continued rambling, and as her vision sharpened, she recognized it as Applejack. Her trademark ponytail was sopping wet with water, as was with the rest of her body. Ordinarily, Applejack hardly got her mane that wet while swimming, but the conclusion soon came to Rainbow's foggy mind- She...she saved me... "...and just 'cause my granny taught me CPR a while 'go, doesn't mean I hav'ta' use it!" The orange mare's expression softened, as she peered closely at the rainbow maned flier. "Ya'll are OK, right? Besides the..." Her voice trailed off as her gaze darted to the side. "...never mind." "I...I think so..." wheezed Rainbow. "Thanks to you..." "T'aint no problem...it's jus' that I sort of-" The cyan pony waved her hoof in the air, signaling for Applejack to stop. Rainbow Dash took a few gulps of air, preparing to speak. Her breathing had more or less settled, but her nerves were still frayed. "I just wonder...did you ever see what did it? Like...I-" "I haven't the faintest," interrupted Applejack. "Some sort of spiky plant had gotten you all tangled up or something. I don't know what it's called, but I see 'em all the time 'round here. Near the bottom, so I stay away. Just...yeah." "Oh." said the pegasus. She sighed, looking up at the earth pony with unsteady eyes. "Seriously, Applejack," she insisted. "I don't know how to thank you...I mean, I was just drowning, and it hurt a bunch and then...along came you." The orange pony smiled weakly, tossing her mane. "Aw shucks, it was nothin'." "Just one thing..." "Yeah?" "Could you please get off of me?" Applejack chuckled apologetically, obligingly moving off of the cyan mare. "Sorry." Dash groaned, hauling herself upwards. Her head swam from the effort, and she soon found herself back on the ground. "Ugh...dizzy..." she managed. Almost immediately, the southern mare was once more looking at the pegasus with copious amounts of concern. "You sure that you're okay?" she asked. "I mean, if ya' can't even sit up..." One last attempt, and one last groan, and Dash had her answer. "Well, I...don't think so." Strangely, the orange mare sighed. "'tis exactly what I was afraid of..." she muttered. "C'mon, we gotta' get you to a hospital. Like, now." "Hospital?" asked the cyan mare. "Applejack, I'm fine. Just give me a little while to rest, I can handle it." "It ain't whatcha' think, Rainbow..." "What?" Applejack ignored her, turning towards a nearby bush and reciting some familiar words: "Giving away a secret is the best way to lose a friend." "FOR-E-" "Good, Pinkie, you're here." said Applejack as a familiar pink pony popped out of the bush that she had been facing. "No time to explain, get down to the hospital, tell 'em to bring over a stretcher on the double. Brokehoof Lake." Pinkie saluted with a giggle, enthusiastically replying "Will do!", before glancing at the pegasus, and wincing. "Ouchies!" she said. "You gonna' get a band-aid for that?" Band-aid? "What?" "Pinkie." grumbled the orange earth pony. "Now." Pinkie Pie only beamed wider. "Okay!" she chirped. Then she cleared her throat, passing a hoof over her face. It set in serious lines once more as she slowly sank into the bushes, finishing what she'd started. "-veerrrrr..." A short silence followed as Applejack paced nervously in front of the pegasus. "...band-aid?" asked Dash. "What's she-" The freckled mare immediately lunged into Rainbow's face, speaking in a quick, tight voice. "Ya'll don't worry 'bout her, Pinkie's going to be Pinkie. Now just sit tight so we can make sure that you're OK, and try not to sit up or look back or nothin'. Got it?" "Look back?" echoed Rainbow Dash, beginning to turn her head to the side. As her gaze froze, the hurried-and rather forceful-warning cry from Applejack hardly registered. Her rose hued eyes had alighted rather quickly on her wings, where they froze,and shrank. Though her wings seemed to be extended properly, as they would be on her back, it was what was actually on them that made her heart skip a beat. Across both wings, were a score of deep red scratches, which had seemingly even scraped off some of her feathers. A scarlet, deeper red liquid ran in thick rivulets along the path of gravity, clinging to everything that it could. Blood. Lots of it. Like, just... "Rainbow, quit shakin'! You're gonna be fine-...I hope." Dash's shell-shock only worsened as Applejack tacked on the last two words. "You h-hope?" she stuttered, whipping her head towards the country pony. "I...I mean, I can't even...there's just...nothing. I...I'm scared, Applejack. I can't even feel my wings. They're just...there." The orange mare sighed, finally managing to seat herself on the ground, though her tail still swished, agitated. "That's what I was 'fraid of..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I had to save ya'll, and to do that, I had to tug as hard as I could. You did come out, but not without quite a bit of effort. And that's what got me. I had to choose between either doing what I did, or running the risk of going slower, and losing you. I can't lose ya', Rainbow, all right? Not by my own two hooves, not on my life." The earth pony froze, absently covering her mouth with a hoof. "Ah...kinda' yelled near the end, didn't I?" Rainbow managed a shaky nod. "Sorry 'bout that..." apologized Applejack. "It's jus' that...well, I've been having these problems lately, and...oh who the hay cares, look at you." amended the orange earth pony. "Just hang on. Them doctors should be here soon." As she finally met the pegasus' gaze, Applejack's voice was far from anything that even resembled 'composed'. Her eyes shone with regret and empathy as she spoke seven words to her friend. "You're going to be okay. I promise." "I don't e-" Ignoring Rainbow Dash's worried musings, the earth pony shifted around until she was next to the rainbow maned flier. With one movement, her head came to rest on the cyan mare's chest, as she reassuringly snuggled into the small crook on the side of Rainbow's body. Interestingly enough, the pegasus began taking deep-though shallow-breaths, as the warmth of the earth pony provided a certain sense of security, making it just a little bit easier for her to relax. Even with all of the worries, the fears, and the frights that the polychromatic mare had, she might have found it hard to believe that her eyes closed right around then. But close her eyes, she did. With the gentle presence of a kindred soul next to her, it was enough. Rainbow Dash did not fall asleep, per-say. What she did do, was drift into a rather subcutaneous state, not unlike the way some trauma victims suddenly 'zoned out' from their situation, as if to shut out the world. Time became seemingly nonexistent, along with her general sense of direction and attention span. The last worldly things brought to her attention were the sudden absence of Applejack, as if she'd suddenly stood up. The other was a gentle touch on her forehead, which left a pleasant sensation behind. It seemed oddly similar to a bird landing gently on her head, until a voice spoke out. "I shoulda' been more forward with ya' Rainbow..." it said, tinged with a gentle southern accent. "And 'cause I didn't, now I've gone and let somethin' bad happen to ya'. But just know, that either way, whether I still hate myself or not, that -oh, good. They're here." Hoovesteps echoed around her, or so she thought-were they really echoing? Were there even hoovesteps at all? Who did the steps belong to? And what had come in contact with her? A leaf? Perhaps a feather? It was rather light to the touch... "You're gonna' be OK, Dash." repeated the voice. The rainbow maned flier could feel herself lifted up by an exterior force, and that was enough to force her eyes open. It wasn't quite enough to clear her foggy mind, though-she was still lingering on what that touch might have been. The words still had no effect on her. Her sight, however, worked well enough. Staring back at her was a rather nervous sort of mare-her emerald eyes sparkled with determined vigor, but everything else seemed to scream 'reluctance'. A weak grin spread across Applejack's face, as she took hold of her friend's hoof, and nodded. "I promise." Author's Note(A/N): "LIKE OH MAH GAWD, DAT CLIFFHANGER IS SO UNSATISFYING." It made you want to see what happens next, right? Plus, uh, the next chapter is right there. I wouldn't fear too much for Rainbow. This is only the hook. Anyways, from here on, my chapter format will be largely scattered. You'll see what I mean. Or not. Meh, who cares.
