The day was perfect, Rainbow thought to herself. She spun the pencil around her hoof, chewing her lip pensively. What do do, she wondered? What to capture?
It had to be beautiful, she thought. Something that would make people gasp, jaws dropped, eyes wide... yeah, she could just picture their faces. That's what they'd look like.
She frowned. The reaction wasn't quite the same thing as the drawing itself, now, was it?
She looked down at the blank sheet of paper, the thick grains taunting her. She tilted her head.
Such a perfect day, and nothing to draw. That was the problem, wasn't it?
She groaned, and let herself slump backwards, her wings tickling the grass, her back rubbing against the earth comfortably. Her muscles relaxed, and she let her eyelids close. The sun still poured through the thin layer of skin, causing her to squint just a little, muddying her features.
Muddy, she thought to herself. That's kind of like earth, isn't it?
She breathed in the air.This close to the ground, it smelt like rain and smoky soil. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes with a start.
Well, that didn't take long. She grinned.
She grabbed the paper in her forelegs, and quickly ran the pencil across the surface of the paper, using her tongue to control the angle and direction of the pencil, and thus the flow of the graphite across the page.
A few rolling slopes, she thought. And then some sharp angles... Mountains, right?
She glanced at the horizon. Just as she had pictured it, she saw the Horn of the World, the dragon mountains, the tree-covered hills of the Whitetail Woods, the Everfree forest... And right in the middle, nestled at the point where all those crazy colours and features met, was the tiny town of Ponyville.
"Sweet," she said to herself. "If only I could figure out how to draw sky..."
Down in Ponyville, an elderly stallion peered at the item in his hoof curiously. He stared at it with beady, beetle-like eyes, like the small, round, colourful object he held was some sort of bug he wasn't sure he should squash or not.
"It's an apple, sir," Applejack told him, hesitantly. The old stallion in front of her eyed the fruit suspiciously.
"They didn't look like that back'n my day!"
Applejack groaned. Whoever had said that apples sold themselves was a liar, and a vicious one, too. In fact, it sometimes seemed that the universe conspired to make apples the single hardest thing to sell on the planet.
"I'm pretty sure these apples were just as good as they were back then, old timer," she replied. "Are ya'll sure you don't want t'buy some?"
The crotchety old pony shook his head. "How about those oranges, though?" he asked, pointing elsewhere on her stall. Applejack deflated some more, running out of patience.
"Those're Golden Delicious apples. They ain't oranges."
"They look like oranges."
Applejack hesitated for a second, before deciding that it was worth the shot. "Does that mean ya'll will buy some?"
The old stallion snorted haughtily. "I don't like oranges," he declared, seemingly forgetting that only a second ago, he had suggested purchasing a few.
Applejack stifled a cry of frustration, and pulled her hat down over her eyes, wishing for something to bring this day to an early end.
If only I could manage a company properly... be a real business tycoon... then I'd have ponies to do this sort of thing for me...
Suddenly, she felt something hit her on the head, sheets of something thin and light rustling together as they landed in a pile at her hooves. Quick to follow were a handful of heavier, harder projectiles, like dozens of tiny sticks.
Applejack removed her hat to see what had hit her, unhurt but very curious.
"What in the hay?" she asked herself quietly as she looked at the pile of paper and pencils that had been strewn all around her. They were covered in colours and lines, each one prettier than the last. She looked up, wondering where on earth they had come from. Had somepony thrown them from a window? That didn't seem right. Why would—
She widened her eyes as she saw something much larger, and much heavier than a bundle of loose paper fall from the sky, straight towards her.
"Buck it," she declared flatly.
The leather bag hit her square in the face, covering her hat, mane, ears and nose liker an unwanted, suffocating helmet. Everything went pitch black, and Applejack sat down heavily on her rump, dazed and confused.
"I hate today..." she muttered, pulling the bag off her head, eyes spinning around in their sockets. "First a rain of paper, now this... that ain't normal weather."
The old stallion who she'd had such a hard time selling her produce to stared at her, jaw dropped, eyes wide. Applejack snorted.
"If ya' ain't here to buy some apples, ya'll can stop starin'," she told him, trying, and failing, to remain as civil as possible. The stallion backed away, shaking his head, amazed at both the sudden hail of projectiles and Applejack's sharper tone.
"This didn't happen back in my day..." he muttered as he left.
Applejack groaned and got back to her hooves. Raining bags of paper... well, that was a new one. Usually it was just water, hail, pegasi, chocolate rain...
On second thought, maybe paper rain wasn't so bad. At least it didn't stain her coat.
She became vaguely aware of movement behind her, and a shadow falling over her stall.
"Uh..." came a tentative voice.
Applejack's ears flicked back, orienting themselves towards the unexpected sound. She turned around, careful not to trample the drawings on the ground near her hooves. Sure enough, there was a pony behind her, and a familiar one, too.
"I imagine this is your doin'?" she asked Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was perched rather anxiously on a post, looking at the papers with panicky eyes. "You deliverin' these to somepony?"
Rainbow hopped off her post, gliding gently to the ground. "Uh, right. Kinda' dropped them."
Applejack shook her head, exasperated, and bent over to help her friend pick up the pictures strewn around the stall. "Why can't ya'll just watch where you're goin' for once?"
Rainbow chuckled nervously, stuffing the pictures in her bag as quickly as she could. "Sudden gust of wind. I did a loop. It was, uh, cool."
"Uh huh..." Applejack replied, absent-mindedly. She glanced at one of the pictures she snatched up from the ground: a very pretty landscape of Ponyville. It wasn't finished, though. The sky was all but missing: it was left completely white.
"They're nice. Kinda' artsy," Applejack commented. "I've never been one for drawin', though. Nothin' as colourful as this: never had the time to practice. Work an' all."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Rainbow clamped her teeth around the edges of the paper and shoved them in her bag.
Applejack narrowed her eyes as the pegasus continued to snatch the papers up forcefully, paying little regard to Applejack's efforts, even trying to stop her from helping. "There ain't no call to be rude."
Rainbow quickly brushed the remaining pictures away, and then backed away as fast as she could.
