The Rainbow Effectby Skeptical PoetChaptersWind In The LeavesBefore The StormRaindrops and TeardropsOvercastSilver LiningsWind In The LeavesAuthor's Note: Hey everyone, I'm back! New name and everything! I've finally decided to start writing stories again, though chances are you probably don't know me. Well hopefully this story will give you something to remember me by! This is my first dive into the deep waters of… eh heh, adult literature, so give me any feedback or tips you've got! Read and review! Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. If I did, I'd have a cockatrice make a pretty little statue out of Gilda, paint it gold, and have the dragon from Dragonshy haul it off to who knows where. Aaaand... on with the story! "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 1: Wind In The Leaves It was so… gorgeous. Celestia's legacy lightly bathed the outskirts of Ponyville. The green hills appeared to flow with rippling waves as the summer breeze fluttered along the lively clearing. Butterflies spread out among the clusters of flowers, unaware of the portrait to which they paid homage, a life of color to the wondrous sight. The trees spread their shadows, and one was more than likely to see a squirrel or rabbit snoozing away the sunny day underneath one of them. It was the picture-perfect lazy day for all. …but a single leaf riding in the wind. Trailing the air in a dazzling display of flips and turns, weaving in and out of the eddying winds, soaring faster and faster, so seemingly out of place in such a serene setting, and finally coming to rest… …in the brim of the hat of one Applejack. "Oh for hay's sake, she's got a rainbow for a mane! " Still scouring the skies for any sight of her feathered friend, Applejack just couldn't find hair or hoof of Rainbow Dash amidst the many pegasus ponies dutifully moving the clouds around all morning long. She was about to pull the reigns on her little operation when she heard someone talking behind her. "…and then I pulled up with three ponies on my back! The ground was so close, the grass caught fire! Fwooosh!" 'Heh, ain't no pony in Equestria that can tell their tales with such a spin', the earth pony thought. 'Cept maybe that Trixie girl.' Applejack looked up behind her, and could see a spill of rainbow suspended over the edge of a cloud, two arms dramatically waving in the air. Three blonde mares were hovering just above them, their "oohs" and "ahhs" in perfect synchronization. Applejack shook her head fondly, glad that her goose-hunt was over. Even if her quarry was already full of stuffing. "Hey Rainbow!" She called out. Rainbow Dash let out a small 'hm?', and sat up, turning around to look down to her friend. "Oh hey Applejack, what's up?" The pegasus jumped off the top of the cloud, and glided toward the ground. The three girls all frowned with a "hmph," and left to help the other ponies move the clouds. Applejack blinked, her well-prepared speech about laziness and forgetting every other pony-darned thing died in her throat, unable to keep from watching the bright blue pony descend from atop her cloud, her sleek wings stretched out in all their feathered glory, her colored mane waving wildly behind her, the way her smile… "Uhh, Applejack? You okay?" Applejack nearly jumped, but kept her footing, settling for looking away with a blush. "Well shewt, I've been lookin' for ya all mornin'! Just a little sunburnt is all, plus the sun shinin' in my eyes don't help none." She replied, squinting her eyes for effect. Rainbow Dash frowned for a second, then retook her ever-confident grin. Applejack let out an inward sigh of relief. "Y'all remember what tomorrow is, don'tcha?" She asked. "Yeah, tomorrow's Twilight's birthday! But what does that have to- oh yeah…" she trailed off, looking suddenly sheepish. Applejack rolled her eyes. "I've been settin' up preparation's an' everythan' all by myself! Fluttershy's too busy with sick animals today, Pinkie Pie's spendin' all day makin' the cake, and Rarity's got her… frou-frou dress guy comin' over fer some big project she's been workin' on. I could use a little help…" she responded, weakly. "Yeah yeah, let me just tell the guys upstairs that I'll be too busy to be helping with the downpour this month. I'll meet you back at the barn in ten minutes." "Flat?" Applejack threw in, smirking. Rainbow rolled her eyes, scowling, and took off in a flash of color as Applejack galloped off with a light chuckle, leaf still tucked in the brim. "Piece by piece, snip by snip. Croup dock haunch, shoulders hip…" Through the numerous stands of clothing in the Carousel Boutique, one would be hard-pressed to see the lovely unicorn through the window, surrounded by bolts of cloth, softly singing as she gathered a number of dresses from one of the racks, and laid them on a table next to her self-enchanted sewing machine. But then, some ponies don't always show up for just a look. "RARITY!" Applejack nearly shouted as she burst through the door, causing the laboring lady to shriek, her