A Soldiers Story: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The morning dew settled onto the quiet grass of early morning. The world itself was still asleep, while the sun barely peaked above the horizon. In a few hours, the world would be bustling and on the move again. But not now, in these tranquil hours of predawn, the world itself was at peace.

But not for John.

His legs flared in pain as he ran along the dirt road. His gasping breaths were the only noise that could be heard in this early morning. His eyes were glued to the winding path, as he traveled along the wet grass. John had always enjoyed early morning runs, even during his time at basic down in Georga.

The cool air filled his lungs as the morning sun barely peaked over the horizon. He was near the end of his 5-mile run as the terrain changed back to a straight dirt path. The trees begin to change from a deep sea of green to a vast swath of apple trees. He looked up at the apples as the thought of breakfast entered his mind. Perhaps he could have a nice apple pie when he met with Rainbow this morning.

The thought of the prismatic pegasus brought a smile to his face. It really was nice of her to show him around the town. After all, if you’re going to defend something, then you might as well know what it even is that you are defending. He was thinking about where Dash was going to take him when he began to approach a wooden gate.

Leaning on said gate was that farmgirl that he had met the first day he was here. She was munching on an apple as she leaned on the white paint of the wood. She wore exactly what you would expect from a farmer. She wore a tight pair of short jeans, accenting her excellent rear while also showing off her cutie mark; three red apples against the orange backdrop of her fur. Her flannel shirt was tied into a knot around her chest, barely containing her mammaries. Her stetson was tilted down, as she gazed longingly at the empty road.

As grew closer, he could hear her softly humming, as she slowly chewed on the apple in her hand. He looked at his watch and concluded that he had plenty of time to spare. So, when he was about ten feet from her, he slowed his running to a jog as he announced himself to the farm mare. “Early bird?” he asked the mare, getting her attention from her morning breakfast.

She smiled as she replied, “You could say so. ‘Cept that would mean that you are one as well.”

“Guilty as charged,” he simply replied. Coming to a halt in front of her, he took a few deep breaths as he felt his heart rate slow to normal levels. After all, after a long run, it was good to catch his breath. “I’m surprised that you’re not doing farm chores right now. Wouldn’t this be the best time to get it done?”

“Well, I was doing it, but can you blame a mare for getting hungry?”

“No… no I don’t believe I could.”

“Exactly,” she finished as she took yet another bite from her apple. Small trailers of juice dripped from her mouth, trickling through the orange fur on her chin. Her green eyes looked at him, and he noticed a small smirk growing on her face. “Say, ah suppose you’re probably hungry Sugar. Y’all want to stop by and have some breakfast?”

“I’d love to Ms. Applejack, but I’m already having breakfast with Rainbow this morning. She wants to show me around town today.” John announced.

“Oh…” Applejack said, her smile faltering temporarily, “That’s a shame. I feel like we haven’t gotten the chance to get to know eachother.” She looked away from him, a strong flush of embarrassment flushing her cheeks. She had heard about his dinner last night from a surprisingly cocky Rarity, so she knew she'd have to arrange some kind of meal for the two of them. "Still, I guess I have the advantage of it just being the two of us," Applejack thought.

John smiled as he put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll swing around sometime. I promise you that.”

She smiled as she softly spoke, “Then I’ll hold you to it Sugar.” He smiled at her and began to walk away from her, presumably to finish up his run. However, before he could get far, he heard Applejack call to him, “Hey, hold up Sugar!” Turning around, he was surprised to see an apple flying toward him. Catching it in mid-air, he held the red fruit with curiosity. It had a particular shine to it as the morning rays of the sun glistened in the distance. He looked back at her, who was now brandishing a small smirk, as she said, “It’s for the road Sugar. Just because y’all have breakfast doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a snack!”

He looked at the apple, tossing it between his hands. Smiling at the orange mare, he nodded his head as he said, “Thank you.” Then, taking a large bite from the red fruit, he continued on his way back. He smiled as the sweet taste of the apple assaulted his taste buds, making this a new favorite of his.

As he walked away, Applejack looked on with envy. Rainbow was certainly one lucky mare to score a fantastic breakfast with that man. She sighed as she watched the man’s figure slowly fade into the distance. She knew full well that she didn’t know much about him, but from what she heard about in Canterlot, she knew that he was a great man. In fact, she was staring at the horizon for so long, she didn’t even notice someone walk behind her.

For a moment, Applejack couldn’t sense their presence, but they quickly made themselves known. “Whatcha doin' sis?” the voice asked. With a startled jump, Applejack quickly turned around at the owner of the voice.

Standing there in a simple white t-shirt and blue overalls, Apple Bloom looked at her sister in confusion. She had been acting like this for a couple of days now, ever since that strange creature had come to town. She’d seem distant when she was working, and she kept looking down the road towards Ponyville. While she did have her suspicions, she decided to finally confirm them. “For land's sake Apple Bloom! Don’t scare me like that!”

“What? It’s not my fault that you didn’t hear me coming.” She then walked next to her sister, leaning on the fence the same way Applejack was. “Besides, from what I saw, you have a good reason for being distracted.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Applejack muttered.

“It’s that creature isn’t it?” She asked, looking down the road where he had been just a few short moments ago. “Heh, no wonder you’re in such a tizzy, you like him!”

“Bloom, what kind of nonsense is that?” Applejack countered, “He’s just a good friend.”

“From how you were looking at him, I think you want him to be a little more than just a ‘friend’.”

“Bloom!” Applejack cried, a sharp blush accenting her orange cheeks, “That’s got nothing to do with ya! He’s a dear friend of mine and I do not think of him like that.”

“Aaand that’s a lie” Bloom pointed out, “Come on sis! You know that you can’t hide the truth from me. Besides, you can trust me.” She then leaned closer to her flustered sister as she whispered, “So, what is it then?”

A long moment of silence passed between them as Apple Bloom wanted for an answer. Finally, her sister softly mumbled, “Ok… mabey I do like him a bit.”

Her sister smiled with delight as she backed off from her sister, “That’s all I wanted to hear sis.” She then turned back around and slowly sauntered back off into the woods. “Oh, by the way, make sure you finish your part of the orchard. I remember how mad Granny got last time and I do NOT want to go through that again.”

Continuing to look back down the road, Applejack steadied the stetson on her head. If she wanted to have him, she knew there would be a fight. Rarity and Rainbow both wanted him, so she’d have to bring her A game, and as she turned back towards the orchard, a plan began to form in her head.