A Revolution [ In Love ]

--- Act Two - Chapter Four --- A Friend Lost, A Brother's Arms.

Somebody informed me that there are no hospitals in the show, just tents. I know. From the Apple-bucking season episode where AJ and Pinkie ( Mostly AJ ) make bad cupcakes.

Well, in response....Deal with it.

--

The winds of Equestria were crisp and- *Crackle*

Everything was disoriented- *Crackle*

She dazed in and out of consciousness- *Crackle*

Applejack ran beside her, all her thoughts- *Crackle*

Nopony else could have made Dash happier.

-- One hour prior --

Sunlight glinted across Applejack's eyes as she stirred lightly, something restraining her slightly.

She blinked a few times.

'I'm in Big Macintosh's room!' she realized. It was true.

Across the walls, plaques and certificates, as well as photos, draped every square inch. On a desk against the far wall of the bed she was laying in, there stood a small trophy of a Pony holding a bushel of vegetables on it's back. The Best Young Farmer's Award.

She had always been zealous of that award, and it drove her to do her best every year.

She looked through her window, and saw the sun peaking over the acres of apple trees. The previous night dawned on her just as the sun's light swept across her room.

-- Three hours prior --

Dash awoke as she felt something jab her, and tumble her onto her side. She looked to that side, just in time to dodge a hoof from colliding with her face.

Dash barrel rolled to her side ( peppy would be so proud ) and stood, wings extended. Applejack rose and ran at her, shoulder first, trying to ram her.

Dash flew into the air, somewhere even Applejack couldn't get her.

" Get back down here! I'm not done with ya'! " Applejack yelled, scraping her fore hoof across the ground angrily.

" What the HAY is wrong with you!? " Dash yelled at her friend, clueless as to why she was being assaulted.

" You done an' got me ruined! I KNOW you did it on purpose! " she screamed back, acid dripping in her voice.

Dash thought. " I don't know what you're talking about! " she finally replied.

" Can it, Wing-Fer'-Brains! Get down here and face me like a REAL mare!"

Dash took some offense at the ' Wing-For-Brains ' comment. " What happened? " Dash asked, lowering to the ground, at a hover a few feet from Applejack.

" Big Mac come an' found us on his walk! Said you told 'em to come ta' this here field t'night! " Applejack said, stomping her hoof.

Dash thought again. She did vaguely remember telling Big Mac something about see fields... What was it...

The memory sparked in her mind. " The grass! " she blurted out.

Applejack was slightly taken aback from the change in topic.

" Say what now...? " Applejack asked quizzically.

" The grass. It makes waves with the wind. I noticed it on my way to CloudsDale. I told him about it after we went out for some Sarsaparilla to celebrate winning the Best Young Fliers Award. " she explained.

Applejack thought a moment. " That's a crock-a-sour-apples. " she said, staring seemingly into the recesses of Dash's very soul.

Applejack remembered charging at the rainbow pony, and tackling her to the ground. She remembered the tears. She remembered all the aspects of her life that might change if this got out. She remembered collapsing.

She remembered Rainbow Dash.

-- Fifty five minutes prior --

Applejack slowly stepped out of his bed, walking to the desk against the far wall of the room.

Curiously, she opened the top left drawer, and in it lay three items. A hat, a bundle of Bluegrass, and a small photo album.

Applejack wondered where her brother had slept, seeing this was his room.

" What'cha doin' there, Sis? " A deep voice asked from behind her.

Applejack jumped, and turned to see her brother Big Mac smiling lightly at her.

" Oh, sorry! I ah, just curiosity, I reckon. " She said, crossing her forehooves.

Big Mac smiled, walked to the desk, and took the hat and bundle out of the drawer. He placed the cap on his head, and pulled a strand of bluegrass out of the bundle, chewing on the end of it lightly.

Replacing the bundle to it's original resting place, Big Mac pulled out the album for Applejack, offering it, as he closed the drawer.

Applejack quizzically accepted, sitting on the side of her brother's large bed. Big Mac sat beside her.

" It ain't much, but I reckon' that means each one's got just that much more value. " he said, nodding at her to open it.

She opened it to the first page, and a magazine lay inside.

" Sexy Mares Monthly?! " Applejack yelled, dropping the album, as well as her jaw.

" Oh! Mah' bad, i've been lookin' fer' that actually... " He stopped, seeing Applejack's expression.

" I mean, uh, I... Uh... " Big Mac put on his poker face. " Eeee'yup. "

Applejack simply slapped her face with her hooves and shook her head. (*Facehoof*) " Ah' REALLY, did not need to see that... " She said.

Big Mac picked the album off the floor, kicking the magazine under his bed, to be used some other time.

Re-opening the book, another magazine fell out.

" Aw, what the hay Big Mac! " Applejack looked away.

" What? It ain't no cloppin' m'terial Sis. " He said.

Applejack looked, and it was a copy of 'Farming Monthly! All the Tools You'll Ever Need in One Big Monthly Catalog!'

Kicking that under the bed as well, the mood utterly ruined, Big Mac pointed out the first few pictures.