"Sorry, AJ! Gotta' fly! Gotta'... deliver these!" Rainbow exclaimed, flaring her wings, ready to fly, keeping a firm hoof on her bag this time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Applejack spotted one last drawing that had slid under a bucket, but before she was able to say anything about it, Rainbow was already in the air. Applejack lunged forwards on instinct, her mouth widening to clamp around Rainbow's quickly disappearing tail.
Her jaw snapped shut with a loud, painful noise, missing the rapidly disappearing rainbow tail by inches. She fell forwards, about to shout out to her friend that she had forgotten one of the pictures she was bound to deliver, but she hit the ground with a thud before she was able to form her words. The wind was knocked out of her and once again, she was lying on the ground because of Rainbow Dash, sore and annoyed.
Horseapples, she thought. What a day.
She rolled over to the forgotten drawing, curious. She slid it out from under the bucket, still nursing her new set of bruises.
"They really were pretty pictures..." she muttered to herself as she flipped the drawing over.
Once again, it was a well drawn, crisp and colourful drawing, but this time it represented a pony. Applejack frowned as she tried to remember where she might have seen the mare before. She briefly noticed that the sky was still missing in the picture, quite unlike the wonderfully realistic and textured grass the pony was sitting on.
But where had she seen the pony before? Orange coat, golden mane, familiar cutie mark...
Applejack widened her eyes as she realized that the pony depicted was herself. She examined at the picture again: there was no mistaking it. Applejack didn't often stop to think about her appearance, but she was certain it was her: she wasn't wearing her trademark hat in the picture, sure, and her mane was down... but the three red apples arranged in a triangle was a cutie mark she'd recognize anywhere.
One of the pictures was of her? How was that even possible?
"What in the hay?!" she asked, and turned the drawing around. As she had hoped, there was a hastily written date and signature scrawled across the dirty back of the thick, grainy paper.
"08/02, AJay by RD," she read out, as her puzzlement evaporated. She frowned angrily.
"I've been lied to."
I hate it when Rainbow lies to me.
Rainbow Dash landed on her doorstep with an ungraceful stumble, using her momentum to slam her door open in one economic movement, her bag-strap sliding off her back. The bag hit the smooth cloud floor with a soft thump whilst Rainbow trotted ahead, leaving her drawings behind.
That was close, she thought. That's what happens when you do tricks mid-air... you drop things. Shocker, right? I mean, who knew?
A few of her pictures got a bit crumpled. She was especially sad that one of her favourites, a quick sketch of a butterfly, had gotten wet and blotchy. She hadn't liked that: she had wanted to pin that one to her wall, if she could.
But at least Applejack hadn't caught on that they were hers.
All in all, things could have been worse.
She leapt over her dining room table, clearing the obstacle easily and playfully, and landed next to her fridge. The door was plastered with notes and messages and a few Wonderbolt posters: the sort of thing she liked seeing in the morning, and the sort of thing she needed to see in the morning.
Remember to fix weatherscope, one stained and almost illegible note read. Buy more milk, read another.
Both notes got torn off and thrown in the waste. Rainbow grinned viciously. "Sucks to be you, memos... I did both of those today!"
With a chuckle and a snort, Rainbow remembered Applejack's face before the bag had hit her. Now that the threat of her discovery was gone, everything seemed a lot funnier, somehow.
"I'd better apologize at some point," Rainbow muttered. "Don't want her mad at me or anything..."
With a smile, she decided to go and add her latest pieces to her collection. She dove through the corridor, wings fluttering wildly.
"...And Rainbow shoots to the finish!" she exclaimed, gliding to a halt in front of her carelessly dumped bag, smiling to herself as she lost herself in her own imagination. "And the crowd goes wild!"
She picked the strap up in her mouth and trotted to her room. Who say's I can't have it all, she thought.
She upturned the contents of her rucksack onto her desk. Most of the pictures had already been ruined by their fall earlier anyway, so why be delicate now?
She glanced at a few that had gotten muddy, and scrunched her nose. "No, no, no..." she muttered, tossing each one carelessly into her waste-bin, before letting her hoof hover over one that had remained relatively clean. "But you can stay."
Where had that one gone, she thought to herself, a pit forming in her stomach. "Aw, I was sure I had gotten it back..."
Where had the picture of Applejack gone? Sure, it wasn't her best one, but she wouldn't have minded adding it to her wall. One of the advantages of living in the sky was that she didn't get a lot of ponies snooping around her place or coming to visit. She didn't care if she had embarrassing stuff in her room.
"Shoot," she grunted. "What a waste."
First the butterfly picture, now this? Was anything she liked best still intact?
Just what I get for multitasking, I guess... I'll practice flying separately from now on.
She moved a few of the cleaner landscapes over to the side. She already had plenty of those. Landscapes are easy, she thought. I see them all the time: they don't exactly go anywhere.
She threw her hooves up, angrily. Well, that's just great. Now I'll have to draw the cool ones all again!
She threw herself onto her bed, which creaked ominously: it had been subjected to Rainbow's rather cruel treatment for far too long. Rainbow tried figuring out her schedule in her mind. Her least favourite activity.
There was a rain shower she was in charge of tomorrow... bad time to draw anyway. She was hanging out with her friends this afternoon, practising the next day, then her martial art, clearing the clouds, then her friends again... Rainbow ran her hoof through her mane.
"Crud."
Oh, that is it, Applejack thought to herself darkly. One of us is going down this time.
She stomped down the street, her lips curled into a frown. The picture was tucked in her hat, invisible to anypony who looked at her: she intended to confront Rainbow with it later.
Why was it always Rainbow that lied to her? Even Pinkie, crazy as she was, was truthful most of the time. She wasn't as bone-headed as that blasted pegasus.
Well, this is the last straw! I'm gonnna' tell her that she won't have any friends at all if she keeps on disrespecting them like this!
This wasn't the first time Rainbow had been more than a little cavalier with the truth. Who ate the last sandwich? Sure, Rainbow denied it, but if you looked closely you could see the crumbs stuck in her feathers. She'd say she was late to their get-togethers because of work but if you got to a high enough vantage point, you could see a distinctive pegasus-shaped imprint on a passing cloud, evidence that she had been taking an extended nap.
Why would Rainbow lie about a drawing? Well, Applejack already had a few ideas... and none of them were good.
"Hey there! Somepony's on the warpath."
Applejack shifted her gaze to the left. Oh, right. I'm passing Twilight's house, aren't I?
