Flying, soaring, swooping with ease. A blissful sight indeed, to see the scenery rushing past with such speed that it all became a green and blue blur. A whirlwind of colours, nature and sky, ripe with laughter and joy. For the day was one of humour, of good natured cheer, as though the world was willing to play a practical joke on whomsoever stepped into it's clutches. All pure nonsense, of course. Nature didn't have a mind of it's own like that. It was controlled, carefully so, by ponies. And in particular, the one pony that dared to be better than all others, demanding the focus of light itself. Cyan wings flared and held, braking in air to cut to a somersault, looping thrice. The air was her domain, speed her element, and everyone knew it.
The rainbow one was happy today. Clutched in her mouth, the prize that she had stolen earlier flopped- A brown felt Stetson hat. Warm to the touch, Rainbow had nicked it from the head of her farm-pony friend as she worked, much to her friendly annoyance, and made off with it. Applejack would come after her when she could get away from the farm, but till then, the hat belonged to Dash. At first, the pegasus had been merely pleased with her catch, but as she slowed her pace and the world became less of a blur, something in her mood shifted. This was Applejack's hat she was holding. It was almost sacred to the orange farm mare, something of immeasurable value. To her knowledge, neither she nor any of her friends had ever asked to hear the story behind it.
Perhaps they had presumed that there was no story to be heard. After all, it was just a hat, right? But no, there was more to it than that. And while she couldn't quite put her hoof on it, something about the worn piece of headwear felt oddly comforting. More than just a hat. Amethyst eyes stared down at the Stetson as the pony slowly came to land on the ground. Applejack never seemed to be without it, yet now it was in Rainbow's possession. Without realising it, the mare had sunken into a comfortable lay, the hat now placed gently in front of her. It really was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and hardy enough to survive the daily toil it suffered. It suited its owner well, thought the pegasus.
Something was rolling within her, an odd feeling as she stared at the hat. In the sun, the warmth had been maintained, as though it was still being worn, and through the meagre contact with the cyan pony, that warmth was spread to her. The sudden urge to fly struck her again, and she grabbed the hat in her mouth, wings spreading, and jumped into the air. A restless energy had burned through her, willing her into action by its desire to be spent, and so off she went again, rocketing above the trees. No silly cloud-spinning today though, just the need to move. Birds squawked angrily at the rush of wind that rocked their trees behind the rainbow blur dodging effortlessly past them. The whole time, her mind was checking that the hat was clenched safely between her teeth.
Why would something as simple as a hat generate such a strong feeling within her? But no, not the hat. There was more to it than that. For all that felt good and warm about it, something was lacking, something incomplete. On its own, it was just a hat. Suddenly, the pegasus screeched to a halt. Of course. With a flip of her jaw, the hat bounced onto her own head, fitting snugly. It brought a broad smile to Rainbow's face, though it still wasn't quite right. The hat was a prize because it was treasured by Applejack. Had it been wrong to take it? Surely the mare would know that it was in safe hooves. Still… The smile faded slightly. Why did she treasure it so much? It was just a hat, after all. It wasn't like she'd be mad at Dash for taking it, right? The thought planted a seed of worry inside the floating pegasus' head, and she slowly floated to the ground again, now out of the forest and hovering over a field of white daisies.
But they were practically best friends! Why would she be mad at Dash? A huff of annoyance escaped Rainbow's mouth, and she kicked at a patch of flowers, knocking them in a flurry of white petals. No no, that would be silly. Even so, Dash couldn't help but feel anger towards the hat perched on her head. Stupid hat. If Applejack really was angry at her… One hoof reached up to knock it off her skull, onto the petal strewn ground. Dash couldn't stand the thought of her friend being mad at her. She hadn't even done anything wrong, so it could hardly be her fault. It had to be the hat's fault then. Even as she went to step on it, something stopped her. It's just a hat. How can it be the hat's fault? Furthermore, why would Applejack be angry at her for making off with her hat? Best friends didn't turn on each other because of silly stuff like that. Rainbow shook her head and bent down to pick it up again, shaking the scattered grass and petals off of the smooth-texture. And again, that feeling of warmth spread through her, a feeling of happiness and acceptance. The hat was beautiful, but it didn't really suit anyone but Applejack. She should probably give it back. Heck, it might even present the chance for Rainbow to finally confess something to the orange mare. Or… maybe not, she blinked, mind filling with doubt again. That time would come. For now, the warmth of the sun and the comforting aura given off by the Stetson calmed her again, just as if her farm friend was there.
Time to go give the hat back. Once more flipping it onto her head with a move so cool it could only be performed by her, Dash turned and shot off again, towards the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, returning to her friend.
