Winds of Change

Winds of Change

Chapter Nine

The alarm clock placed on the cloud nightstand let out a loud sound, which pierced Rainbow Dash’s ears painfully. She bought a very loud alarm clock for purpose, it was always hard for her to wake up and she needed to resort to such drastic methods to even get out of bed. She quickly opened her eyes, sat up and localized the source of the annoying sound. Dash slammed her hoof on the top of the alarm clock, silencing it, and commented on the whole situation with “Stupid clock”.

She threw her cutie mark-embroidered quilt to the ground, then crawled to the edge of her bed and stood up on the floor. After her morning routine she decided to eat something. The pizza box in the living room turned out to be a decent source of food; there was still one pizza slice there, which was immediately devoured by Rainbow. It really didn’t cure her hunger, but she still didn’t have bits to afford something better to eat. She will have to beg Lightning Bolt to give her her pay for the month in advance.

When the pizza slice was eaten, Dash walked to the main door and sighed. The mare didn’t want to work, out of pure sloth, but she was in a dire need of bits. The door was opened by Dash, and she stepped outside. The morning air was slightly chilly; Dash wasn’t used to getting up in her cloud house on such an early hour, but she needed to turn up at the Weather Department soon.

She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but she just didn’t feel like flying. Normally she would spend every living second of her life on flying and performing stunts, but now she just didn’t want to. As if somepony just took her indomitable will to fly and shoved it away.

The cyan Pegasus opened her wings to their full span and slowly walked to the edge of the cloud. She looked down: the normally large houses seemed to be the size of little fillies’ toys, and whoever was on the street at this hour was as small as a grain of wheat.

Rainbow merely stepped over the edge of the cloud and let her form glide steadily to the ground. After the short journey she landed just outside the main square, where the Weather Department was. She looked back at her cloud home: it looked so small and fragile from down there.

The mare looked back down and began her gait towards the building of the Weather Department. She really hoped that the bosses over at Cloudsdale granted her the ability to join the Weather Squad as a leader instantly; she didn’t feel like climbing the position ladder all over again.

As she was approaching the main square, she heard a very faint, yet familiar voice resounding between the village buildings, but it was too vague to determine the owner. When she turned a corner she saw the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened when she comprehended who she was looking at. She immediately turned back and jumped behind the corner with a small yelp, her back pressed against the wall.

It’s Applejack! How am I going to enter the Weather Department if she is there?

Applejack was selling apples at her stand on the main square. She was positioned a good fifty meters to the side of the building, in a way that she had to turn her head quite considerably to see who is entering the building.

Hay, I can’t talk to her just yet! I’m not ready! - Dash looked around the corner to see her friend standing idly behind the counter, she seemed to be deep in thought. She just sold a apple to somepony, and didn’t have any customers at the moment. - There are a few ponies here and there, but certainly not as much as during the rush hours; Applejack would notice me if I would try to be sneaky. She needs a distraction.

Fortunately for herself, Dash spotted a light yellow stallion with a purple mane. walking just a few meters next to her. This was Dash’s chance, or such she thought.

“Hello Mister... err... hello.” Oh Celestia this is going to be hard. “Heh, do you, maybe, happen to want a delicious apple?”

“No thanks...” the stallion responded, eying the mare carefully. He cautiously started to walk away.

“No, wait, please I need your help!” she pleaded.

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. Now please let me get back to my urgent business.”

I’m making a fool of myself! “Please Mister.” She put her arm around the stallion's neck and moved over the corner and pointed at Applejack’s stand. “Just go there and buy an apple, and you won’t see me ever again in your life.”

The stallion sighed. “Never again?”

“Err, never.” This question slightly surprised Rainbow.

“OK, I’ll buy this stupid apple. I even don’t know why, but I’ll do it.” With this said, he freed himself from Dash’s hoof and slowly walked to the stand. He started talking to Applejack. Dash really hoped that he will not tell her who sent him for the apple. When Dash was sure that the farm pony is occupied, she quickly moved to the main door of the Department. She hurriedly opened the door, got inside and forcefully slammed the door shut. Next she proceeded to look through the window next to the door. She saw the stallion she was talking with, walking away, levitating a green apple at his side. It seemed that Applejack didn’t notice Dash at all; she looked as pensive as she looked before talking to the yellow stallion.

Dash turned around to see the receptionist, Merry May, looking at her quizzically over a newspaper. She pointed at the door leading to the staircase, sighed and said, “Lightning Bolt is already waiting for you.” That being said she went back to her lecture.

