The Fruit Falls

    Quill landed by Rainbow and Applejack suddenly enough to make them jump back and prepare for a fight for the briefest moment before they recognized her.

    “Now Quill ya know ya shouldn’t jump at us like that,” Applejack said relaxing.

    “Yeah, we actually fight monsters pretty regularly so-”

    “I need your help, Lime’s missing and I can’t find her,” Quill interrupted, “she’s been missing for almost a whole day.  She,” she stopped to catch her breath and fold her wings, “she didn’t come home last night after we got into an argument.  Have either of you seen her?”

    Applejack and Rainbow looked to each other.  “No, can’t say we have.  We were gonna check on ya both tonight but if ya need us we’ll help ya look right now.  Rainbow, you take the skies and see if there’s any trace.  Quill, check her favorite spots and I’ll ask around.  Somepony has to’ve seen her.”

    Quill and Rainbow nodded and took to the skies separating and beginning their search while Applejack turned and galloped back to town.  Asking a pony every so often she had spread the work to keep an eye out for a lime pegasus with yellow mane who was missing.  Every pony she passed and asked nodded and spread the word until most of the town had knowledge of the missing pegasus within an hour.

    Rainbow met up with Quill and they found Applejack by the town hall standing in front of a small gathering of ponies.

    “We need a search party to check the edges of the Everfree forest.  I’ll head over with Quill to Fluttershy’s place, Rainbow it’s good ta see ya.  You take a couple pegasi and fly over the border while the rest of you check the other end of the town’s borders.  Let’s git, she could be in trouble,” Applejack finished with a stamp of her hoof and the ponies, with a determination in the air, scattered to their designated areas.

    Rainbow and Applejack nodded to each other as Rainbow pointed to five pegasi and they joined her to search the skies.  Applejack turned her attention to Quill as she landed beside her.

    “Just the two of us at Fluttershy’s?  Why?”

    “Well, Ah was thinkin’ that if she’s using she might’ve gone ta get help and ta find her there with so many others might be bad.  I guess I shoulda thought of that before I started a search party but I’d told a dozen ponies already,” she said lowering her head slightly in regret before she stood tall again.

    “No time ta think like that, let’s git.”

    She turned and began to gallop her fastest to Fluttershy’s cottage with Quill behind her.

    “Applejack, I didn’t know you were so fast.  Slow down a little,” Quill said loudly so Applejack could hear over her hooves clopping on the ground.

    “Sorry Sugarcube, when I get goin’ it’s hard ta slow down.  Just try ta go faster.”

    “I’m not Rainbow Dash, I have limits,” Quill replied as she strained her body and focused what little magic she could control into helping her fly a little faster.  It wasn’t much but Applejack was only getting farther away slower than a few seconds before.

    Five minutes later Applejack arrived at the walkway to Fluttershy’s cottage stopping heavily with a cloud of dust rising in her wake.  She swished her tail and adjusted her hat  as she turned back to look for Quill.  Squinting her eyes she made out the pegasus approaching and began to pace back and forth several steps until she arrived.

    “Damnit Applejack, I asked you to slow down,” she said landing and stumbling to a fall landing on her chest.  Applejack helped her up.  “Darn it,” she panted, “I haven’t gone that fast since flight school.  I thought the rumors about you were just rumors.”

    “Well, some are and some aren’t.  We’ll sort those out someday.  C’mon sugarcube, even if she isn’t here her animals might help us look.  A good day of searching and everything’ll be okay.”

    Quill took a dry gulp then nodded exhaling before she took the lead to Fluttershy’s door.  She knocked lightly and waited with Applejack for an answer.

    “Maybe she’s out helping some animals,” Quill suggested as a commotion was heard inside.

    The door opened quickly to show Fluttershy sweating.  “Oh good they found you, come quick.”  Fluttershy turned and opened her wings taking flight up the stairs.

    Quill and Applejack jumped ahead and became lodged in the doorway for a minute scrambling to get in.  Finally free they raced up the stairs after Fluttershy and gasped at what they saw.

    Lime was lying in the same bed Rainbow was such a short time ago only she wasn’t struggling; she was gasping for air and drooling heavily while her body shivered under a light quilt.

    “Did you bring the herbs I asked for?  She’s really sick and we need to help her.”

    “W-what?  What happened?  Why isn’t she at the hospital?!  What are you doing?!” Quill screamed as she lunged to Lime’s side shoving Fluttershy to the floor and out of her way.

    “B-but I just sent Pinkie to find you and Zecora and to bring me herbs,” Fluttershy said standing back up but staying back.  “She crashed outside my front door last night with something in her body, some drug, but she couldn’t tell me what it was, only that she wanted me to help her and she was sorry.  I took her in and I’ve been trying to help her but she’s not doing well at all.”

    Just then the door slammed open downstairs and hurriedly galloping was heard around the downstairs before it moved to the stairway.  Pinkie appeared with saddlebags loaded with herbs and plants.

    “GIRLS!  You’re here.  I looked all over the city for you twice and you were here the whole time?!”  Turning her attention to Fluttershy Pinkie flipped in the air tossing the bags to Fluttershy’s hooves.  “I went to Zecora like you asked and I gathered all the herbs she said I might need, then I grabbed a few plants just in case and I ate one and it wasn’t too bad but here ya go ‘Shy.”