Sure enough, the young alicorn was standing on her balcony, peering down at Applejack, looking as curious as she was concerned. Applejack wasn't in the mood to stop, however.
"Heya, Twi'," Applejack bellowed back, but kept on marching onwards mechanically. Please don't follow me, Twi... you don't wanna' see me when I'm angry...
Twilight jumped off her balcony, wings spread wide as she glided down to the street. Applejack groaned. Oh, great.
"Did somepony knock over your apple cart?" Twilight asked. Applejack rolled her eyes.
"I care 'bout more'n apples, you know."
Twilight swallowed nervously. "Oh, sure, I know that." She trotted next to the angry farmpony for a few seconds. "So, what's got you all worked up?"
"It's that darn pegasus again!" Applejack roared. "She's gone and done somethin' crazy again! She even had the nerve to lie to me 'bout it!"
"Maybe she had a good reason?" Twilight suggested hopefully.
"When is it ever a good reason? Remember when she broke Fluttershy's fence and didn't say nothin'? Well, I've had it!"
"Oh, I don't think it's fair to be mad at Rainbow for that." Twilight chuckled, sweating profusely. "It could have been the wind!"
"I just bet," Applejack replied, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "Who else breaks all the stuff around here?!"
"Well... it's just that..."
Applejack eyed Twilight suspiciously. "You got somethin' to say, partner?"
For a second, Twilight looked like she was on the verge of fleeing from the livid farmpony, but she steeled herself and spoke anyway.
"I... It was me. It was an experiment gone wrong."
Silence blanketed the entire street for a second. After what seemed like a decade and a half, Applejack gave Twilight a forceful pat on the back, almost knocking the air right out of her lungs.
"Well, why didn't ya'll say so? I ain't gonna' be mad at you!" she exclaimed, reassuring Twilight despite her obvious rage. "I'm far too busy being guldarn' furious at RD right now!"
Twilight stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to the side, puzzled. Applejack ignored her confusion, and stomped onwards, leaving the confused, but relieved, Princess alone.
"You take care, now!" were the farmpony's final words before she disappeared around the corner. "I have a pegasus to beat up, and I never make promises I can't keep!"
Rainbow Dash had just gone through four yoghurts (she would argue that dairy was a major factor in how good of an athlete she was) when she was sure she heard a faint droning noise... a repetitive bark, or maybe an injured bird... whatever it was, it didn't sound like anything Rainbow had heard before.
"Is... is..." she began, frowning as she trotted over to her window, dread rising within her. "Is it aliens?"
No, that's dumb. She scolded herself as she flung the windows open. Aliens only strike at night.
She leant over her windowsill, peering down at a tiny orange speck below her. Her pegasus eyes magnified the distant dot, almost like a telescope. Rainbow squinted, confused.
"AJ?" she shouted. "What are you doing here?"
She held her breath, almost unable to make out Applejack's faraway cries, distorted to the point of being nearly unrecognizeable. Not to mention, she sounded... well, angrier than usual.
"Are we under attack?" Rainbow shouted.
"No! But you're gonna' be in 'bout five seconds!" Applejack screamed back. "You get down here this instant!"
Rainbow decided that the wisest course of action was to do the opposite of what Applejack was saying. Going down implied getting closer to her, and right then, that sounded about as safe as walking into a dragon's den covered in pâté. And at this distance, Applejack looked pretty comedic, her face all twisted and red like it was about to explode.
"Why? What'd I do?"
"Ya'll lied t'me! Them's were your drawings!"
Suddenly, things weren't quite so funny any more.
"Wh-what? How'd you know?!" Rainbow exclaimed, before realizing that she had more or less given up her last chance at denial.
"Ha! You admit you're a liar!"
"No!" Rainbow protested. Applejack stomped her hoof angrily.
"That were a lie, too! Ya' always lie! 'Bout the sandwich, 'bout bein' late, 'bout the fence..."
"Hey!" Rainbow protested. "That was Twilight, okay?! I just didn't say anything!"
"I don't care 'bout Twilight! I'm mad at you right now!"
Rainbow pouted. "How come Twilight can lie about stuff and I can't? How is that fair?"
Applejack seemed to pause at that. Rainbow smirked: she had won something, at least. Then, to her surprise, Applejack walked off. Rainbow's mouth hung open for a few seconds before she protested. "Hey! I wasn't done! I still need to convince you to not tell anypony that the drawings were—..."
Applejack didn't listen: perhaps she couldn't even hear her anymore. Applejack trotted into one of the houses built in the shadow of the cloud-house... and disappeared.
I need to get my drawing back... and somehow smooth things over with her, Rainbow realized. Oh, crud... she didn't find the one I did of her, did she?
Rainbow wasn't given time to follow her thoughts to their conclusion, however, because Applejack had reappeared... with an old chair in her hooves, and more furious than ever. Rainbow's face fell as she realized what Applejack was planning.
"Horseapples."
She threw herself to the ground, taking cover behind the window. Sure enough, she could hear the ungainly projectile cut through the air as it soared towards her house, and the whole cloud shuddered slightly as it impacted with the walls, splintering into a shower of broken wood. Rainbow lifted her head back over the window-sill.
What'd I even say?!
"Wait! Can we talk about this? I promise I won't lie!"
Applejack ignored her and returned inside the house to look for more ammunition. Rainbow groaned.
I guess it's time I go and try to talk some sense into her...
Reluctantly, she hopped out of her window and circled the house, trying to catch sight of Applejack. If she continued like this, she'd end up causing some serious property damage... and some of that property was hers.
She heard a scuffle from inside, and a rather outraged voice: the pony who lived there, no doubt.
"Hey! You can't take my fridge!"
What's that now? Rainbow thought, confused.
It was then that Applejack reappeared, stumbling out of the back door, wobbling back and forth, dwarfed by a massive white container she carried on her back, her muscles tensed to the point where they looked like they'd snap, and her legs trembling furiously. Rainbow Dash knew how to recognize when somepony was pushing themselves too far: Applejack had bitten off more than she could chew.
The farmpony didn't seem to realize this, however.
"Keep... quiet... about this?! I ain't helpin' you lie to my friends!" Applejack snarled in-between struggled grunts.
She's going too far! I need to stop her!