SuddenRainbow Dash groaned as she more or less became aware of her surroundings. If there were any. As she took note that her eyes were closed, and hence she couldn't see anything, she smirked. Duh. That was when two voices asserted themselves. The pegasus froze, attempting to make out what they were saying. Though the words bounced erratically around in her head, and were nearly impossible to discern, she could hear a few faint words shot back and forth. "Five days? Five whole days?" "I'm afraid it's a little more than a simple cut or two. Rainbow Dash did suffer some rather severe blood loss, and a slight stutter to her respiratory efficiency, and a mild case of thorough exhaustion. As such, she'll have to either stay here to recover, or..." "Or what?" "...or one of her friends or relatives can take her in, provided that they allow her plenty of water, rest, and-" One of them chimed in, with a tone of complete certainty. "I'll take it." The other voice had a questioning, almost astounded ring to it. "Are you sure? Caring for a nearly completely incapacitated pony is a great difficulty. Do you even know if they-" "First of all, I." corrected the voice. "Second, if ya'll think I can't handle this, do ya' really think I'd be offerin'?" "Well, many ponies think they can. In reality, it ends up too much for them to handle, and...they end up back here." said the first voice. It had a rich, deep accent, quietly polished with the tones of a northern origin. "Ah don't care!" cried the other voice. It had a rather distinct southern tone, and perhaps it was the speaker's intention, but it cut clearly throughout the air, despite her rapidly dwindling grasp on consciousness. "Do ya'll even know what I'd do for this pony? Why I do it? How I feel?" The last words that Rainbow heard faded away before a clear statement could finish itself. "I do this because she's more than a friend! Rainbow Dash is..." -- "Is she waking up?" "I dunno'! I mean, she looks all tired and stuff, so it could be a while." Slowly, the pegasus attempted to force her eyes open. Despite her attempts, it took quite a bit of flickering before they finally came open. The five blurry figures around her immediately hushed, and an excited voice spoke up. "Ooh, she is, she is!" Dash squinted, trying to sharpen her vision. Her vision was swimming, and it was almost impossible to make heads or tails of anything. This is worse than the time I whacked my head into a really big cumulonimbus cloud... "Be quiet, ya'll," commanded a stern voice. "Let the mare get herself aware and what not." Still attempting to pierce the haze that covered her vision, the cyan mare spoke. "I-...ugh...where am I?" A tap on her shoulder quickly drew her attention, as the strong, commanding voice spoke out again. "I think ah can answer that one. Welcome to the Apple Residence, where there's a two cider minimum, good health permittin' of course." Rainbow Dash blinked, managing a weak shake of the head. An orange splotch made its way into her sight, followed by everything else around her. In front of her stood a smiling orange mare, with a yellow, braided mane, and a stetsoned head to top it all off. Next to her stood a gently bouncing pink earth pony, who beamed at her as she noticed the pegasus' gaze. Standing quietly and acceptingly off to the side was a yellow pegasus, who hid behind her bubble gum pink mane while gazing with concern at the cyan mare. Her eyes seemed to be stained with a few tears. A white unicorn stood next to the yellow mare, gently cradling her with a lone hoof-it appeared that she was unaware of Rainbow's awakening. And lastly, a lavender unicorn mare stood on the other side of her, occasionally stealing glances at the orange mare on the other side of her. It was only then that she noticed her actual surroundings-she was in a wide rustic-orientated bed, possibly big enough for two ponies, propped up by two pillows instead of one. A softly colored orange and brown blanket was spread over her, sheltering her from whatever cold gusts might exist in the room. She noted that it was a very soft thing, as if hand- knitted with extra care. The supposedly wooden walls were colored, of all colors, with a deep green that almost made the pegasus feel like she was sleeping in a tree. "...Applejack?" she asked, trying to corral all the questions she had into something coherent. "Did you...I mean, how did I..." Taking a hint, Applejack launched into an explanation. "Y'see," she began. "You were more or less cleared to go, even though the doctor said you lost a lot of...um...well, blood." An almost unanimous wince rippled across the room, before the orange earth pony continued. "But he said as long as someone could take ya', you could go. So I went for it, but I tell ya', I was worried." "Didn't you say something about that argument in the waiting room, like, you told me that you-" The sudden outburst of a certain pink mare was quickly silenced by a quick whack to the chest by the country pony. "Not now, Pinkie..." grumbled Applejack, putting a noticeable staccato on each word. "You'll. Blow. It." The pink mare cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. "Really? I was talkin' about Cider Season, but all right! Hey, Rainbow! Did you also know that-" Instead of the orange earth pony interrupting the rambling mare, it was Twilight Sparkle that now cut in. "Pinkie," she began. "You really shouldn't tell her that. She's obviously still a little shell-shocked, and something that big won't help much." "Oh..." "Uh, girls..." said Rainbow, frowning. "I'm still here. And...can anypony tell me what this big old secret thing is?" Almost in perfect unison, all the ponies in the room turned to Applejack. Even Fluttershy raised her head hesitantly. The orange mare stared back, taking a reluctant step back. "...can ah finish my little explanation first?" she asked quietly, a slight tinge coming to her cheeks. "But of course, darling!" said Rarity. "But you know, if you keep these things bottled up, it does horrible things with your emotions!" The white unicorn sighed, glancing towards the ground. "Of course, I'd know that result...these things always stay unrequited if you keep them secret." Applejack cleared her throat. "Ahem, riiiggghhhttt..." Rolling her eyes, the farm pony continued. "Anyways, when I got ya'll back here, you were tossin' something fierce. You looked like you was fighting some sort of invisible ghost pony or somethin'." Twilight raised a hoof, and the orange mare glanced quizzically at her. "Yes, Twi'...?" "Are you entirely sure that you can handle this?" asked the lavender mare. "Taking care of a-" "Twilight, you sound just like that doctor, so I'll ask that ya' stop right there." said Applejack. "I can full well handle it-when ah make a promise, ah keep that promise." At this, Pinkie Pie glared. "Are you suuuurrreee?" she asked, layering her voice with obvious contempt. "I'm sure, Pinkie," assured the stetsoned mare, giving a nod towards Dash. "If I promise that my friend's gonna' be okay, she's gonna' be okay." Fluttershy took advantage of the silence that settled briefly over the room. She stepped forward, looking over the other pegasus with concern. "Are you...all right now?" she asked, with a noticeable quavering in her voice. Rainbow wanted to say that she didn't know, seeing as she truly didn't. Lying down, sure, she felt more or less fine. But standing? Sitting up? Let alone anything like flying? But the way that the timid mare's gaze wavered, the way that her upper lip trembled, and even the way that a few tear stains remained on her cheeks made the pegasus sigh, and change her mind. "Yes, Fluttershy." she said, managing a fake smile. "I'm good enough right now." "Now then," continued the orange earth pony. "Since we've all made sure that Rainbow here's all right, how 'bout we can get ourselves a little time alone?" Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Applejack, are you really going to-" "Relax, Twi'," interrupted Applejack. "It's jus' that if ah caused this while mess, I should say somethin', and...well, ya'll are kinda' making me nervous here. You keep slippin' this way and that, and one more slip and poor Dash there ain't even got a chance to react correctly." The other mares nodded-they were well aware of the possibilities of saying a few wrong words around a stricken pony. "Come on, girls." instructed Twilight, starting off for the door, allowing the others to follow. "Let's do as she says-I'm sure Rainbow needs her rest anyways." As soon as the soft click shot through the air, the orange mare turned back to the cyan pegasus, her expression solidifying. "Tell me, Rainbow." began Applejack, taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash on the bed. "What would ya'll describe flyin' to be?" Rainbow frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? I thought we were-" "Jus' tell me. Ah'm a little curious. Plus it'll give you a li'l something else to focus on, other than...y'know..." The pegasus took it into thought with a gentle 'Hmmm'. "Well, there's kind of three ways I can describe it, because like...well, one's real, and the other two are just kinda'...I dunno', just sort of made up." "Tell ya' what," said the orange mare, reclining back opposite to the pegasus, resting her back on the bedpost. "How 'bout ya'll humor me, and try to 'splain them all." Huh? "Well, I still don't get why, but all right." said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. "The first one's the real one-you're actually flying. Like, the wind's in your mane, your heart gets faster, and speed is the thing. That's like the second best type." The orange mare arched an eyebrow at the young flier. "Second?" she asked, her tone taking on a strange, hopeful tone. "What would the first one be, then?" Aw jeez... thought the pegasus. I gotta' stall here, she knows what I'm talking about... "I'll get to that," she said. "Next up is the first 'fake one', or 'one that I'm not even completely sure of'." The earth pony nodded, motioning for her to go on. "You know that feeling you get when you're fighting for something, like, victory in that big race, or trying to reach that cider goal?" Again, Applejack nodded wordlessly. It made the cyan mare unusually uneasy about continuation, but nonetheless, she went on. "That's the second one," she explained. "It isn't actual flight, but it's right behind it. The way it also gets you pumped up and ready for action...you know that, right?" The stetsoned mare chuckled. "Sure do," she said. "This is a lot better than just sittin' around doin' nothin', huh?" "Yeah." A silence fell over the room, and Rainbow began to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia, I can at least wai- "So tell me, Dash," said Applejack, as if intentionally interrupting the pegasus' respite. She took off her brown hat, and began tossing it back and forth in such an easy manner, that Rainbow Dash could have sworn she'd been possessed by the ghost of coolness. If that sort of thing existed. "What exactly would the best form of flight be?" asked the orange mare, finally flipping the hat onto the bed next to her. "Ah'd love to hear it." "Oh, uh..." Dash looked around the room, trying to avoid the earth pony's gaze. "It isn't much. Kind of a pegasus thing." Yet again, Applejack raised an eyebrow-come on, quit doing that!-but this time accompanying it with a gentle smile. "More than actual flyin'?" The cyan pegasus growled a low growl. Caught the bull by the horns, eh...? she thought. All right. Let's dance, Applejack. "Oh whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Fine." "Ah knew ya'd come around." "You ever been around that one pony?" asked Dash. "The one whose name makes you quiver in your hooves in nervousness?" "You bet yourself two hundred bits ah have," said the earth pony. "You know, the one whose name you whisper to keep your head up on a cloudy day...the one who brings the sun to any day you have...the one who you even dream of just being able to simply be with, and each moment is a huge gift?" By now, it seemed less and less like Rainbow Dash was talking about flight, but the orange mare nodded, with a soft "Eeeyup." "The one whose mane catches your eye from afar, as does her wonderful figure, and sparkling eyes?" Applejack chuckled. "Well now, who knew ya'll were a li'l bit 'poetic'?" "Ah, shut up." spoke the cyan mare. "Trying to make a point here...though all the time spent near Twilight doesn't really help..." "My lips are sealed." promised the farm pony, making a quick 'zipper-across-the-lips' gesture. The rainbow maned pegasus swallowed- unusually nervously, it might be said-before continuing. "The pony who would do anything for his- or her, I don't judge-sister or brother, and who also isn't afraid of a little competition?" A consenting, ever silent nod came from Applejack as the cyan pegasus went on. "Have you...ever been...in love?" "Sure have," replied the orange pony. "And I know what ya'll are talking about." "No, Applejack, you...don't." insisted the polychromatic pegasus pony. "I've felt that way before. She was a nice mare, and pretty much all of the stuff that I just said. But...what if I told you that she's somepony that you know?" By now, the pegasus had the orange mare's attention. Applejack crept forward, until she was next to the pegasus once more. "Do say more..." she said, looking with curiosity towards the blue pony. "Well, she's a pony that I know pretty well, too," explained Rainbow. "She's 'bout as tall as me, 'bout as awesome, but those eyes...hay, I could get lost in those things. But the thing is, she..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "...I have a feeling that she knows. It's just like she says nothing, just so it isn't awkward." The orange mare let out a thoughtful 'hmmmm...' as she rested her chin on a hoof in thought. Eventually, she sat up. "I think I know what ya'll are tryin' to get at..." she said, a sly smile spreading across her face. "This ain't about flyin' no more, is it?" The pegasus' face set in serious lines as she clapped slowly. "Bravo, Applejack. You cracked the case. You're a master of investigation." "Aw, hush up, now," said the blonde-maned pony. "Let me see if ah can help-ya'll seem to be awfully on the fence 'bout this friend of yours." "Yeah, sure, let's put it that way." Applejack cleared her throat. "So tell me, sugarcube. How long ya'll been feelin' that way?" The pegsasus shrugged. "Dunno'. Few months? A year? Hard to tell." "Ah see." The earth pony shifted around slightly in response to this statement. "So you say that this pony's willin' to do anything for her family, and most likely, her friends. The question is, what would ya'll do for her?" At this, Rainbow scoffed. "Pretty much everything," she said. "Fly 'round all of Equestria, or just simply get her a cup of coffee-whatever she wants, I suppose." The farm pony made no response, except to nod. She replaced the stetson back on its resting place, tilting it forward so that her eyes were obscured. With a slow-and strangely funny-dramatic movement, she gently tipped the brim up, and spoke. "Would this here pony be called 'Applejack?'" Immediately, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. "Uh, w-what are you talking about? You know that this is a different pony, right? I mean, come on! You're kidding, right?" The earth pony only smiled back at her friend. "I know this one nice mare, too." she said, gently brushing aside the reaction that the cyan pegasus had hurriedly thrown out. "Thing is, she has a few issues of sayin' stuff when the opportunity presents itself ta' her. Y'know what her name is?" Glad for the supposed change in subject, the pegasus shrugged. "I 'unno'." Applejack's grin budged only the tiniest margin as she rose, creeping with a careful gait until she was directly above Rainbow. The cyan mare shrunk back as much as was possible, drawing deeper into the pillows that propped her head up at a suitable angle. Despite her efforts, the orange farm-pony's gaze approached hers, and she found her own words echoing in her head soon enough. 