The rainbow Pegasus moved to the staircase, stole a last glimpse at Merry and climbed to the third floor. She really hoped that Bolt was able to pull the necessary strings to instantly position her as the team leader.

She opened the door with her friend’s name emblazoned on it and saw the familiar room. Lightning Bolt was sitting in her run-down hoof-chair. She was writing something on a piece of paper, an open binder lying nearby on the desk. Other than that, a framed photo and a desk lamp were placed on the desk. Upon hearing the sound of a opening door she raised her head to meet her visitor.

“Oh, hello Rainbow,” she said. “I have been expecting you; please, sit down,” Bolt said with a smile. She pointed the chair that was near the desk, across from the hoof-chair. When Dash seated herself, Bolt picked a piece of paper from the binder and looked at her friend with a sincere smile.

“Good news, Dash. Upon examining your application, the Administration in Cloudsdale granted you the position of the Leader of Ponyville's Weather Team. I had to call upon some old favors, but I managed it!”

“Ohh. Heh, thanks Bolt, eee... I really appreciate that,” Rainbow responded with a half-hearted smile.

“But what is it? Aren’t you happy? I thought that you wanted this position,” the white mare asked.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and smiled. “No, no, I’m happy. Thanks a lot, I really didn’t feel like starting all over again, as a team’s errand mare.” There was a feeling of anxiety lingering deep somewhere in the vast depths of Rainbow’s mind. She subconsciously felt that this decision wasn’t the right one, that things are going the way they shouldn’t. She tried her best to shake off this feeling.

The blue maned mare eyed Dash suspiciously. “OK, I’m glad to hear that...” Lightning wasn’t convinced that everything was alright with Dash and that she was happy to get her job back. “Did... did you go and talk to your marefriend Applejack?” Lightning knew that Dash didn’t like when questions like that were being asked, but she was concerned for her old friend; it was obvious to her that she was struggling internally.

Rainbow inhaled to say something, but after a pause no words came. She sighed instead, and looked down.

The white coated mare stood up and walked to the other side of the desk. “I’ll take that as a no. Look at me.” Lightning Bolt stepped around the desk, walked over to Dash, and placed her hoof under Dash’s chin, gently pushing her face up to meet hers.

“I might not be the best in... things like that, but I really think that you should go and talk to Applejack. You cannot just leave her hanging there; you need to talk to her.” She was close from concluding with ‘before it’s too late’, but decided that it wouldn’t help much.

“Yea, I know...” Dash responded with a pout, looking into Bolt’s sky blue eyes, “But I just can’t face her now, I wouldn’t know what to say... I hurt her and I know it, she probably hates me now.”

“The longer you leave her hanging, the more you are hurting her. I thi- know that she doesn’t hate you; this isn’t how things work. You should go see her.”

“OK, I will,” Dash sadly promised. “Just... not yet.”

She lowered Bolt’s hoof with her own, and stood up. Rainbow started walking towards the door to the corridor, when she remembered something.

She turned around and looked at Bolt, who was already seated behind her big desk. “So... my job starts tomorrow, right?”

“That’s right. Just come here tomorrow, 8 o’clock in the morning,” Lightning responded, without raising her head from the papers.

“Emm, I did kinda run low on bits recently and...” She trailed off sheepishly, Bolt raising her head. When the silence prolonged Dash continued. “Can you, maybe, pay me this month’s pay in advance?”

“Ehhhh...” Bolt responded, getting up from her hoof-chair. She walked to the bookcase filled to the brim with old thick binders. She took one of them out with considerable effort, sending thousands of dust particles flying into the air. She coughed and walked to the desk, placed the binder on it, opened it and started to look for something.

“I understand that you are in a hard situation now Dash. I will try my best, but you know that the final decision belongs to the Administration in Cloudsdale. Without their acceptance I cannot move a damn hoof here.” After a few seconds more of searching, she found what she was looking for. An piece of paper was unfastened from the binder. “It’s a special form I will have to send to Cloudsdale; I’ll spare you the details. If they agree, I’ll give you the money tomorrow.”

“I really appreciate that, thank you. See ya tomorrow then.” Dash smiled and then started to turn around.

“Wait,” Bolt said, opening one of the several drawers in the desk. She took a small pouch out of it with her mouth and walked towards Dash. She dropped it in front of her, the pouch making a metallic sound upon hitting the floor.