"Put the fridge down!" Rainbow exclaimed, becoming increasingly frantic. "You'll just hurt yourself!"
Doubt flashed across Applejack's face, just briefly, just for a second. It came too late, however.
Snap.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash both widened their eyes as they realized that the ominous sound had come from the earth pony.
Twilight rubbed her eyes as she listened to Redheart explain Applejack's situation, cursing the farmpony's unthinking behaviour. The hospital wasn't frequented often, thankfully, and today was no exception: the only patients around to overhear their discussion was a filly with a bad tooth and Gilbert Grump going through another one of his 'phases'. Twilight was especially glad for this as she didn't want the whole of Ponyville to hear of the frankly ridiculous accident.
"She broke her back... on a fridge?" Twilight asked, still not entirely certain that she had heard the doctor correctly. Redheart nodded.
"Under a fridge, specifically. From what I gathered, she intended to use it as some kind of throwing weapon."
Twilight decided that it would be best to focus on the welfare of her friend over the curious circumstances surrounding her injury. "Will she recover?"
"Yes, given a day or two. Her lifestyle gives her a certain resilience, after all." Redheart adjusted her glasses slightly. "I can't speak for her mental well-being, however... the toughest ponies are, more often than not, the craziest."
Well, at least there won't be any permanent damage... thank heavens that ponies have such a vast range of abilities depending on their lifestyles...
"I understand it sounds strange, but trust me," Twilight assured, "We get this kind of thing a lot."
Redheart sighed.
"That's rather what I'm worried about."
"Don't you worry none'... I'll be back in an hour or two."
"Promise?"
"Would I lie to you?"
Applejack slowly opened her eyes. Everything felt a little bit bouncy for some reason... like the bed wasn't exactly stable.
What's this about a bed, now?
"Hey!"
Rainbow leaned forwards over her, her face taut with concern. "Are you awake?"
"Where am I?" Applejack asked. Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. Rainbow relaxed, relieved that she was talking coherently.
"Wow, those drugs must really be awesome. That's the fourth time you've asked that."
Applejack did her best to sit up, but found she couldn't move anything below her chest. "Well, care to answer again? My head feels as fuzzy as a buffalo on... on..."
Applejack blinked twice, before groaning with resignation. "I can't even finish my lil' sayings. That's how fuzzy it feels."
"You're at the hospital. You got crushed by a fridge."
Suddenly, the events of the day flooded back to her... the fridge, the chair, the lie, the falling bag, the annoying stallion and the apples...
"I knew I should've tried throwin' the table instead..." Applejack groaned. "I can throw tables just fine..."
Rainbow relaxed: evidently Applejack was feeling better. "Well, I'd rather you didn't throw anything at me at all, frankly. You really shook my house up with that chair."
Applejack snorted. "Well, you shouldn't have told a lie. Again."
"I'm not the only pony who bends the truth a bit, you know," Rainbow protested. "And anyway, I didn't want anypony to find out I drew. Especially you."
"'Cause you been drawin' me, right?" Applejack asked. Rainbow tilted her head to the side, stammering.
"No... well, not only because of that. Although I admit it is kind of... embarrassing," Rainbow told her with an awkward, evasive smile. "You kinda' have a tendency to... meddle."
The farmpony frowned. What did Rainbow mean by that? She didn't meddle... at least, not unless she believed somepony was going to get hurt. But that was just her duty as a friend, not some flaw in her character.
"Why would I meddle? What've you been up to?" Applejack asked suspiciously.
Rainbow kept her mouth shut tight.
"Well, can I at least know why you've been drawin'?" Applejack looked at Rainbow inquisitively. "I deserve that at least, right?"
"I don't know... Have you stopped trying to beat me to a bloody pulp?" Rainbow asked. Applejack nodded slowly.
"I've calmed down a bit. And I also can't move anything from the chest down, so..."
"Is that normal?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, I break a lot of bones, but..."
"I'll be fine," Applejack assured her. "This ain't the first time this has happened."
Rainbow sighed. "Okay, well, promise you won't laugh or act all crazy. I guess it's because I like colours. And I kinda' like making pictures move."
"I don't follow. Pictures don't move."
"They do to me," Rainbow insisted. "I started way, way back, when I got my cutie mark, right? I looked back, and saw my sonic rainboom, and it was... well, it was awesome. Not only did I want to do that again, fly super fast, but I wanted to capture that sort of thing and never forget it, and not let anypony else forget it either."
She looked down at her flank, imprinted with the same cutie-mark that she insisted represented flying and energy. "For a while, I wondered if this meant me... well, attacking things with colour. Like paper or a canvas. Or even the sky. I'm still not totally sure if that's not what it means: maybe it does just mean I fly really fast."
"Interestin'," Applejack commented, "But it don't explain why you'd hide that from everypony. You eventually came clean 'bout readin them Daring Do novels, right? Why ain't this like that?"
Rainbow didn't reply instantly. "Well, it's... this is something that I've been doing for a long time, right?" she explained. "I really want to fly. I'm serious about being a Wonderbolt... but I'm also serious about this. I don't want ponies to think I can't... be a Wonderbolt because I do other stuff. And I guess I didn't want anypony to find out that I've been... lying... to everypony for years. I suppose you were right... I am a liar."
Her brow furrowed as her face darkened. "But that doesn't explain why you tried to throw a fridge at me for it!" she said, voice raised. "A bottle, maybe, but—"
It was at that moment that they heard a knock on the door, causing both of them to jump in their seats, startled. "Can I come in? Are you two done?" came Twilight's voice, muffled by the obstacle between them.
Rainbow Dash glanced at Applejack, who nodded. "Yeah, sure. We were just sorting stuff out."
The door swung open, and Twilight trotted into the room, looking both concerned and frustrated at the same time. Since neither Applejack nor Rainbow seemed particularly at each other's throats, she forced herself to relax.
"So... a fridge, huh?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Look, I know it were dumb. I was a little mad."
Twilight sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Look, I know we've all gone a little... well, we've all had our little episodes from time to time, but when the hospital and insurance companies have our names and addresses memorized by heart, you know something's gone wrong." She gave a wan smile. "I just don't want to see anypony get hurt... or see the town destroyed in the process: you really messed that poor pony's kitchen up."