'Those eyes...hay, I could get lost in those things.' The crispness of the orange earth pony's breath slowly registered in her brain as those emerald eyes that sparkled so valiantly finally came to a halt. "Some call her 'the best flier in Equestria'..." With each second, Dash could feel her heart rate picking up-despite this being pretty much what she wanted, the possibility that it was a dream was too much not to simply freak out silently, as she did now. "Some call her a downright trustworthy weathermare...but ya'll know what I call her?" Applejack's voice had slowly dropped in both tone and volume as she crept closer and closer to the last words, as if relishing the suspense that she was creating. Without waiting for a response, the blonde maned pony leaned close enough to virtually be touching noses with the polychromatic pegasus-only millimeters separated them now. "Ah just call her 'Rainbow Dash'." ... ... A/N:BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... *breath* ...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I got you going SO FUCKING GOOD. HA! You're on the edge of your seat now, aren't you? My original intentions were to end the story progress after Chapter 1, releasing 2 a while later. But instead? I give you two, but give you the worst cliffhanger ever. How does Rainbow react? Will our pthalocyanine pegasus emerge perfectly pristine from this particular predicament? Will Pinkie choose the worst time to bust in? Will a flying spaghetti pony mess up Ponyville? Find out next chapter!
Sudden (Pt. 2)A/N:confound this headcold! It drives me to suck at writing! Regardless, just read this. Chapter 4 is about 1/5 done. Go on, scroll down! "Woah. Woah, woah, woah. How about you back that train back about 200 billion miles, and give me a chance to clean out my ears. Because I don't know if what I'm hearing is correct." Almost as quickly as the moment had came, it subsided. The orange earth pony frowned, obligingly stepping back from the pegasus. "Oh..." Her voice was low and short, as if choking back something else. "All right then. Ah...'spose I should've expected somethin' like this." Rainbow sighed as she watched the dejected farm pony slink backwards, until she came to rest once more against the bedpost. Applejack's head dropped onto her hooves, and the brim of her hat once more obscured her eyes. "Applejack, I didn't-" "Ah'm sorry if I caused ya'll any discomfort, but ya'll don't have to rub it in." The orange mare's gaze didn't even bother to rise as she spoke, instead remaining cast downwards. The only indication of any sort of emotion was her voice, which was remarkably steady. A small grin managed to creep onto Rainbow Dash's face as she had a plan. A great one. Possibly the best one ever. "I'm not rubbing it in, AJ," retorted the cyan mare. "I'm just saying...something like that is about as likely as...well, birds flying north for the summer. It just doesn't make sense." "Ah know, and I shoulda' understood that." agreed Applejack. "Jus'..." she sighed, finally raising her gaze for Rainbow to see. It was everything that her voice didn't suggest-tears sprang in small rivulets down her face, pooling gently near the bottom portion of her muzzle before gently plipping onto the bedsheets. Her mouth was heavyset in an intense frown. "I...guess I should be on my way..." continued the orange mare, dropping her gaze once more. "Again, I'm just sorry, and...if ya' need anything, just holler. I'll still be glad to get it fer' you." "Just...one thing, Applejack." said the pegasus. The blonde maned pony's gaze rose, and she cocked her head half-heartedly. "Yeah, sugarcube?" Dash smiled reassuringly, scooting forwards and sitting up almost simultaneously. She found that sitting up, while it required a decent amount of effort to initiate, it was actually pretty easy to maintain. She raised a hoof to the orange mare's eyes, gently wiping away the tears that Applejack had seemed to given up withholding. She gazed into the sparkling emerald eyes that brimmed with reluctant acceptance, and spoke. "Applejack. You do know birds do fly north for the summer?" Confusion flittered across the earth pony's face as all signs pointed to 'huh?'. "Come on now, south for the winter..." encouraged Rainbow. "...and north for the..." Applejack's voice trailed off as the realization finally came to her, with a widening of the eyes. "...summer..." Grinning wider than a loon, Rainbow Dash nodded. "Took you long enough." The orange mare's face seemed largely ambiguous as she struggled to get out the right words. "You little backstabbin'...twisted...unfailingly annoying...little..." Eventually, Applejack threw up her hooves. "Ya' know what? I think ah give up here. I'm torn between both kissin' ya' and killin' ya'." "How 'bout we just go for that first one?" The earth pony smiled. "Well, all right. But only 'cause I still owe ya'll somethin'." Closer and closer the two mares got, as Rainbow could feel the gentle tickling of her friend's breath against her muzzle. It was only when the soft touch of a pair of lips met hers that there came an unusually singsong voice from the doorway. "...Dashie and Applejack, sittin' in a tree room! K-I-S-S-I~-" "PIN-KIE!" roared the two ponies in almost perfect unison. The pink pony giggled. "Ooh, nice! I was gonna' finish with 'N-G', but you did it with my name! That's super duper fantastic! But you were just a liiiitle too low and late. Next time, maybe!" As she noticed the bouncing pony expectantly watching her and Applejack, Rainbow immediately dropped her intense stare, as if it could hide the sudden burning in her cheeks. "Uh, Pinkie. This isn't what it-" "She knows, Rainbow." interrupted the orange mare. "All of the girls know." ...was this some sort of thing that went on for whole years? "What?" asked Dash. "When did this happen?" The farm pony shrugged. "This mornin'. When they all came on over to check on ya', I accidentally let it slip to 'em. They only knew 'bout me that far, but...ah guess Pinkie knows both sides to it now." "Yep! And d'you know what this calls for?" Don't say it, don't say it, for the love of Celestia- The pink pony's eyes twinkled as she reared up on her hind legs, tracing the lining of an invisible banner as she excitedly shouted, "A SUPER-DUPER-FUNTABULOUS 'EVERYTHING WENT WELL AND STUFF AND MAYBE A LITTLE BETTER OR PERHAPS IT WAS PLANNED I DUNNO' PARTY!" Pinkie Pie quickly took on a thinking expression. "Hmm...how much space do I need for that...maybe if I write super duper small...hmm..." "Pinkie. A party won't be needed." said Applejack, gesturing to Dash, of whom had retired to her resting place among the two pillows. Already, her eyes were closed, as if she were intent on simply ignoring the party pony. "Rainbow's tired 'nough, and I'm sure a party won't do much ta' help her." "Maybe when she's better?" asked Pinkie, her expression softening in the hopes that she would get to throw a party no matter the case. The orange pony looked carefully at the cyan mare-her chest already slowly rose and fell in a steady rhythm, seemingly completely relaxed. A peaceful grin half hung on her face, as the wonders of dreamland enticed her to a state of ecstasy. "...we'll see, Pinkie." said Applejack, not even bothering to look at Pinkie Pie. There was something about the incredibly...at peace way that the pegasus lied in that made her smile. As far as she'd seen, she wasn't even that comfortable on a cloud. "Little critter musta' been tuckered out a whole load..." the farmpony muttered. "Oh. OK!" chirped Pinkie, beaming widely once more. "Well, I gotta' go plan for it now, anyways! See you later, AJ!" "Bye, Pinkie," replied the orange earth pony, listening to the sound of hoof steps and then the quick slamming of a door. That pony needs ta' learn how to close a door quietly... thought the blonde maned pony, snorting as she did so. She opens 'em softly enough. A sudden shifting and mumbling from the young flier brought Applejack out of her thoughts. "Oh, Suns...you're so...funny..." The emerald eyed mare smiled slightly at her friend. "Talks in her sleep too, eh?" she asked, more or less to the abiotic entirety of the room. "Interestin' to know..." Grunting, the orange mare quickly rose and hopped off the bed, taking scrupulous care not to disturb the soundly sleeping pony who occupied it. She turned to go, but her hooves seemed unwilling to do such a thing. It felt strange, really. It was as if some otherworldly force had told her to stay in the room. On an impulse, the farm pony turned her head towards a small three-handed clock near the corner. 