“Here you have around forty bits... It is not much, they pay us like hay these days, but it will help you survive if the Administration doesn’t agree to pay you in advance.”

A smile crept onto Dash's face. “Thanks Bolt, it really means a lot...” She moved in to embrace her friend. “Thanks again, I’ll give it back when I can.”

“Don’t worry. See you tomorrow,” Bolt said with a wink. The two then parted.

“See you,” Dash responded, then took the pouch in her mouth and walked out from the office, closing the door behind her. Instead of going down the staircase to exit the building the conventional way, she opened one of the windows on the third floor and flew out. If she didn’t want Applejack to see her, she needed to resort to such methods. She gently glided to the ground, sighed and looked around. The speedy Pegasus was on the other side of the building than Applejack. She opened her wings and started to fly, low and between the buildings. After a considerable distance, she turned and flew back to her house on a semi circle, effectively avoiding the main square.

When she arrived at her cloud home, she immediately went to her safe in her bedroom. She opened it and poured all of the bits from the pouch into the small chest. The chest was still relatively empty, but with well thought out saving, and without Rainbow being reckless, it would suffice until the end of the month.

-«<♦>»-

Applejack sniffed and parked the cart in the red barn, near the farmhouse. She quickly unfastened the harnesses of the apple cart and stand that she had on her back, and used her hoof to clear her face from a tear that managed to escape her eye. The farmer exited the barn, slamming the door behind her.

She hastily entered the farmhouse and sat at the kitchen table, all eyes turned to her. Big Mac was standing near the stove while Apple Bloom was sitting near the table, across from Applejack. She looked at Big Mac, Apple Bloom and then back at Mac.

“So where is she!?” She exclaimed at her brother, her voice cracking, “Hm? Ya said that Ah shouldn’t worry mahself, so Ah ask ya, where is she?”

“Apple Bloom, please go to yer room,” Big Mac said with a peremptory tone. Apple Bloom immediately complied.

With his younger sister out of the way, Big Mac sat down on a chair next to his older one. He embraced the now quietly sobbing Applejack. Her head was laying on the table, covered by her hooves. He lowered his head and whispered to her ear.

“Look, Ah said that she will come back because Ah believed so, and Ah still believe so. You and Rainbow Dash are very good friends; she wouldn’t just... forget about ya, leave ya, and go along with her life. I am sure that she will come back,” he said in a soothing voice, calming Applejack down a little.

“But last time ya said the exact same thing,” she said, while fiercely freeing from her brothers embrace. She succeeded, then said in an accusatory tone, “How can Ah know that it is true this time?”

“It always was true. Ah still think, and will always think that Rainbow Dash is not the type of pony to leave her friends after one argument. She needs time Applejack, and you cannot deprive her of the law to it.”

“But look how much time Ah have given her!” Applejack retorted, more tears escaping her eyes. “It's been over a week since our argument, and she didn’t show a sign of life since then!” She sobbed and used her hoof to clear any more tears that escaped. “And Ah’ve seen her flying around her cloud home and Ponyville so don’t tell me that she can’t come, because she can definitely come here any time she wants!” she loudly finished and looked at the table in front of her, her face locked in a grimace.

“Ah know that this is hard fer ya, but Rainbow Dash needs to come to terms with what she has done. I think that she is feeling guilty and is scared to face you now, but will do so in the upcoming days, Ah can assure ya.”

Applejack raised her head and opened her mouth to retort, but after a moment she closed it and looked back down. “*sigh* Ah know...” She paused, clearing her puffy eyes with the side of her hoof. “I know... sorry for taking it out on ya. Ah just didn’t know what happened with me...” She paused. “I think Ah’ll gonna go upstairs and sleep, it’s early but Ah’m exhausted. Tell Apple Bloom that Ah’m sorry.”

With that she got up and moved to the stairs leading to the upper floor. Before she climbed them, she said one last thing to the red stallion in the kitchen. “Ah really hope that you are not mistaken...” Applejack got up the stairs, and into her room. She drew the curtains, laid on her bed and covered herself tightly with the quilt.

She shifted in the bed for a long time, but couldn’t close her eyes. She replayed the red stallion’s words countless times in her head, as if this would make them absolutely true. She desperately clung to any faith in her friend that was left in her mind. She couldn’t accept the possibility that Rainbow Dash, her best friend, and marefriend, could leave her like that, without a word of explanation.

A / N - Please comment and rate, thank you!