Un-picked apples had a scent distinct from their overly ripened counterparts. The apples you bought at the market and brought home smelled way too sweet. The ones here in the trees gave off a more even tempered aroma.
Rainbow Dash took in a deep breath and savored the scent, ignoring the small tree knot digging into her left flank. Sure, it was annoying, bordering on painful, but compared to the comfort she felt here, it was irrelevant. Truly, there was no place she would rather be.
The best part was a particular sound of the orchard.
It was not the rustling of leaves, calming as that might be. It was not the chirps of the birds, peaceful as they were. The best sound was a trifecta of notes forming a most glorious melody.
A soft grunt, a cracking thud, and a turbulent patter.
When Rainbow heard that sound, all was right with the world.
A smile on her face, Rainbow Dash shifted slightly and rested her head on the pillow she'd brought. The branch swayed gently under her weight, as if rocking her. In no time at all, the mare was off to sleep.
When Rainbow Dash awoke, she was falling. She didn't have time to unfurl her wings. Instead, with an unceremonious "oof," she landed in a small basket and was soon after pelted with freshly-felled apples from above.
"Sake's alive, Dash! Are you alright?"
The pegasus looked in the direction of the voice with blurred vision, but she made out an orange figure with a golden mane and stetson hat.
"I'm good," Dash said. "Nowhere near the worst fall I've ever had."
The other mare helped Dash up to her hooves, and looked her over.
"Hold out yer wings," she said. "I wanna make sure ya didn't crack a bone."
"I'm fine," said Rainbow Dash, even as she complied. Her wings unfurled and her friend looked them over. Applejack's hoofs were rough from years of hard work, yet they moved across Dash's wings with care and softness. The pegasus could feel each bone being checked, every ligament run over.
The Earth pony sighed in relief. "Okay, I don't think ya broke nothin'." Then, her expression changed to annoyance.
"Consarnit! If I've told ya once, I've told ya a thousand times: When I get in the zone, I don't check to make sure every tree doesn't have a Rainbow Dash waiting to get bucked out of it. It's like runnin' into a construction zone without a hard hat."
Rainbow Dash smiled. "A construction zone without a hard hat? That's not much of a country-ism."
"It ain't no country-ism, but it's the truth. One of these days, instead of you dustin' yerself off like a pair of work boots, I'm gonna be runnin' ya off to Ponyville General and you'll have no one to blame but yerself."
"Yeah, well, you're not gonna buck this one twice. I think I can go back to napping safely enough." She gave a soft bounce and unfurled her wings to fly back up into the tree, only to realize that her tail had been stepped on and to suddenly come flopping back to the ground.
"Don't you dare, missy. This time was the last time. I'm tellin' you to skedaddle. No more nappin' in my trees."
"What?!"
"Ske-daddle. Ya don't gotta go home, but ya can't stay here. It's too dangerous."
Rainbow Dash's heart rate increased. Even the worst fall she'd ever taken hadn't filled her with the adrenaline and fear that now coursed through her veins.
Napping in trees let her experience life in this orchard. What would it mean if she were banished from the singular place she wanted to be most of all?
"But, AJ, I've been taking naps here for years. It's not dangerous! I've never even gotten hurt."
"Never gotten hurt badly, sure, but ya have gotten hurt. Ya might not think a bump here or a bruise there is a problem, but ya don't know what it feels like to be the one doin' the hurtin' to you."
"Well, it's..." Dash fought for words. Fought for something that she could say that could allow her to maintain the status quo. To let her continue to nap in a place that made her feel so safe. The idea that this orchard was dangerous was absurd. It was the most soothing place in all of Equestria. As long as Applejack was there...
"What is it, Dash?" Applejack exuded annoyance with every syllable.
"I'm... I'm not as comfortable sleeping someplace else." Dash spit out. It was a safe truth. It was a truth that Dash let out in an effort to quiet her heart. Her heart that was begging her to speak the truth. The dangerous truth.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ya can sleep on clouds. Ya can't tell me that ain't more comfortable than a knotty tree branch. I've been on clouds myself."
"But clouds don't have..." Dash bit her tongue. She couldn't do this now. She wasn't ready. Her brain gripped her insides with an iron hoof to keep them from pouring out in front of Applejack. She pointed her face at the ground and shut her eyes for fear that something about her expression might give away everything.
As Applejack waited for a full response, her demeanor began to slowly change. Her anger calmed as she saw Dash begin to shake with nerves. Her frustration melted as she saw the beads of sweat forming on her friend's brow.
"Sugarcube, what's wrong?"
It was a voice so gentle. So honest. So willing to drop everything to take care of somepony she cared about.
It perfectly struck Rainbow's defenses. The voice made her feel so safe. The pony who spoke made her feel so secure. Dash looked up and locked eyes with Applejack. Why was she so afraid? When she was in the orchard with Applejack, all was so right with the world.
"AJ," she said. "Clouds don't have you."
Author's Note
Finding time to write as of late has been hard for me - part of it is life has gotten busy, but part of it is a fear. I think it's a fear that all writers sometimes have - fear that you'll bring something into the world, and it will be rejected. It won't be good enough.
Writing is my only lifelong hobby - the thing I've come back to again and again since before I can remember. And when I'm writing, crafting stories and expressing ideas, I feel content. I feel safe.
I really hope you enjoyed this story. If not, feel free to let me know where I can do better in the future.
Either way, I'm glad I finally put it out there. Thanks for reading!
