Chapter one: Fire
Applejack
This place was always special to her. Here her dad taught her how to swim. Her mom taught her the names of the constellations. And of course, this is where she met her, that Rainbow maned Pegasus that had entered her life and turned it upside down.
She was about to turn around, head to sugarcube corner to meet Rainbow Dash, as she always did on Friday. But today, she would invite Rainbow home for a slice of pie, and confess her feelings over that pie. It was a big risk, but after seeing how happy her brother was with Fluttershy, she was willing to risk much to feel the same.
The couple had been together for about two years, quietly enough that most of town didn't know, when her brother proposed. It was in a quiet way, not too over the top. In fact, he was actually late to that date because he lost the ring!
βOn that note,β she said aloud,β I had best be on my way home. Wouldn't do to be late!β
She left the lake at a trot, heading towards the farmhouse. As she walked she recalled memories more befitting of the time of year, of fall and harvest. Her first apple bucking lesson from her mother, of helping make cider and bake with granny smith, and her home coming. And of course, the night she met Rainbow. She had just lost her parents, and things seemed so grim, when she first saw that Pegasus up in one of the trees...
It had been a long day for her. Between her chores and helping Granny Smith care for her little sister, she was exhausted. So, she had decided to relax, before she came unhinged.
As she sat by the lake, she sighed and looked up at the sky, watching the fading sunlight create beautiful patterns on the clouds
"Mom, Dad, if you're up there, I could use some help."
She then smiled. Normally, this kind of out loud thought never made her feel any better, but this time, this time she felt better.
She sat by the lake for several minutes, enjoying the peace of the place. She had just turned to go when she noticed a streak of rainbow hair, messy and tangled, hanging above the path back to the farm house. Her curiosity got the best of her, and decided to investigate. As she neared the tree, her gaze followed the hair up until she realized she was looking at the tail of a pony. Further inspection revealed this pony to be a pegasi, with a pretty rainbow mane.
Paying more attention to this stranger than her own whooves, she stepped on a twig. In an instant, the stranger was awake, head turning side to side, seeking the source of the sound. With the stranger's head lifted, AJ could see her ribs clearly, practically able to count them.
"Down here." Applejack said, feeling sorry for the stranger.
"What do you want!" Spat the stranger angrily.
"Well, I saw you up there, and was wondering if you need a place to stay?"
"Seriously. No 'get off my land,' or 'I'm calling the police?"
"No, I'm sure my granny won't mind taking somepony in for a short while."
"And your parents?"
"They're..." AJ trailed off, unable to find words.
"Oh... Um, sure, I'd love to accept your invitation."
She climbed down from the tree, and once on the ground she introduced herself
"I'm Rainbow Dash"
"I'm Applejack, nice to meet you"
They walked down the path together, into the gathering night...
She was jarred from her reminiscences by a sudden, recognizable smell.
SMOKE
Rainbow Dash
It was just another Friday, the weather was light, and Rainbow Dash thinking more about her later meal with AJ than her work.
Tonight was the big night. For several years, she had met with AJ after work each Friday. Always, she tried to confess her feeling. Yet she couldn't find the courage to air her feelings openly. Of course, Pinkie pie figured it out the first night, and she was setting up the best romantic night she could. Candles, music, all the mushy stuff. She had even gotten permission to close up sugar cube corner early, so that, with the cakes out of town, it would just be her, AJ, and Pinkie, who had promised to stay out of their way.
That left AJ. Rainbow hid it, but she was worried. What if AJ wasn't into mares, or worse, what if she wasn't into her! What if she laughed at her and the world exploded!
With little to do, her lack of focus was not much of a problem. As her mind wandered, she remembered the running of the leaves. Truth be told, she wouldn't have minded losing to AJ, though she knew that giving anything but her best would probably come off as an insult. And then there was the night they first met, in the orchard.
she had just run away from home, from that horrid place... No, the memory was still to vivid.
Allowing her mind to wander, she became aware of a smell unlike any she could recall. It reminded her of Winter. Yes of cold winter's nights, sitting next to a...
FIRE
The realization snapped into her head, and she returned to the present. Looking down, she realized that she was over sweet apple acres, and what she saw next took her breath away, but not from wonder. No this was from fear. The farm house was on fire.
Rainbow prided herself on her ability to keep calm, and this situation was no different. She quickly remembered her weather team training, and rushed off to find a cloud, all the while praying that no pony was hurt. The cloud was a distance off, and even more frustrating was the fact that she had to go slowly, to keep the cloud from disintegrating. Few non-pegasi understand how fragile clouds actually are. After what seemed like an eternity, the cloud was finally in position. Then came the next frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the cloud to give up so much as a drop. Contrary to popular belief among the other kinds, the Pegasi never installed magic faucets in the clouds. they had to literally jump up and down on the clouds to force out water. And sometimes clouds just wouldn't give. Rainbow gave no heed to the arrival of the others, or of the conversation below. It was all drowned out by a stream of profanities that would give rarity a heart attack, and the ever growing panic in her mind. For, she hadn't noticed that Applejack was below.
Finally, weather from Rainbow's unceasing blows or the character assassination of it and it's nonexistent mother, the cloud finally gave in, releasing it's water on the fire. It was now, after this effort, that she finally saw AJ, restrained from running into the still hot embers by her close friends. Relieved, she collapsed on to the cloud.
Her rest was short lived. Soon, she saw an orange blur pass under her exhausted cloud, and shortly after it streaked back out. She worked up the strength to follow.
From above, she could tell that AJ was burdened, in part because, as exhausted as she was, AJ should easily out pace her. Looking closer, Rainbow saw that AJ was carrying Apple bloom, and her thoughts went to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and she hoped they were okay. Rainbow, rarely a religious pony, found herself praying for the young filly. As entered ponyville, Rainbow pulled on her last strength as she flew into ponyville and followed her crush into the hospital.