Applejack nodded, and after a brief moments hesitation, so did Rainbow. "You got it. We'll keep our fights on the Acres from now on."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "That's not quite what I meant. I meant you shouldn't be using kitchenware as weapons against each other in the first place. We're meant to be friends: we don't do that."
Friends don't lie to each other. The thought came to Applejack's mind unprovoked. But this is different, she argued internally.
"Well, I promise not to use use other ponies property against Applejack if she promises not to," Rainbow declared, both querulously and jokingly.
"Or your own property," Twilight added, only just then realizing the possible loophole in the agreement.
"I make no such promise. Other people's stuff only, take it or leave it."
Applejack snickered. "Does it count if I accidentally injure myself with somepony's stuff?" she asked. "'Cause I ain't sure I'm ready to give that up neither..."
Twilight rolled her eyes and stifled a groan. "You two are incorrigible." She trotted to the door, hunching her back grumpily. "One day you two are going to kill each other. I'm not stopping you, just giving you a fair warning."
Rainbow yawned as she flicked the pencil one last time, the line of vibrant colour filling in the last of the white space. She placed the pencil to the side and leant back, observing her handiwork.
She had tried drawing pegasi many times before but most of her previous attempts hadn't worked out so well. She couldn't really get the flying motion right on her friends and ponies from Cloudsdale... not to mention the clouds just looked wrong. But when she stopped trying to draw pegasi, things were different: she had learned that a long time ago.
Why did this feel so much more natural? Like it was leaping from the page.
"I guess I'm just better at drawing earth ponies..." she mumbled, her eyelids drooping downwards. She looked over at her clock: it had been a long day. Practice, practice, work, said hello to a few of her new friends...
To her dismay, she realized that it was already three in the morning. She groaned.
"Ugh... now I'm never going to wake up in time tomorrow..."
She sighed and flipped the drawing over. She quickly scribbled down her signature, followed by 'Ajay, 10/03'
"I'll just have to take a nap sometime after work... that and a whole lot of coffee..."
Applejack stretched towards her hat, careful not to damage her back too much. She carefully picked the precious headgear up, removed the picture she had stored within, and handed it over to Rainbow.
"Here. I was gonna' use it to get you to 'fess up, but it looks like I don't need to no more."
Rainbow took it back with an embarrassed blush. "Uh, thanks." She tapped her hoof nervously against the side of her chair. "You're not mad that I drew you?"
Applejack tilted her head to the side. "Uh, nope. Why would I be mad? You drew me pretty well, I think."
Rainbow shrugged, not sure what to say. "Uh... I dunno'. Just 'cause it's embarrassing, maybe?"
"You're the one who's embarrassed, not me. It looks a tad' unfinished, though."
Rainbow chuckled blushing slightly. "Yeah... I can't manage sky for some reason."
Applejack frowned. "I ain't no artist, but I've drawn stuff just like every filly. Sky weren't never that hard."
"Sky's just kind of... blobby. Like there's nothing there. It's just kinda' blue and cloudy and flat. Not really as interesting as ground."
Applejack raised her eyebrow. "That's weird. I've heard of tons of artists who loved paintin' sky. We read about them in art class. And I've always found the sky to be real' pretty."
Rainbow chuckled. "That may be an earth pony perspective... but you know that where I come from, up and down mean different things? When you live in the sky, you either look earthward, or skyward... and skyward is cloudless, empty, and boring. We'd fight over places with the best earthward view: the ground is gorgeous." Rainbow placed a hoof on her chest, proudly. "I always won, of course. I'd never let anypony get a better view than me."
Applejack extended her hoof towards the picture, taking it back and using a tray as a makeshift table. She began to carefully draw a few lines on the picture. "Well, down here, there's always' somethin' interesting up in the sky," she said. A few scribbles later, and she presented her handiwork. "But ya'll have to have your hooves on the ground to see it."
She had drawn the faint but recognizable outline of a rainbow.
"There's always some colour up in the clouds these days."
Rainbow took the picture back, deep in thought. She wasn't accustomed to thinking to hard about these kinds of things... either it came naturally, or she practised at it for hours on end. There was never any sudden realization, no moments of clarity where she found the missing piece of the puzzle.
"I... I don't get it," she admitted. "What do you mean?"
Applejack's face fell. Rainbow looked outside at the sun, and panicked immediately.
"Shoot! Gotta' fly!" she exclaimed. "But this isn't over! I still want to know why you tried to kill me over this, 'kay?"
Applejack paled all of a sudden, but nodded bravely. "Sure thing. No more secrets."
Rainbow grinned, and then flew out the window, like she had never even been in the room, leaving Applejack to her bed-rest at hospital.
Why do I care so much about her lying to me? It's not like she's the only one.
Her first day of resting had been impressively uneventful. After Rainbow had left, the only pony to visit had been Rarity, offering her a big basket full of (predictably) apples. And they had talked: that was the most exciting part of her evening.
"You must tell me the whole story," she had said. "It sounds like it will be a hilarious tale."
Applejack had told her everything... everything except for Rainbow's 'secret'. Instead, she simply hinted that Rainbow had lied to her about 'something'.
And why did I defend her despite saying I wouldn't? she thought to herself, picking at one of the apples Rarity had given her. It's not like I enjoy her lying to me, and my friends...
As expected, Rarity had laughed at the whole ordeal. When she knew things had a happy ending, Rarity's sense of humour had a tendency to be a little dark. Not that Applejack hadn't laughed with her, of course.
And then Rarity had begun complaining about a stallion.
To most ponies, whining about one's own problems to somepony in hospital might be considered bad manners, but Applejack knew better. That was how Rarity helped: she had the uncanny tendency to make other ponies feel her problems were greater than their own, which was an enjoyable distraction from focussing on having a broken back.
"I've never had much time for romance," Applejack confessed. "Too busy bein' a friend and sister."
You have to pick and choose, sometimes.
Rarity had glossed over Applejack's brief moment of self-deprecation, and expertly swerved the conversation towards fashion. Applejack was only too glad to let her: she wasn't really in the mood to wallow in self-pity.
But the thought stayed with Applejack. The white walls of the hospital, devoid of ornementation, seemed to stimulate her mind, and her recent inactivity made her think faster and faster, allowing her to explore thoughts she never had the time to before.
