Winds of Change

Winds of Change

Chapter Three

She ran. She ran in an unknown forest. Small twigs and stones were scratching her battered hooves. She was desperately trying to escape the horrible beast that was roaring menacingly behind her while constantly avoiding low hanging branches and rocks that seemingly sprouted in front of her out of thin air. It was dark, so dark that it was impossible to see what was ten feet ahead. The only thing that was clearly visible was a unnaturally bright full moon, peeking from in between the branches.

Rainbow Dash screamed, “HEEEEELP!” Her eyes were wide with terror.

The Pegasus heard the beast’s sonorous roar. She tried to increase the tempo of her escape, but her legs were failing her. Too much strain, even for a pony as athletic as Rainbow. A thought crossed her mind in the midst of her panic.

I have wings! Wings!

Her strength renewed when her hope of escaping returned. Dash extended her wings to their full span and made a ferocious flap, strengthened by fear and hope. However, her wings whipped through the air like a hot knife through butter. Horrified, she looked behind. The view terrified her, in the place of her strong, vibrant blue wings were two smoldering black sticks, showing great resemblance of Pegasus bones. They hung limply on her sides, threatening to fall off. One even still had small flickering flame on it.

A mortified scream was everything that Rainbow could manage out of herself.

She was so shocked and terrified that she failed to notice a large tree root in her path and tripped over it. The blue Pegasus was sent flying into the air. After a few seconds of agonizing flight, she stumbled to the ground. Dash landed on her back, her burnt wings pressing tightly to the mud underneath. The last thing she saw was a pair of red eyes and two rows of deadly sharp fangs that enclosed on her body with a roar that shook the very foundation of the world.

“Cock a doodle doo!”

Rainbow’s eyes shot open as her heartbeat sky rocketed. She jerked her head up in blind panic and lost her balance. She shrieked and grabbed the quilt in last attempt of saving herself but to no avail. As a result, she was sent tumbling down to the feet of her bed with a loud thud. Dash immediately tried to stand up but banged her head on the underside of her nightstand scaring her even further and made a mug fall down and shatter.

Rainbow desperately tried to calm her wrecked nerves while laying under her night table.

It’s OK, that was just a bad dream, just another of those nightmares...

By this time Applejack was waken up by the horrible shriek that resounded in the whole house. She launched her body upwards, startled by her marefriend’s behaviour. Fortunately, she landed back on her bed and not on the floor. She looked around in concern and noticed that Rainbow was missing. She shifted to her marefriend’s place on the bed and took a peek over the edge of the bed. What she saw was a blue Pegasus sprawled on the floor with her eyes clenched tight and her whole body covered with cold sweat.

“Rainbow, are ya alright?” the concerned farmer asked “Did ya have another one of those nightmares darlin’?” She said in a softer voice.

At the sound of her name being spoken Dash tried to get on her shaky hooves. When she succeeded, she harshly whipped her head to the side, nearly slapping Applejack with her mane. She redirected her gaze at her wings.

“Ohhh... They are still there, intact,” she said with relief and flapped them a few times as if to check if they were working. They did. Checking them might seem childish for somepony but Dash was still too shaken to care.

Just then Rainbow noticed Applejack who watched her with mingled curiosity and concern.

“Hello Applejack, how was your sleep?” She said bluntly, as if nothing happened.

“Please tell me if you had one of those horrible nightmares again, sugarcube.”

Rainbow Dash started to be tortured by those nightmares after around a month of living with Applejack and working on the farm. First they started off as just a blur, but gradually the dreams got more detailed and terrifying along with occurring more often. The reason of them was unknown to either Dash nor Applejack.

“Yes, maybe that’s why I fell off the bed with a horrifying shriek...” Dash said rudely, a little insulted by the question. Why in the world would she fall of a bed if not from a bad dream?

“ Ah really would like to solve this problem and help you, but Ah really don’t know how to...” She looked dejectedly at the ground “Maybe a therapist would help, ya know-”

“Don’t bother, I’m perfectly fine,” Dash said, cutting down the conversation. She then headed to the exit, not looking back to Applejack. She slowly opened the door with shaky hooves and exited. In response, the farmer pony stood up and trotted after her. When she caught up with the Pegasus in the corridor, she stood next to her and nuzzled her cheek with her own. The Pegasus’ head was slowly moving with the motion, as if Dash didn’t put any effort to hold her head in place. After a few seconds of this strange affection, Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and pulled back with mild violence.

When she realised what she has done, she said “I’m sorry Applejack, I don’t know why I did that...” When no response came, she walked a few meters and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind herself.

The orange mare remained in her position on the corridor, her mind too shaken to make a move. Only the sound of the door to Big Mac’s room opening snapped her out of her deep thought.

“Hello there sis’,” He said as he saw his sister standing on the corridor, not facing him.

“Oh, howdy brother...” Applejack said, not even turning around “The bathroom is occupied, so ya will need to wait a second. Ah’ll go and wake Apple Bloom up.” With that said she turned and entered the little filly’s room without knocking.

When she entered the room, she put on a fake smile and added a fake merry tone to her otherwise sharp voice. “Wake up Apple Bloom, we have a brand new day ahead of us, and there is a lot of bucking to do.”

This is not the best motivation to get up from bed... She admitted in her thought and added, “You might get your cutie mark today.”

When Apple Bloom heard the last part, she had yet another take at getting her cutie mark, then leaped to the land of awake in no time at all. After opening her eyes and an unusually loud yawn she managed to say “Good mornin’ sis,” and shift to a sitting position on her bed. She proceeded to taking her big pink bow and placing it on it’s rightful position on top of her head.