9:46, it read. Applejack groaned inwardly, slapping at her forehead. Duh, 'course it's that late. Ya'll been up all day waitin' for her to wake up, and it did take a little while. Frowning, the mare plopped herself onto her haunches, and absentmindedly scratched her head. What to do 'bout sleepin'...Rainbow has my bed, Mac takes up literally all of his, Granny don't need nopony else with her, since Applebloom's likely there... Only one choice, then. The sturdily built orange mare arose, rather largely stretching out her leg muscles, and letting out a yawn that was sure to have woken the heavens, or at least from her perspective. She walked over to the opposite side of the soft mattress, climbed in, hiked up the sheets, and closed her eyes to prepare for the next day. Almost as quickly, her eyes flickered open again. Something didn't feel right, something that told her that she was missing something. But what? As the cyan pegasus stirred once more, Applejack had her answer. She rolled to her side, before bringing herself into a half-sitting position. It was high enough for her to see Rainbow Dash's expression, which had faded into an absently unpleasant frown. The way she twitched ever so slightly while supposedly sleep-racing, however, brought a smile to the earth pony's face. Applejack leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on the rainbow maned pony's forehead. "G'night, Dashie. Love ya',"she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. Without waiting for a response-why would she, anyways? Rainbow was asleep-she rolled back over, hanging tightly onto the covers and letting her head drop onto the single pillow that remained on the other side. Sighing, she reached up, dislodging the stetson from her head, and tossing it skillfully to the foot of the bed. It was only when her connection to the conscious world began to fade that Applejack became aware of a gentle whisper floating back to her. They soothed her mind, bringing a semblance of relaxation to what used to be a turmoilistic cesspool of thoughts, along with bringing a gentle warmth to her body that any blanket could not provide. The earth pony did register that she actually felt the warmth-the cyan mare must have turned over and came to rest against her own self, as it must also have been her who was whispering. "Night, AJ. Love ya' too." A/N:This originally was not a whole chapter. But as I said, my format is largely scattered from henceforth. Meaning chapters will likely be either short-1500 or so words-or long-3000+.I have a lot more for next one, so stay tuned! Watch out for remnants of Sad...and also remnants of an actual, meaningful plot! *badumtss* ...this early update is only because I felt guilty for laughing at you guys. But,as consequence, all you get is a 'yoink!' and a 'd'awwww...' moment.
Ailments and AmouringA/N:Oh my god. 101 favorites? That's over the 100 mark! And you guys just beat my old story's record. For that, I give you this early, before Chapter 5 is done. Since I got 100 buckin' people waiting. (...but, that leaves you with another cliffhanger. I wanted to finish Chapter 5, so...yeah. I guess you guys can say that you deserved it. :trollface:) "Nngh...ugh...go away, sun. I'm...tryin' to sleep..." Rainbow Dash frowned, batting absently at the errant sunbeam of which landed directly over her eyes. Of course, it was not a tangible force, and continued relentlessly pouring onto her tightly closed eyes. Her rose eyes drifted slowly open, remaining in a squinting position as she adjusted to the sudden deluge of brightness. Urgh, this is exactly why I always sleep with my back to the sun... After lying for a few rather unpleasant moments in the sun, Dash attempted to sit up. Her efforts were met by utter failure-the soft fluff of the mattress called to her quickly, as her back and leg muscles quivered in their effort to hoist herself from the sheets. Sighing, she flopped back onto the pillow. Already, her head had begun to pound heavily, eliciting a slight moaning from the pegasus. Sheesh, headaches day after day, huh... The headache soon proved to be the least of her worries, however. As her cognitive senses awoke along with her finer mental faculties, she was aware of a slight sheen of sweat that covered her entire body, along with a rather persistent dull aching. It puzzled her, but as she grasped awkwardly at her head, the apparent heat of the air around her became largely apparent. "Nngh..." she said, repeating the vaguely drowsy sound she had made only minutes ago. The sudden coarseness of her voice didn't help much as she continued. "Applejack. Y'there?" No response from either next to her, or even from the door. The cyan mare frowned. "Applejack." she insisted, raising her voice slightly. "Hello?" The door did, in fact, find itself being swung open a few seconds later. The face peeking in, however, was not the expected one. It was a small, yellow face, with curiously sparkling gamboge eyes. "She ain't in here at th' moment," said Apple Bloom. "Want me t' get her for ya'? Anythin' ya need? 'cause Applejack said that while she's out buckin' trees, if ya' need anything that ah can get, ah should get it, so..." Rainbow thought it over as much as her foggy mind could. If Applejack was busy, should she really intrude like that? Then again, she did say... She drew breath to reply. "I...think you should go get her. It could be...kind of big." The filly nodded, and with a quick hop, she sprang away from the door, calling for her sister all the while. The cerulean mare sighed, leaning back into the bed. Her eyes closed moments later-it seemed there was an unusual strain on even keeping them open. Not to mention the way that her stomach seemed to quarrel with self-deprecating intentions, it was rather unpleasant all in all. "Rainbow? Ya'll right?" The worried voice shook the pegasus out of her stupor, and she pulled her eyes open. Applejack stood in the doorway, brow drawn low over her gaze. Though she was slightly out of breath, likely from the exertion of bucking thick, tonne-weighted trees, it didn't seem to be any difference in changing her demeanor. "I can't say for sure..." said Dash. "I'm not feelin' too hot, that's for sure." The earth pony wordlessly trotted over to the rainbow maned flier, carefully looking her over. Eventually, she placed a hoof against the pegasus' forehead, before withdrawing it. "Well, ain't it no wonder..." she said. "I'm not a doctor, but ah'm pretty sure ya' got a fever or something of the sorts. Ya'll are burning up." Great. "Ain't much I can do fer' that," continued Applejack. "I never was one who knew much 'bout treatin' ponies, but..." she shrugged. "I'll do what ah can. Hang tight for a sec'." With that, the orange mare quickly withdrew from the room, with an urgency rivaled only by a distressed mother attempting to save one of her foals from an untimely fate. As such, Dash only had to wait for an estimated half-minute before Applejack re-entered the room, though Rainbow only knew so because of the gentle clip-clop of hoof steps. Once again, she had succumbed to the temptation of resting her eyes, as they seemed to be heavier than a bloated storm cloud. The cyan mare felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Sit up for a second please," said a voice, decidedly Applejack's. Rainbow obliged, managing to prop herself up from the lower back and up with the aid of her feathery head cushions. "Ya'll need to drink some water." The next few minutes were quite a haze to Rainbow Dash. She did, in fact, offer the proffered glass, drinking rather eagerly-she was more parched than she thought she was. Apple Bloom had re-entered shortly after she had finally managed to rest her head back upon the pillow, allowing her eyelids to sink down, cutting out her vision. After a quick "thank ya' kindly", the orange mare had draped a cool, dampened cloth across her forehead. Though it did little to soothe the head pains, it did somewhat reduce the uncomfortable stuffiness