When Rainbow asked her why she went completely off the rails that day, what would Applejack answer?
That the closer somepony is, the more lyin' hurts you?
Rarity droned on, and caused Applejack to chuckle more than once... but though she didn't show it, Applejack was more puzzled than ever. She had never slowed down enough to think of Rainbow and her being 'close'.
And she had certainly never given herself the opportunity to wonder what that might mean.
"They'll be fine... they said they'd never lie to me, right? They'd never lie..."
"I don't think they meant to, sugarcube."
"They still shouldn't have!"
"Could you move your left leg for me?" Redheart asked. Applejack rolled her eyes, exasperated, and obediently tapped her hoof.
"See? I'm all healed," she said, exasperated with the endless tests.
"I'll be the judge of that," Redheart replied. "Most ponies don't recover from broken backs. Of course, you're a bit of an exception. Now move your right leg."
The hospital room had been filled with ponies: Twilight and Fluttershy had both come down to see how she was doing, and with Redheart in the room it had become pretty cramped. Applejack didn't mind: horizontal as she was, she wasn't taking up that much space.
Two days in the hospital. Two days of utter, complete boredom. She could have been working on the farm or hanging out with her friends... but no, she was stuck in hospital because of a stupid fridge.
And of course, she had volunteered to do the only work she was able to for her family: manage the accounts. Applejack cringed at the very memory of all those numbers, bouncing together in her skull. It gave her a migraine just thinking about it.
At least I got visits, she thought. Could have been worse.
"Are you going to release her now?" Fluttershy asked tentatively. Redheart tapped Applejack's leg appraisingly.
"Looks like it. She should be fine so long as she doesn't strain herself," the doctor declared. In a lower voice, she muttered: "But I bet she will anyway... her type always do..."
Pinkie came and visited with balloons... 'course we had to leave them outside since it became hard to breathe, them taking up the whole room and all... And o'course my family came down. Ears still ringing from the earful Granny gave me...
"Excellent. I'm sure you don't want us taking up any more of your time," Twilight said. "Thank you so much!"
Redheart gave her a tired smile. "Sure thing. Just stay healthy and don't do anything... regular for you guys."
But no sign of Rainbow since her last visit.
"Thank you, doc'," she said, rolling out of bed with a satisfied smile. "Can't wait to get out an' about."
The three ponies trotted out of the hospital, chattering amongst themselves... but Applejack kept on glancing around nervously, waiting for a sign of the rainbow maned pegasus, demanding to know why she hated her lying so much... but there was no sign of her. It made the waiting feel so much more excruciating.
"Anything wrong?" Twilight asked, sensing her anxiety.
"Nothin'... Where do you suppose Rainbow is at?" Applejack asked, looking left and right.
"Why do you ask?" Twilight replied, suspicious. "I mean, she's had work. And practice. She's really driving herself into the ground these days."
"You kind of have a tendency to... meddle."
"Oh? Why's that?" Applejack asked, recalling Rainbow's rather strange choice of words from two days ago. Twilight shrugged.
"I don't know... the same reasons she's always had work, I suppose. She's done her best to hang out with us, of course, but you know how she's always flying off everywhere."
"I guess..."
Applejack frowned, wrapped up in her own thoughts. Now she knew more about Rainbow, everything seemed a bit... off. Before, she was energetic and passionate about flying... but now Applejack wasn't sure how she'd define her friend. Something more complex.
Why does it annoy me so much when she lies, but not anypony else?
The real reason why Applejack was nervous about being confronted on the issue was that when she thought about it, she wasn't sure she had an answer herself. But she still couldn't keep away from Rainbow... not now, anyway.
Her drawin', her flyin', her bein' nervous about me meddlin'... I should probably stay away, she thought, but I've never let sleepin' dogs lie before, and I ain't startin' now.
Rainbow Dash's wings were beginning to burn with effort. She might have been sweaty, if she wasn't kept complete dry due to the high velocities she flew at.
Practice is hard, she thought.
The low yo-yo was a complex technique that involved sacrificing altitude for instantaneous increase in speed, and it was a trick that only a few ponies had mastered. And of course, it was mandatory that all Wonderbolts be able to perform it.
The same went for the lag-displacement roll, the rolling scissors and the unloaded extension. Sure, Rainbow could manage all of those, but mastering them? That took work.
More work than she could reasonably afford.
She let herself land, panting furiously.
I wonder how long I can keep these cram sessions up?
She toppled to one side, letting her muscles un-tense slowly. As long as I have to, I guess.
"Hey there!"
Applejack? She's out of hospital already?
Rainbow craned her neck to see the farmpony trot towards her. Shoot... I meant to visit her again, didn't I?
Time really did fly.
"H-hi!" she replied, her breath halted. "I, uh, how did you find me?"
"I looked up," Applejack joked. "Try it sometime."
Rainbow guessed that was as good a reason as any. "Okay... so why did you find me?"
"I heard you were busy." Applejack loomed over Rainbow like an ominous cloud. "And call me crazy, but I figured somethin' was up."
"You're crazy," Rainbow retorted.
"I don't think I am. You called me a meddler. Well, here I am: meddlin'."
Me and my big mouth. I guess I'd better come clean.
"The closer I get to being a Wonderbolt," Rainbow explained, "The more I have to practice. And the higher up the hierarchy I get on the weather team, the more work I'm given." She sighed and rolled over onto her back. "And the closer I get to my friends, the more time I have to spend with them, too."
"And then there's all them other things you haven't been tellin' me, right?" Applejack commented. Rainbow breathed in and out several times.
Should I just lie? It'd end this nice and quickly.
"Yeah, all those other things, too," she admitted. "I'm just worn a bit thin right now, I guess."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Applejack asked. "How long'll you be able to run around, doin' what you do before it all crashes around you?"
"For as long as I have to. I'm not going to give anything up: not my flying, not my job, not my friends, and not my own hobbies. That'd just be... lazy."
I hate talking about this. I really do, Rainbow thought. So why does it feel so comfortable?
"And the rest of us can't know 'bout you strugglin' all the time, 'cause if we try to help you'll be reminded of how impossible all this really is, ain't that right?" Applejack asked. "That's why you didn't want me meddlin'."
