Fading Colors - A Tenth Anniversary Re-Telling

Many beams of golden light touched a darkened sky and mixed shades of blues into purples and reds. The light of the evening sun radiated across the Sweet Apple Acres’ landscape to create a scene of breathtaking beauty akin to that of a Vincent Van Whinny painting.

Two friends; one fuzzy, blue, and flighty with a mane of color that rivaled the picturesque landscape hovered in perfect grace above the earth. The other; made of the earth, sported a muted orange coat, blonde mane, and piercing green eyes. She reached up to adjust a worn-out, brown stetson that was as much a part of her as the cutie mark on her flank.

The pair of ponies faced east against the dying light. Their shadows extended out over the innumerable blades of dew-laden grass and into the rows of apple trees like featureless giants. A warm wind blew briskly over the scene carrying dagger-like chills of a distantly approaching autumn. Their manes danced in unison in the breeze. The movement caught the attention of the earth pony. She glanced from the pegasus to their shadows and fidgeted with her hat once more.

“Would you mind setting down just a minute Rainbow? I swear the ground ain’t gonna kill you, Sugarcube,” said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash obliged without acknowledgement, and touched down beside her friend. Meanwhile, Applejack exhaled a drawn out sigh, her eyes scanned the landscape for something, for anything to steal her attention. From right to left she cast her gaze across row upon row of apple tree with their perfect branches and their perfect apples.

For a time she rested her attention upon her homestead on the far end of the orchard. A structure built of the earth from wood, metal, and paint. It was not, however, the material substance, nor the protective shelter from the harsh elements of nature that made her homestead appear to her as it did in that moment - comforting, protecting, loving - no, what made the structure a home were the generations of hard working salt of the earth folk who came before her. Who sacrificed with love in their hearts and tender dedication in their souls to build something greater than themselves that would benefit every generation of Apple to come. This feeling could not be seen from simple observation, but rather, it had to be felt in the heart. And felt it was. By Applejack. By every Apple that inhabited the orchard before her, and even though it was not a physical object, it was not any less real than the structure itself.

Applejack exhaled through her nostrils and nodded at nobody in particular. She withdrew her emerald eyes from her home and turned her attention to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, I… I got something to tell you," said Applejack as she unconsciously adjusted her hat. She watched Rainbow Dash shift back and forth. She could sense an uncomfortable tension in the air, and she did not like that one bit.

The pegasus’s brow furrowed before she spoke. "Well, duh! That's why you told me to meet you here, remember?" said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack had not forgotten why it was that she had asked Rainbow Dash to meet her at the farm, but as the moment approached its crescendo, all the words that she had planned to say had melted away. A sudden gust of wind sent a chill up Applejack's spine causing her hair to stand on end. She twitched awkwardly, and instantly her cheeks enflamed with embarrassment. She glanced to Rainbow Dash, and as their eyes met the chill was washed away by a warm sea of magenta.

Her knees had become weak, and her posture sunk away sheepishly. She was never one to let her emotions get the best of her, yet as she began to speak, her heart pounded faster than if she had run through White Tail Wood.

"Rainbow, promise me we'll still be friends after I tell you this?" said Applejack, their eyes lingered.

Applejack observed as Rainbow cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. It faltered momentarily before she spoke, "Applejack, I'll always be your friend, no matter what," said Rainbow Dash, a gentle smile spread across her face.

As Applejack’s nerves settled, Rainbow Dash swung around to her side and draped a wing over her friend. She felt the warm, soft, blue feathers of Rainbow Dash wrap around her body like a blanket. Her eyes drifted shut as she succumbed to feelings of comfort, protection, and love.

"C'mon, Applejack -” Rainbow Dash flashed a confident smirk “- if something's on your mind, you can tell me. I'm sure it can't be so bad that it would make me hate you," said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack’s cheeks burned from within as her thoughts had grown hopeful. Her eyes followed the features of Rainbow’s face: her brash smile, her fuzzy blue cheeks, her petite nose, and finally her deep magenta eyes. When Applejack gazed into those confident eyes of Rainbow Dash, she was struck with a sense of belonging. A sense of home.

For a time she stood there, under the protective wing of Rainbow Dash, lost in a sea of magenta with no doubts about the future, or regrets from the past. Time simply did not exist for Applejack; it was a moment that she was content to live in forever.

Applejack shook her head - and much to her disappointment - the fantasies melted away. She wondered how long they spent locked eye-to-eye. It could not have been too long she thought, as much to her surprise, Rainbow Dash did not seem to mind.

Applejack clenched her eyes shut and swallowed the lump in her throat. Without hesitation she blurted, "Rainbow… I’m in love with you.”

All was silent while Applejack braced herself with baited breath. An eerie silence lingered in the air and Applejack wanted to scream. She felt faint as her heart pounded on the walls of her chest as if it were a prisoner. Faster and faster with each passing second. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak and Applejack could take no more. her lungs threatened to collapse and stars began to encroach as her vision tunneled. She went to stumble but felt Rainbow Dash’s wing tighten around her waist to steady her.

Rainbow Dash broke the silence, "Applejack… I… Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!"

The first beams of the morning sun poured through Applejack’s bedroom window like a great golden sea. The rooster had just begun its morning song when Applejack had awoken from her dream.

With a flurry of orange hooves, she sprang upright in a desperate attempt to breathe. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. Her heart pounded in her chest. Sweat dripped from her brow and her straw-blonde mane was matted against her face. Her body shook as she buried her face into her forehooves.

She stayed that way for minutes after she had calmed down. With her breathing under control and her heart returned to normal, she wiped her mane clear of her face and lethargically slid out of bed. On her way out of the room she stopped to grab her stetson before proceeding down the hall and into the bathroom.

Once there she ran some water from the tap and splashed the icy-cold liquid against her face. It was brisk, sharp like a knife’s edge, but exactly what she needed to help her wash away her disheveled appearance.

She glanced up at the mirror in front of her. An earth pony stared back at her. An earth pony with a muted orange coat, a straw-blonde mane and dull green eyes. She sighed at the reflection, donned her worn-out, brown stetson and quickly whisked her way out of the bathroom.