that'd presided previously. For minutes after, the country pony remained, talking about things that she couldn't remember if she tried-something about trees, something about Twilight, and even about the pegasus herself. It was a mystery as to when the stetsoned mare had left, but she remembered how she'd went. Applejack had given a quick nuzzle to the half-responsive flier, before quickly arising, speaking few words. "Gotta' get back to work. Hope ya'll feel better." And then, as soon as the click-clack of a walking pony reached the door, they stopped. "I, uh..." The other mare had hesitated there, a slight shuffling sound catching the cyan mare's ears. Though she felt only a smidgen better, her senses had quickly returned, and now she could make out the low keyed mumbling that the orange mare continued with. "I, uh.." she had echoed. "Ah wanted to...talk, but...I 'spose it could wait...plus, ah...ah need some time alone. Just...don't wait up." And then she was gone, in a hail storm of hoof steps. Almost as quickly, Dash succumbed to the gentle calling of darkness, leaving her with a single thought: What the buck is going on? "Dashie...Dashie..." Rainbow frowned, shifting around under the bedsheets that wrapped around her. Hopefully, with this minor action, the phantom voice would disappear. "D-Dashie...please, w-wake up..." Once more, Rainbow Dash moved around, pawing at the air, annoyed. Go away. I need my sleep about as much as you're annoying... Instead of a voice, a rather abrupt sniffling came from her left. A great silence followed, punctuated only by the choking off of apparent sadness. "J-just for a second...please..." pleaded the rather bothersome voice, shattering what had been a rather enjoyable silence. "If you say one more word...I swear to Celestia, I'll-" "Shhh!" interjected the voice, albeit rather unsteadily. "Be quiet! You gotta' me-promise that you'll stay silent, all right? Nopony knows I'm here!" Me-promise? Either they meant 'promise me', or...no way. Could it be... "Pinkie Pie?" A half-hearted giggle now emanated from beside her. "Nice guess, Dashie! No eye cheatin' for you, huh?" The pegasus turned to face the pink mare, managing to pull her eyes open as she did so. And frowned even deeper, if it were possible. Sure enough, in the dim moonlight-I slept all day, didn't I?-there stood Pinkie, the party pony who presided precariously pompously in her partying pride over pretty little Ponyville. But she was different. Instead of her incredibly bouncy, almost rubber-like quality hair which bounced around to no end, there hung a straight mane. Devoid of any fun, or flavor. Gone was the ear-stretching quality of the earth pony's smiles. She wore one now, but it seemed incredibly forced. And was it her, or was there a soft glinting upon her cheek that twinkled gently in the shafts of moonlight? "Do you have a second or two...?" asked Pinkie, her seemingly fake smile slowly waning. Unconsciously, the pegasus nodded, all attempts to make a witty comment forgotten. The pink pony chuckled. "Of course you do..." she muttered. "I...just have a question for you." "Was it really worth waking me up at...Celestia knows when?" asked Rainbow Dash, a hint of malice re-entering her voice. Ignoring the biting remark, Pinkie Pie continued. "I...is it true? Do you really..." "...do I really...?" "I mean, I..." Pinkie trailed off, evidently fumbling for words. "...would you ever leave me, Rainbow?" "Pinkie?" Dash pulled herself up, noting that the fever must have been broken, since the effort required was now minuscule rather than major. "Are you all right? What would make you ask something like that? Of course I wouldn't! You're my best frie-" "Yes, I know, best friend..." interrupted Pinkie, sighing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was definitely keeping her down. And such action was pretty difficult-Pinkie Pie always looked on the optimistic side. If there was one. "It's just..." The pink mare's gaze dropped, and once more, she was fumbling for words as she swiped at her face for whatever reason. Her head eventually raised once more, and even though the moonlight only gave a very slight picture of rather anything around her, the pegasus could very well see the tears in Pinkie's eyes. There lay something deeper, however. Something that the cyan mare nearly started upon seeing. It was sadness. Pure, unmoderated, melancholic sadness. No longer did even a shred of the party pony's upbeat demeanor remain-it was as if someone had decided that too much happiness was too much, and scooped every last bit of it out of the happiest pony to ever exist. "Pinkie...?" said Dash, absently reaching out a hoof towards her friend. "Come on, what's wrong? We aren't going to get anywhere by hopping around like this..." "It's about y-yesterday..." The fuchsia maned pony's gaze dropped once again, hiding the trail of tears from the concerned flier's eyes. "Yesterday?" By now, the cyan mare had actually made an attempt to slide out from the bed, and found that her legs supported her quite well. The only weakness that showed was landing, and even then, the second that her legs buckled seemed incredibly short. She now walked over to the distraught mare, gently lifting her head with her forehoof. "Pinkie, it's all right." she reassured the earth pony. "It's nothing that you could've stopped yourself from doing, and you would've found out sooner or later." "Not that, Dashie." replied Pinkie, batting away the hoof which held her gaze up, though she continued looking straight into Rainbow's eyes, as if she could see her soul. "I...are you happy, Rainbow?" "Happy? Happy?" Dash's voice escalated in what could be called pure disbelief. "Pinkie, this is why you're upset? I mean, to answer you, sure! But not if you aren't! What sorta' question is that, anyways? Would you really have any trouble-" In the middle of possibly the largest tirade she'd gone on in a year, Rainbow Dash felt herself being attacked by a huge, eager ball of pink fur. Too late, she tried to brace herself. But there was nothing to brace for except for the emotional impact that followed. In fact, the fur was none other than Pinkie. Instead of bowling the cyan pegasus over, she had stopped short, instead burying her face into Rainbow's shoulder. Her front hooves went around the pegasus simultaneously, pulling her tight. It was enough to silence Dash, as the pink pony gently shook in her embrace. It was a great few seconds before Rainbow Dash found a free hoof to return to Pinkie, awkwardly patting her back. This seemed only to make the pink pony more upset, allowing a few mournful cries to eke out at a level that was actually audible. Eventually, Pinkie Pie spoke, her words slightly muffled as she refused to rise from the crook in the pegasus' neck. "I g-guess that's fine, but...it's too late...I know you and Applejack want to be together, and live the happy life that everypony dreams of, but..." It was then that the pink mare pulled back, aiming her thoroughly submersed light blue irises towards the confused cyan pony. As soon as her gaze dropped once more, so did the rest of herself, leaving her chin on the floor, hooves crossed over her muzzle, as if trying to halt what she said next. But go on, Pinkie Pie did. And it was the complete opposite of what the rather intrigued flier had been expecting. "I-...I thought that we could do it together..." A/N: "ZOMGWTFOMGBBQTJGSRWICEFTSNWTHAYTTRSALAGSGSHDUXGFFUXGCKVHOGTFFFYJFDUHDFGDFFBBKPKHŸÖXDUZĆÑSTCHÀRĘHÔTPØÑŸSĖXTACOBELLQUEENWHATEVERDAIRYSTUFFILIKETURTLESDONTTOUCHTHATCACTUSSUNTOUCHESCWCTUSYOUREDEADTOMELOLASDFMOVIEGREENGIANTFANCLUBATTACKINGMIDGETGANGSTERS???!?!?!?!!!!" There. Now you don't have to leave any comments saying that. I did it for you. 'welcome. Any comments NOT expressing incoherent surprise-coherent surprise welcome, as long as some sorta' prediction is included-are encouraged. I call to attention my earlier blog post, though. The one first mentioning this story. Now that I have the actual plot to follow, progress should be somewhat quicker, and less...random. Also, about the title...Amour(n):a usually illicit love affair. So eeyup. Drama up in this bitch.