It's only impossible if I think it is. Help is for when you need it: if I need it, then it means I can't do it.
"I like to call it 'alternatively realistic'," Rainbow said. "That's something that Twi' would say, right?"
Rainbow felt the beginnings of a cramp coming on, and sat up, stretching her leg muscles to avoid them tensing up. Cramps were the worst.
Applejack thought that she was simply sitting up, and sat down opposite her, so that their eyes were perfectly level.
"You wanted to know why I was so angry about you lyin', right?"
Rainbow nodded.
"Well, it's mostly 'cause lies disrespect ponies, 'specially ponies you care about." Applejack looked away for just a second. "I've been hurt by lies before, and I don't want it to happen again."
She adjusted her hat slightly before continuing.
She's nervous about something.
"But it's also 'cause when you lie about yourself... you're killin' a part of you, deep inside. Pretendin' to be somethin' you're not... like you are right now," Applejack told her gravely. "You're not some superpony that can do everything, no matter how many times ya'll say you are. And when you're lyin' about the things you enjoy, you're pretendin' to be somepony you ain't, and it hurts me to see you do that to yourself."
She fidgeted nervously. "Specially when it's you, for some reason."
Rainbow frowned. "I don't really feel I have much of a choice, y'know."
Applejack threw up her hooves, confused. "Well, why? You're bein' crazy, flyin' around all over the place, never stoppin' or compromisin'. Why can't you settle down for five seconds? What do you want?"
"I want everything," Rainbow snapped. "I want to be the best flyer in the world, and I want to be the smartest pony in the world. I want to be at the top of my career, and have a family, and have friends, and be a famous artist, and be a super awesome bad-flank. I want it all, and you're saying I can't have it."
She glowered at Applejack, angry that she had to explain herself to her friend. "You're trying to tell me I can't be what I want to be. You have a really weird way of showing you care."
"You're... you're selfish," Applejack retorted.
"Well, so are you! You just want me to be less busy so I can spend more time with my friends!"
"Darn straight! I don't know why it's so hard for you to realize that I want you more than I want you to drive yoursel' into the ground! Life's about pickin' and choosin', sometimes!"
Rainbow snorted. "Careful... sounds an awful lot like you 'care' for me more than a friend should."
"Yeah, well..." Applejack stammered, "I'm not the one who draws pictures of me with my mane down!"
Rainbow widened her eyes wildly. "Not so loud! Ponies will hear!" she exclaimed.
"... you're ridiculous."
"Your face is ridiculous."
Applejack tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.
"Why do you draw pictures of me with my mane down?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Well, you kinda' represent the best things about the ground, and all that. Art stuff, y'know? Like, you're colourful, tough, reliable..."
The farmpony chuckled as she remembered their previous conversation in the hospital, grinning like a shark.
"You mentioned you found the ground... eh, what was the word you used?" Applejack teased. "Gorgeo—"
"Don't you even start," Rainbow deadpanned. "You were in the hospital. I was feeling mushier than usual."
Both ponies fell into uncomfortable silence.
"So... do we hate each other, or like each other?" Applejack asked at long last. "You're a self-destructive liar... but..."
"And you're a negative grump... so..."
Why do I draw pictures of her?
Why do I hate seeing her lie all the time?
Why did I just tell her things I haven't told anypony else?
Why am I trying to stop her from ruining her life?
Why do we fight all the time?
Why do we always make up afterwards?
No answers came... or rather, answers that were too confusing to understand came.
Rainbow Dash swallowed, rubbing her forehead. "Uh, can we take a break from this? My head is hurting."
Applejack nodded, relieved that she wasn't the only one to want out of the discussion. "Sure thing... I need to get back to the farm anyhow."
"Yeah, I have... work-things, and I'm all out of yoghurt."
"So I'll..."
"...see you..."
"...later?"
Both ponies hesitated, then nodded resolutely, and then went their separate ways: Applejack towards her farm, and Rainbow towards the sky.
Applejack's farm was abuzz with activity: not only had Applejack returned, but apparently, chores had piled up in her absence, despite Big Macintosh's best efforts.
Those chores weren't as important as Granny Smith fussing over her grandchild, however.
"Yes, I'm fine. No, I don't need help. Please, stop worryin', it was only one fridge."
Applejack's return to the Acres was about as tiring as her discussion with Rainbow earlier, made worse by the unresolved quarrel between them. Quarrel, she wondered, or confession? Applejack wasn't sure. The two seemed far too similar for it to be a coincidence.
Granny Smith was having none of her assurances: apparently the earful she had given Applejack at the hospital wasn't enough for her.
"From now on," she continued, "If you want to throw a fridge at somepony, get Macintosh t'do it for you!"
"Yes, Granny," Applejack placated.
"Ya'll need to learn ya' limitations, whipper-snapper!" the elderly mare continued. "We can't have ya'll breakin' your back every other Tuesday!"
"But it were a Monday, weren't it?" Applebloom protested unhelpfully.
Applejack allowed herself to retreat into her own mind, reflecting on the events of the day. She had gotten out of hospital... that part had been simple enough... then she had looked for Rainbow, eager to explain herself and her actions.
Then she had left more confused than before. Why wasn't anything simple? Why couldnt lies be bad, and the truth be good?
Unaware of Applejack's thoughts, Granny Smith continued to argue with Applebloom:
"...and now the harvest is behind schedule! Again. And that, young Applebloom, is why she might as well have broken her back on a Tuesday."
And she was left confused about her position on lying. Was she really just being negative? Could Rainbow really do it? Be everything she wanted?
"Okay!" Applebloom replied. "I get it! No need to yell, granny!"
And if Rainbow really could do it, did that mean Applejack could too?
Was it even worth trying? Worth wanting?
"Don't worry 'bout the harvest," Applejack said, doing her best to calm Granny Smith down before the old mare got even more volatile. "I'll have it back on schedule before the end of the week."
"And you're a negative grump."
A small spark of defiance flared up inside Applejack. If Rainbow was going to multitask, so could she.
"And I'll be enterin' the rodeo this week-end... get us some much needed prize money if'n I can."
I'm not negative. I want things just as much as she does, and I'll prove it.
Macintosh rolled his eyes. Applebloom tilted her head to the side, confused. "But... if ya'll want the harvest done on schedule..."