" That's Ma' and Pa' " He pointed. Applejack's ears perked slightly, looking at the picture, she saw it was from three years ago, Applejack had been a filly. They looked so very pristine despite being only nineteen years granny smith's youth.

" Ah' sure do miss em' " Applejack said quietly.

Big Mac nodded his agreement, and turned to the next page.

" There's us. And lil' Apple Bloom. "

"Gosh, she's gone an' grown. " Applejack said equally as lightly.

Big Mac again, nodded his agreement.

The next few pages was of various days of awards and special occasions for big Mac. They discussed a few, but it was all empty words.

Big Mac flipped the page, and Applejack looked at her senior.

" What's this all 'bout, Big Mac? " She asked.

Big Mac sighed.

" You an' yer friends are closer than any ponies I reckon I could think of. I wanna talk to ya' bout last night. " He sighed lightly, Applejack said nothing, slightly ashamed.

" You got no business goin' round and makin assumptions bout' yer friends. Rainbow Flash- "

"Dash." Applejack corrected.

" Rainbow Dash- " He continued, " Caught me on my walks one night. She was flyin' some fancy trick or other, and came down with me. We had a mighty nice conversation an' all, but she talks a bit too much 'bout them Wonderbolts. She was sayin how they- "

" Anyways... " Applejack tried to hurry the subject along.

" Right. She told me next time I go out for a walk, I might wanna check out the Frolick'in fields, said they looked mighty fine at night. What I didn't expect to see was her an' mah' lil' Sis, eh, you know what happened. " he went on,

" Wait... " Applejack started. " What happened? I don't reckon I can remember much more than see'in you at the edge of the field lookin at me funny after dash an' I... " She paused, and Big Mac nodded.

" Reckon' ya also remember sluggin Dash a good one for thinking she set ya' up for whatever reason you were thinkin? And why did you get so upright an' mad 'bout it? " Big Mac asked.

" I don't know... " Applejack's head lowered, and her eyes pooled in tears.

" Well- " He went on, " Dash up an' flew of cryin, an' you just collapsed. I carried ya' back here. "

Applejack's head bobbed up. " So... Dash didn't.... " The realization struck her. " Oh mah' stars... What've I done! " She fell onto the bed and cried her eyes out, Big Mac holding her comfortingly.

" Yer fine Sis, just need 'ta go an' apologize t'yer friend. " he said quietly.

After a moment of recollecting her composure, Applejack nodded her head lightly.

" Like Ma used ta' say, ' Friends are all we got in this life, don't lose any of em' " Big Mac recited, pulling a memory from the back of his mind, the thought of their mother saddening him.

" I... Thanks, Big Mac... " Applejack kissed his cheek, and Big Mac's face turned redder.

" Shucks, I just don't wanna see you losin' yer friend over somethin' this silly. " He thought a moment. " And just outta curiousity, was she... Yer' first? " He questioned.

" ....Yeah... " Applejack responded. ' and hopefully my only... ' she thought.

" Well, what're you waitin' fer? Go! " Big Mac told her sister.

Applejack smiled and, with renewed invigoration, she started the long dash to, well, Dash's home.

Applejack didn't know what she would do, or how she would do it, but she knew she had to. For Dash and herself.

" I ain't done with you yet, you rapscallion! " Dash yelled, as she ran out of the orchard gates.

-- Current Time --

" Dash, please! " Somepony pleaded from the ground.

Somewhere in the outskirts of Ponyville a cloud home, or more accurately, a mini fortress, sat gloriously in the airspace. The only resident of the home, Rainbow Dash, was going through a self-induced depression, locking herself from everybody, including HER.

She lay on her bed of cloud, incapable of removing herself from a fetal position. Her tears starting to darken the 'material' as it was absorbed into the structure.

No response emitted from the rainbow pony.

" Please Dash! " Applejack yelled again. " At least come outside! Ah' wanna talk! "

" I'll use Twilight's balloon! " Pinkie told Applejack.

Applejack nodded. If any pony could help Applejack, it was Pinkie. That was why she and Twilight/Spike were the only reasons she stopped running right to dash.

" Okey-Dokey-Lokey! Let's go! " Pinkie yelled.

Applejack and Twilight turned around to an inflated hot air balloon.

The two had long since stopped asking Pinkie how she made objects ( and occasionally herself ) appear out of nowhere, and got in.

" I need my- " Twilight stopped and levitated a book on the floor of
The balloon. " Never mind. " Pinkie smiled wider.

Twilight read a page of her book, and her horn glowed. After a moment, the energy released from her horn, enveloping the three ponies.

After a moment, the balloon was at Dash's doorstep, barely missing two Rainbow Falls.

" Okay, we're good. " Twilight said.

" No. " Applejack said. " Thanks guys, but I think... I might actually need to do this alone... "

Nopony said anything, as applejack hopped out of the balloon, and walked to the giant front doors.

" I'm comin' in, Rainbow, like it or not! " Applejack yelled.

Dash wanted to yell so badly. To rid herself of applejack forever, but she didn't. She just lay in her bed, inert.

She didn't move. Partially because she didn't want to, partially because of the empty bottle of Tylenol lying on the ground...

-- End ch.4 --