    Fluttershy was already rooting through the bags and pulling out items she could use before she removed a small scroll.  Unrolling it quickly she smiled and looked to Pinkie who was watching with interest.  Taking the bags and scooping up the contents she’d dropped on the floor with her wings she trotted to Pinkie and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

    “Thanks my Pinkie-Winkie,” she said before trotting downstairs careful to not drop anything.

    Quill looked with curious awe at Pinkie then to Applejack.  “Oh Tartarus, you knew about them?” Quill asked Applejack.

    “Pinkie promised, couldn’t tell,” she smiled widely.  Looking back Quill rolled her eyes to see Pinkie was gone.

    “Cats make more noise than her,” Quill huffed as she turned back to lean over Lime and look at her.

    “Lime, I’m sorry sweetie.  If this is because of our fight last night I promise I’ll make it up to you.  Just be okay, please.”

    Time passed and Lime’s condition didn’t change.  Pinkie had stopped the search parties and Rainbow had joined them for a little while before leaving to pack and move into their new home.  Around 9:00 Applejack took her leave and went to their new home.

    Applejack had almost walked back to Sweet Apple Acres before she remembered the move.  A surprise party had been held that she’d missed because she was helping with Lime but she knew everypony would understand.  She turned and took the new path home and made it there at almost 10:00.

She gripped the handle and gave it the light turn and push it needed to open then sighed as she entered the house.  It didn’t feel like home yet but it had new furniture and a really good cleaning by professional cleaners.  All it took was Rainbow to return the toy from the couch to Davenport at his business for him to come to reason and offered to fix the place up.

Applejack walked into the kitchen to see Rainbow sitting on the floor at the table with an empty place and a nearly burnt down candle in front of her.  The only lights in the house were a lantern in the living room and the candle that illuminated Rainbow’s face with its glow casting shadows across her to the ceiling above.

“So, I talked with Twilight and she had Spike pack us a light dinner instead and we’re gonna reschedule a dinner with her after she does a buncha egghead stuff and makes lists and stuff.  Eat up,” Rainbow said pushing a wrapped box to Applejack, “dinner was warm three hours ago.”

Rainbow got up and began to walk to the side door leading to the hallway where the stairs were to their room.

“Wait Rainbow.  Please.  Ah, ah’m sorry I was late and all.  I was really worried is all.”

“You were worried?  You’ve known them and had your parties for ages so I get it but this is our night.  Our night.  We were supposed to be at the surprise party together.  I had to lie, lie for you so Lime wouldn’t get found out.  If anypony asks you were on an emergency request from Zecora.

“Top secret Zebra stuff,” she said turning back to look at Applejack, “so this’ our first night here?  You’re hours late and missed everything,” Rainbow said quietly as she calmed down.  “This was supposed to be the first step in our new lives and now it’s just another day.”

Applejack looked at the food and the candle on the table and sighed in the silence Rainbow had left.  The sound of her hooves clopping on the wooden floor became the only noise as she walked to Rainbow and passed her half way.

“Your cutie mark is beautiful.”

“What?” Rainbow said looking back to Applejack.  Applejack was smiling at Rainbow’s cutie mark.  “What’re ya talking about?”

“Clouds make rain, rain water feeds the plants and the apples I grow.”  She turned and stood beside Rainbow and bumped their cutie marks together causing Rainbow to stumble from the stronger mares touch.  “Without you, I wouldn’t be here in any way.  I never woulda met you or the others.  Never woulda been the element of Honesty.  Never woulda been truly happy.”

Rainbow was flooded with confusion.  “But if you never met me you woulda still met the others.”

Applejack kissed Rainbow on the cheek before nuzzling her.  “No I wouldn’t have.  I’d probably be in Manehattan still.  It was your Rainboom.  Ah realized a while ago Dash, it was your rainbow that led me home.  It was you that kept me here to find you.  Ah know ah done messed up today.

“Lime’s in good hooves and I shoulda left it at that and I swear if I could Ah’d handle it different but now it’s our time.  Ah don’t want our time to be spent mad,” she said siding with Rainbow again and lightly bumping their flanks, “I just wanna be with you.”

Several long seconds of silence permeated the room save for their breathing.  “AJ, how do you do that?  Make me go from mad to sappy in ten seconds flat?”

“Sugarplum, someday I’ll tell ya.  ‘Till then, let’s ferget about cold vittles and get into a hot bed,” she said seductively turning to the doorway.  Rainbow felt a smile creeping across her muzzle again as her heart started beating faster.

“Ah’m okay with that,” Rainbow said turning to blow out the candle.  Rounding the corner she flew to the lantern and blew the light out before hovering and scanning their living room again.  I think today’s been great overall, now to Celestian this house in our name. she thought as a wicked grin crossed her muzzle and she rubbed her hooves together.

Bolting to the stairs she ascended and landed at the top.  Left was their room, right and front were guest rooms.  Looking to the right her mind slipped and a sigh escaped before she turned left and trotted in through the open door to see Applejack lying under the covers leaning on her side and patting Rainbow’s spot on the bed.

“Come ta mama, sugar, we’ve gotta break in these sheets.”