SurpriseSurprise. Pure surprise could be the only word to describe the mood that draped over the two mares. And even as Rainbow recoiled both mentally and physically, she wasn't the only one to do so. Pinkie, too, visibly tensed as Dash only managed one word, her features contorted into utter confusion: "What?" Pinkie Pie immediately made a decision, which was almost as fast as she could gobble down a cake whole. She sprung up, and leaped for the door, which was her only means of exit available. As she did so, the pegasus managed a haphazard grab for the party pony, but she fell just short. By now, Pinkie had reached within a few inches, quickly extending her hoof in an attempt to wrench it open as she went. Unfortunately, she tripped. However, 'tripped' would be an understatement. Saying that she stumbled over her rear hooves before smacking her face into the door full force was a lot more accurate. "Ouch..." It was dead silent after Pinkie crashed into the door. The pink mare's face remained firmly planted into the oaken door, as she refused to get up. It was either seconds or years-Dash didn't know which-until the silence was broken by the cyan pegasus. She sighed, looking down. "...Pinkie..." No response. "...call me crazy, but...we need to talk." "No talking." said Pinkie, rising from her unceremonious place on the floor, shaking her head simultaneously. "Pinkie, this isn't something you just blurt out." The pink mare arched an eyebrow, as if saying "really?", before shaking her head even more furiously. "I mean, yes, but...not now. Just..." The earth pony stopped, simply spreading her forehooves wide. A slight cock of the pegasus' head followed, and the pink pony dejectedly stood upon all four hooves again. "Never mind..." she said, before pausing to scratch at her head. Once again, the silence reigned supreme in the room as neither mare wanted to say anything. Pinkie simply stood accepting of whatever was to befall her, but in contrast, the pegasus' mind was racing at miles per minute. First Applejack-admittedly, it was kinda' shared-but now Pinkie? I know I'm irresistible, but for Celestia's sake! It gets a little annoying when someone who you half can't stand falls for you... And what the hay would Pinkie even see in me? She's an entirely random, hyper, seemingly reality-breaking pony who throws parties about as much as I take flight. I mean...seriously? Eventually, Rainbow made a decision. She'd have to get all of the info she wanted from Pinkie Pie herself, because this was strange. Even for Pinkie. Before she could speak, however, the pink pony instead interjected, finally meeting the prismatic pony's eyes with arguably some of the best puppy-dog eyes that there were. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" she asked, with the simplicity of a foal addressing its mother. "This ruined the whole friend thing, didn't it?" "Pinkie Pie. Please, get ahold of yourself." said Dash. "I don't think anything could ever ruin that, first of all. Not if you managed to destroy my house, not if you shaved me bald, not if you even put me in the hospital with two broken legs. Not even if you chained me into a wall and tried to bake me into a cupcake." "But I wouldn't-!" The pegasus managed a light chuckle, though not too heavy-this was delicate ground she tread on, more so than a crumbly cloud, and she knew it herself. Pinkie Pie was one of the most emotionally prone ponies that she knew, considering how when they didn't go to her parties for one day, she broke down and went pretty much crazy. "I don't think anypony would," she reassured the earth pony. "The point is, Pinkie..." As she spoke, the cyan mare had circled around Pinkie, and now lay a hoof around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "...you're my best friend, no matter what." Pinkie Pie said nothing, but instead simply reached up to the hoof, and gently covered it with her own, closing her eyes and taking a few shaky deep breaths. The tears now simply ran silently down her cheeks, instead of being torn free by silent sobs. It seemed more of a defeated stance, but to the rainbow maned flier, it was better than nothing. "And nothing's gonna' change that," she continued. "Not even a...'misunderstanding' like this." It was a few seconds before Rainbow Dash risked another question, the biggest one of all. The caution in her voice was evident, even to the pink pony, as she chose her words as carefully as possible. "...but I have to know...why? I mean, not that it's bad or anything, but...I'd like to know. Y'know, because it's sort of unusual to suddenly have a friend...confess to you." "I-I..." Pinkie turned her head towards the door, keeping her gaze fairly lowered, so as to not arouse suspicion. It was so unnoticeable, that the party pony could have managed to reorient herself and dash through the door in a trail of tears if she wanted to. But instead, she returned her line of sight back to its original position, continuing. "Well, I was having fun at a party like usual with everypony...but then I noticed something." A certain layer of uncertainty entered Pinkie Pie's voice, as she sighed. "I was talking to you-by the way, nice pancake joke-when I just felt something-" "Ahem." The chromatic pegasus gently cleared her throat. "I'm all for a story, but...not now. Can you just cut to the point?" Too late, Rainbow realized that her impatience was a large mistake, as Pinkie tore away from her grasp, letting loose a short yelp. "I just knew it!" she cried, voice wavering with now unrestrained pain. "You don't even care how I feel! I knew it, I just knew it!" Dash absently took a step backwards as the pink pony advanced towards her, her eyebrows lowering over tearful, hurt eyes. "That's exactly why I had my doubts about coming in here at all! Goodbye, Dashie! Have a good night!" With a final stomp, Pinkie quickly turned on her hind legs, before hopping with one large bound towards the door. With skill rivaling a rodeo pony's lassoing prowess, a quick flick of her straightened tail yanked the door open, and without even checking her speed, the pink mare hurriedly galloped away, no longer hiding her wails, which echoed freely down the hallway of which she receded into. Rainbow Dash shook her head, clearing the confusion from her mind. "Pinkie!" she yelled. "I'm sorry! Come back!" A short, almost interminable interval followed as the hoof steps ceased, leaving absolute silence. The pegasus held her breath, hoping that perhaps Pinkie might give it another chance. Her anxious waiting paid off, as hesitant hoofsteps started back towards her. A tearful pink face reappeared in the doorway, tilted to the side. "I...I only want one thing..." said the fuchsia mare. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry..." apologized the rainbow maned pegasus. "I'll listen." "You don't have to if you don't wanna'..." said Pinkie, hesitantly stepping into the room once more. "Really?" The pink pony nodded, and once more spread her forehooves wide. Again, the pegasus drew breath to ask why she was doing that, but then she stopped. A small, weak smile spread across Pinkie Pie's face for the first time in minutes, and immediately, she understood. Without another word, both mares stepped forward, and locked each other in a hug that said possibly more than any words could have. Dash felt the party pony's breathing slowly settle, as her forelegs tightened around her neck. "Dashie..." "Hm?" "I'm glad we're still friends." A small grin broke out across the pegasus' face. "Pinkie-...you know what? We're more than that." "We are?" "Yeah. We're best friends." Another silence followed shortly after. Pinkie eventually broke it. "I just wish..." "Sorry. It's-..." Maybe I shouldn't say that... "It's you, not me"? Come on, that's just hurtful. Nah, just keep silent. You can pry on stuff later. Pinkie Pie stepped back, now fully smiling. The tears upon her cheeks were no longer fresh, and her hair was back to its normal, bouncing, curly self. "I'm sorry for gettin' all over-reacty..." she said, scratching at the back of her neck. "If my friends are happy, then I'm happy...I shouldn't try to change that." "Hey, we all do stuff like that sometimes," said Rainbow. "I guess I should apologize for not being all that open to what you had to say..." "Apology accepted." Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. "I didn't...ah whatever, close enough." "Just 2 things, Dashie." said the party pony. The cyan mare tilted her head, indicating for Pinkie to go on. "How did the entire Apple family sleep through me stompin' and you yelling and stuff?" "That's easy," claimed Dash. "Heavy sleepers run in the family. Heck, look at Granny Smith." Pinkie giggled, a tiny bit of her normal self reappearing in her eyes. Perhaps there would be a little hope for her... "And also, Rainbow..." "What?" "You smell like rainbows. It's funny, because, your name..." Dash smiled, shaking her head. "Pinkie Pie..." she said, finally grinning widely at her friend. Rainbows didn't even have an odor as far as she knew, but the one thing that she knew for sure... "...you are so random." "Well then, ah guess that's it. Ya'll should be free ta' go." Rainbow looked at the farmpony across from her, before looking down at the dirt floor, and kicking at it. The trees seemed to hold their own breath as she turned to the single path behind her which threaded its way towards the horizon. She turned back, raising an eyebrow. "That's it? I just...go?" Applejack shrugged, drawing to attention just about how much she was willing to dwell on the subject. "It's been 5 days, hon. Much as I'd love it if ya' could stay here, y'gotta' go. I did my part, now go. Ya'll got a life ta' live." "But am I-" The earth pony rolled her eyes, before fixating them sardonically on the pegasus' own. "You're good to go, Rainbow. Doctor only said a few days, an' it's been a few." Dash frowned. "Oh. Uh, all right then..." she said, reluctantly turning her back on the orange mare. "Bye, I guess..." It was only when the chromatic pegasus began to lift into the air when Applejack's voice cut through the air. "Now wait jus' a second," she said. Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground, curiously turning to her marefriend. "Ah know I've been spendin' a little time alone..." said the orange earth pony. "Little?" "OK, maybe a lot." admonished Applejack. "But that's beyond the point. Ah got somethin' you may want to see. C'mon, now." Without another word, the stetsoned mare started off towards the path behind the pegasus, but instead cutting a left where the path continued straight. Dash quickly shook out her wings-which had hardly been used recently, save for just a few seconds ago-before taking to the air, coming to a gentle hover near Applejack as she trotted on, a sly smile plastered on her face. "Where we goin'?" asked Rainbow. "Somewhere." "Soooo specific..." The two mares continued along in mutual silence, only the occasional attempt at conversation being made. All attempts ceased, however, when a familiar body of water came into view... "This place?" asked Dash, eyeing the lake with a certain level of contempt. "I've seen it. What's so special?" "Let me answer that with a story," said Applejack. "Oh Celestia..." Rainbow dropped to the ground, slapping her forehead with a hoof. "Oh all right then, be no fun." said the earth pony, rolling her eyes. "If you really wanna get right to it, jus' look at the water." The pegasus complied, squinting to get a clearer view. No longer were the waters of Brokehoof Lake stained a murky dark brown, rather instead they nearly glistened with a certain cleanly nature. "Like what ya'll see?" asked Applejack, stepping into the water with a careful tread. Rainbow shrugged in response. "So what, it's less brown. Do I care?" "Ain't all, hon. C'mon in." The farm pony quickly dove into the water, pressing on into deeper waters, where she treaded, awaiting the pegasus' entry. "Come in? If you say so..." Grinning, Dash leaped across the body of water, landing with a huge splash that left her submersed in the water. As she opened her eyes, letting out a silent chuckle, there quickly came a pair of emerald eyes that met right in front of hers. An orange hoof pointed downwards, towards the bottom of the lake. She obliged, taking note of the lack of features. Nothing was there except for the muddy floor of the body of water. However, the fact that she could see further than a few feet said volumes about just how clouded the water had been before. As she looked back up at the earth pony, she saw her pointing upwards instead, before giving a powerful kick with her hind legs, breaching the surface. The pegasus followed, swiping water out of her eyes as she finally released the breath she'd been holding, taking in great gulps of air of which she desperately needed. "I don't...see anything..." she sputtered. "Agh, think I got waterlogged or something..." "Well 'course you don't!" exclaimed Applejack. "'ain't supposed to!" "...can you tell me why I'm supposed to care?" "Ah spent all this time with a few others cleanin' up the place so that stuff can never happen again." The orange mare explained. "I'd at least expect a little gratitude, y'know." "Right." Rainbow smiled, tilting her head in a manner to almost be described as deviantly sultry. "Does this count?" "Does wha-" Before Applejack even had a chance to voice her curiosity, a cyan hoof pushed her under the water, upon which she quickly pulled herself to the surface, sputtering. "What the hay were ya'll thin-" Once again, the farm-pony was silenced, though by something a lot less abrupt-and just plain rude-than a sudden dunk underwater. Instead, mid-rant, she was not silenced by the actual need to hold her breath, but rather from the thing she least expected treading water in the middle of a lake: a kiss. In hindsight, Rainbow Dash thought it was a pretty well executed plan. Dunk her in the water, she comes up yelling, and while her mouth is as wide as it always is when she's shouting at...whoever, take her by surprise. She soon found it to be a very good 'plan' indeed. Within seconds, the orange mare stopped trying to yell over the pressing of the other pony's lips-that was no easy feat for sure-and finally returned the kiss in earnest. It was a great many seconds, perhaps minutes before Dash broke the kiss, to immediately hear the words, "You know that that doesn't excuse yourself from dunkin' me, right?" "What, you don't like being underwater?" The pegasus raised an eyebrow playfully before continuing. "What if I do it again?" "Maaaayyybee..." replied Applejack, her gaze slowly moving left, right, and back again. "Don't know 'til ya' try, do ya'?" Without warning, the earth pony surged forwards, this time taking it upon herself to initiate the kiss-but this time, her intentions were entirely different than Rainbow's own... A gentle pomf! could be heard by both ponies, and the pegasus' face slowly began to color as she pulled fervently away from the other mare. "H-hey!" she stammered, turning rather futilely towards her back, attempting to push back the now extended feathery appendages while also maintaining her tread. "No fair!" "All's fair in love 'n' war, Rainbow." "Yeah?" The polychromatic pegasus momentarily turned from her rather involuntarily extended wings, and smiled. "I guess that means this is war, then." Applejack smiled back, winking. "Ah guess it is...'sweetie-pie'." War time, indeed, it would become for the two mares. Perhaps not at that very moment, but perhaps later on. But for the moment, it was most certainly 'love' as the two mares came together for another- this time mutual-kiss, their lips meeting with a kind of gentle passion that hadn't been used before at all between the two. And as the two ponies pulled back and looked into the others' eyes, it was so-they were young, and they were in love. With a gentle smile from Rainbow, the two mares instead pulled each other into a hug, still treading with their hind legs. Rainbow Dash heard nine words over the warmth and contact of her marefriend. Nine words spoken quieter, and with less rough accent than usual. Nine words that were, dare she assume...genuinely caring. "You know I love you in the end, Rainbow." Dash couldn't help but to smile, as she swore she felt her heart melting. With a squeeze, she too said a few words, perhaps words very long overdue. But she felt almost lifted to say them, as if she were given a final sense of closure that the first night hadn't given her. "I love you too, Applejack."