"Between practicin' and harvestin', you'll never get anythin' done," Granny told her. "Not to mention ya'll just got out of hospital..."
Applejack smirked, her hooves itching for a run. "Naw', I can handle it," she told them, suddenly anxious to leave the house, stretch her legs. To canter, to gallop...
"I just have to go out for a sec', 'kay?"
And with that, she turned on her hooves and cantered outside. What if I'm wrong? Then I'll have been made a liar.
And so what? I know a liar, and she isn't that bad. Wanting to change the world is never wrong.
Rainbow tore the lid off her yoghurt. Ah, dairy, sweet dairy.
She rather carelessly tossed the rest of the packet back into her fridge, and closed the door, whilst throwing the contents of the pot down her throat barbarically.
"You're a self-destructive liar."
Rainbow tossed the empty pot into the bin ruthlessly. "It's not lying if I make it work, though."
Rainbow looked out of her window, but instead of peering down at the ground, instead she looked up at the sky.
Fluffy clouds... blue sky... What does AJ see in it? It's so boring.
She recalled Applejack's words from earlier. "Well, down here, there's always' somethin' interesting up in the sky."
Rainbow shook her head derisively. "No way. Not even she would be that corny."
I wouldn't mind if she was, though... if she cares enough to throw a fridge at me... Wait, no, that sounded wrong.
Rainbow rested her head against the side of her fridge. The plastic was warm from rejecting the heat inside, and made her fur sweaty, causing her to slip down the side of it slightly. This is not the best way to think, she thought. I need to slow down... take five, and be honest with myself for a change. What do I want?
"Rainbow!" came a faint voice from below her house, causing Rainbow to become instantly alert. "Rainbow, I wanna' talk!"
Rainbow Dash knew it was Applejack, even though it was almost impossible to recognize her voice from this far up. She shot through her window (doors were for wimps) and circled the house until she saw her friend.
"I'm here!"
As Rainbow glided down towards the farmpony, Applejack continued shouting. "Rainbow, I lied!"
No matter how many times she tried it, she always failed. The lines just kept on looking empty and hollow, like they had no substance. Rainbow gave an exasperated groan and threw her pencil away, where it landed a few feet to her left on the bed.
"I hate drawing ponies," she exclaimed. A dozen crumpled sheets of paper were strewn around her. Each of them a failed drawing.
Rainbow closed her eyes for a second. She had long since come to terms with her inability to draw sky, but drawing ponies was a basic requirement for any artist, and it was a skill that kept eluding her. But she wanted to manage it... she wanted it so badly...
"Okay... what do I want to draw?" she asked herself. After a brief moment's thought, she shrugged. "It's not like she'll ever find out..."
Rainbow didn't need a picture or photograph: she was already perfectly familiar with the pony in question. Rainbow stuck her tongue out as she drew... a few tweaks here and there would be fine, she thought. After all, that hat really got in the way of that mane sometimes... which was really pretty, when you stopped to think about it.
"I'm not sure I heard that correctly. You said you what?" Rainbow asked as she got closer, flying down as quickly as she could without letting the wind drown out Applejack's words.
"I lied! I made a promise I can't keep!"
Rainbow's hooves touched the ground, and she broke into a trot. "You... what?"
"I think you were right," Applejack continued. "I want t'know what it's like to be 'alternatively realistic'."
I don't get it, Rainbow thought.
"...and?"
Applejack took a deep breath. "I've decided I want more. I'm afraid I've never wanted anything because I was afraid I'd never be able to have it."
Did this mean...
"I want more than what I know I can have. Years ago, somepony lied to me, but not 'cause they wanted to disrespect me, or 'cause they were afraid... I think they just wanted to change what were' true. And I want that: I want to be more than just a farmer, more'n a sister, more'n a reliable pony. I want to be an entrepreneur, a parent, an' a lover."
Rainbow widened her eyes... You're preaching to the choir, Applejack... that's exactly what I think.
But she still wasn't done.
"...and I want you. And you said yourself that you want everythin'... so I know you want me back," Applejack told her bravely. "I hate you lyin' to me so much because you're the one pony I never want to have any secrets with."
She wants me? Really? She'd change herself just for me? Rainbow wondered.
She wants it all... and I want to be closer to that kind of drive and ambition... she's brilliant... Applejack thought.
"So? How about it?" Applejack asked, swallowing her fears and doubts with one almightly gulp.
Rainbow replied by lunging forwards and kissing her, right on the lips.
I was telling the truth when I said I wanted everything: this is me, taking what I want.
Applejack felt the corners of her mouth curl upwards as they locked together: the feeling was electric, exiting, new... and the smell... Rainbow smelled of water and oxygen, like a breath of fresh air. A gorgeous lie, tricking her into believing the kiss would last forever.
Perhaps she was too aggressive, too forceful... but she didn't care: it still felt perfect. When she pulled away, Rainbow grinned goofily, blushing furiously.
"Having fun yet?" she asked, trying to distract her partner from her own awkwardness.
"Not enough," Applejack confessed.
"Just wait 'till your promises start catching up with you," Rainbow told her. "What was the phrase you used? 'Drive yourself into the ground'?"
Applejack shrugged. "Well, we can always head into trouble together, right?"
"And get ourselves out again."
Both ponies then nuzzled each other before tumbling clumsily onto the grass, causing both to laugh out loud at themselves. And there they lay.
The End & The Beginning
Author's Note
And here it is! My entry to the Hearts and Hooves thing deal that has a name that's far too big on the EqD. I have NO idea if this'll get in, or how anything works... but I'll give it a shot anyhow.
EDIT: it did get in. Now excuse me, it'll be a few decades for my ego to return to a manageable size, so you might want to be careful around me for a while. SO FREAKIN' HAPPY!
Given the time this was written in, I'd love to say that it's as good as I want it to be... but the deadline this was written for was pretty darn tight, and I'm not sure I was able to fix everything. That said, I'm still incredibly proud of this, and I'd never have published if I didn't believe in it. It just means I'm a little less confident than usual that I won't confuse my readers, considering that I confuse myself sometimes.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed this. Please like, comment, favourite... all the things you want to do, do 'em. And have a great Valentines with whoever you decide to spend it with.
Me, I have a very special date with a very special bottle of beer... Have a good one!