“Hello Bloom.” Applejack sometimes used this diminutive out of laziness. “Its’ time to get up.”

When her duty of waking her younger sister was completed, she directed her steps towards the door.

“Hey sis!” Shouted Apple Bloom after her.

“Yes?”

“Yer missing something,” she said with a grin.

Oh, you are right... Ah’m missing something big here...

Apple Bloom motioned with a hoof to her head “Yer cowmare hat sis, ya forgot it,” she said, barely stifling a giggle.

Applejack’s train of thought was derailed by this statement. However, after a second it was rolling again.

Ah really need to help Dash, but how?

“HEY SIS!” the young mare hollered when she saw that her sister was not responding. “Sweet Apple Acres to Applejack, over!”

This time the young farmer succeeded in bringing Applejack’s mind back to Equestria.

She slowly moved her hoof and brought it down on her head. Instead of touching the rough material the Stetson was made from, it landed on her blond mane.

“Yer right Apple Bloom, Ah’m missing something,” She said as she turned around and walked out of the room, earning a surprised look from the young mare..

-«<♦>»-

“I want a vacation,” Rainbow Dash said.

The family was in the middle of a breakfast, devouring their pies without a word. Normally the table was loud with all the conversations that took place during family meals but due to the rather tense atmosphere that was introduced by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, over the past few days, things were quiet. When those words were spoken by Dash, all sounds ceased to be in that instant.

Applejack forcefully gulped on her food and stood up. “What do ya mean, do you want us to go somewhere-” She was cut off by the Pegasus’ voice.

“I want to go alone,” She said while meaningfully looking Applejack directly in her eyes, a thing she had not done in a long time.

“I want to rest from all this.” She motioned around with her hoof. “I’m really tired of this place. I really need to go.” She blinked and added, “Alone.”

“Darlin’ please, we have work ta do, this ought ta be the best apple buck season ever thanks to your help and- “ She once again was cut off by a cold stare from Rainbow.

“Really, Applejack? You value some bucking apples more than me?” She said in a loud tone, with a grave hint of accusation.

“No, Ah didn’t mean-” Applejack tried to apologize but Rainbow was already on her way to her room. She ascended the stairs and disappeared, only the sound of a shutting door could be heard.

Applejack heavily sat down on her chair again. She looked at the pie in front of her and sighed. “Ah really lost control...” she said with a sorrowful voice “I-Is this mah fault? Did Ah make some horrible mistake and maybe that’s why Dash d-doesn’t seem to l-love me anymore?” A single tear escaped her eye, running down her cheek and quietly landing on the floor.

“This is none of yer fault, sis. Ah’m sure that miss Rainbow just needs to take a rest.” Big Mac made a attempt at soothing her sister’s heart. “‘Sides, she was not used to working so much before moving into our house.”

“Ah hope yer right, Big Mac... Ah don’t know what is going on with her,” she said while trying to keep a brave face, “Th’ worst thing is that she doesn’t want to talk about it, every time Ah ask her she just cuts the conversation before it really starts, she never listens to me and all Ah want is us to be happy,” she said, her brave face faltering and tears threatening to flow again. Applejack got up and started walking towards the stairs. She didn’t want Apple Bloom to watch her strong sister cry.

“Ah’m not hungry” she said in a raspy voice and ascended the stairs.

“Hey brother, what is going on? Why is Rainbow Dash acting so strange recently?” Apple Bloom asked in her naivety. “Ah don’t understand.”

“Ah don’t understand either, little sis,” he said as he continued to eat his pie.

-«<♦>»-

Applejack entered their bedroom and watched as the Pegasus silently packed her suitcase, with a grim expression on her face. For a while she did not know what to say to the cyan mare, she felt like a mere spectator of her own life; as if she could not control any aspect of it.

After a few seconds of pondering about what to say to her marefriend, she only managed in a hoarse voice, “Where ya going Dash?”

“I haven't decided yet,” she replied as she packed a few of her clothes into the suitcase. Walking around naked in a small town like Ponyville was acceptable but showing yourself in that condition in any big city could earn you some unpleasant glances.

“Probably Manehattan or Stalliongrad.” She wondered, “I need to be free, party, wake up at twelve o’clock in the morning... In other words, I need to rest from all this.” She once again made a circular motion around with her hoof.

“Ah’m not going to stop ya but when do ya plan to come back?” She looked at the packing mare. “After the apple buck season is over?”

“Probably,” Rainbow said, as she packed the few final things and closed the suitcase. She put the small suitcase on her back. It would not fall down thanks to a special set of harnesses that kept it in place.

“I’ll catch the next train to Canterlot.”

Dash had to go there anyway. The train station in Canterlot was a center station from which trains went to all possible locations in Equestria, including Manehattan or Stalliongrad. There wasn’t a direct connection between these cities and Ponyville.

“I’m sorry,” the Pegasus said.

Is she apologizing?

“I said I’m sorry,” Dash repeated, a little louder than the first time.

Applejack realised that she was standing in the doorway and that Dash wanted to go through it. The farmer moved out of the way, into the corridor with a pout on her face. Dash proceeded to descend down the stairs. When she was downstairs and near the front door, she looked back at Applejack and her family.

She opened her mouth to say something but no words escaped. She stood there with her mouth slightly opened for a second. Then she looked at the ground, closed her mouth and opened the front door. Dash looked outside at the beautiful orchard as if hesitating for a moment. With a deep sigh she slowly walked out and, without a word, closed the door behind her. When Applejack looked out of the window, she saw Rainbow take into the air towards the town’s train station.

Please come back Dashie... Applejack thought with a heavy frown.