red-rimmed glasses flying into the air and sending her tumbling onto another table of linens, cloth flying everywhere in a dazzlingly terrifying display. The cowpony looked more than hangdog as Rarity fumbled around under a large green roll of cloth, dramatically flinging it off herself, leveling Applejack with a look of her own. "Applejack! WHAT are you doing, frightening me in the middle of my work? I don't have time for such nonsense! Hoity-Toity is going to be here in less than a few hours to-" "Uhh… Rarity?" "-and just barge in here like you own the boutique! As if-" "Rarity?" "-should really get that enchantment for the entryway that keeps you ruffians from flinging my newly-polished doors-" "RARITY!" "WHAT?" "Frog." Applejack simply replied, looking a little worn. Rarity blinked, slowly looked up to her horn, where a plump, green frog had perched itself, croaking quietly. Pupils shrinking, Rarity inhaled a large breath while Applejack slowly slid her hat down to cover her ears… "And I just came down to get the ribbons an' streamers for the party… Didn't mean to scare you like that." "Oh don't worry about it, darling. Everything's all cleaned up, and I wouldn't want to keep Rainbow Dash waiting any longer, you know how impatient she can be." Rarity calmly replied, magicking the basket of items for the party off of a shelf in front of Applejack. "Uh, heh, yeah. W-Wouldn' wanna keep her waitin' any longer." She stammered, bowing her head and feeling her face heat up. Rarity stared at Applejack for a moment. "Hmm? Applejack dear, you look a little flushed. Are you all right?" Applejack did jump this time, nearly tripping over the basket. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sun-dried," she dourly replied, mentally kicking herself. Rarity let a small smile grace her features, turning away and trotting toward the back. "Oh don't trouble yourself. Sit right there, and I'll be back with some water. You must be parched!" She tittered to herself with a shake of her head, disappearing behind a dress rack with another tune on her lips. Applejack let herself slump to the floor, more out of nerves than exhaustion. "Good gallop, I gotta get a grip on myself. If Rarity 'spected that I had a thing fer Rainbow, it'd be all over Equestria by tomorrow! Why I'd hafta pack up an' move on in to the Everfree Forest! 'Course Zecora'd probably hear it from Twilight by then, so then I'd-" "Gracious, you must be exhausted! You're not even listening to a word I'm saying!" Rarity's voice chimed beside her, shaking Applejack out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Oh no, I was uhh… just admirin' yer carpet! Y'all sure do have fine taste in yer... floorin', don' ya know." She pointed out with an exaggerated gesture of the hoof while grabbing the floating teacup from Rarity, who's eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment. "Well thank you Applejack! I did have it imported from Canterlot, made by the very same pony who provided the carpeting inside the Royal Castle! Why, it's even the same material, though in a much lighter shade of periwinkle. I just love what it does to the place, so magnificent! It really brings out the curtains around the… Applejack?" She glanced behind her, barely catching the swinging of the deep-purple door, ending with a merry 'click!' Rarity shook her head. "Oh well, so much to do for the both of us, I suppose. I must admit, I never held Applejack as a pony who knew an apple's worth about interior designing." Giggling at her pun, she turned around to face a large glass jar, where a green frog lightly simpered in her direction. "And you are going to sit there until I've finished my tailoring! Honestly, pet fashion is pushing my limits as it is, but a suit for a frog? Please, not much I can do to make you look any better. If it wasn't Hoity-Toity that…" The frog merely puffed out its cheeks as Rarity continued her rant, either out of pride, or indignation. Applejack raced into the barn as fast as she could, skidding to a halt as hay flew off of the ground across the floor. 'pant'…'pant'…"Rainbow?"…'pant'…"Y'all in here? Aww horseshoes, she probably went out lookin' fer-" "YAHHHHHH!" SHOOF! Her back now throbbing, and a low groan coming from her throat, the pony-tailed mare opened her eyes. Through her slightly fuzzy vision, she could see a blue leg dangling in front of her face, all tangled up in an array of colorful ribbons. Eyes widening, she helplessly let gaze trail upwards to where her other leg was, bent to the left, and still on upwards to her rainbow tail, arched up and outward, giving her a perfect, not-so-fuzzy view of Rainbow Dash's… "CANDY APPLES!" she yelled, flinging the trussed-up pony into the air, who cried out in shock, landing in a haystack with a small "oof!" Suddenly dizzy, whether from standing up so fast, or… other reasons, Applejack struggled to stay on her hooves, unaware of that her hat had flown off and landed near the barn door. A rustling to the right brought her back to reality, and she trotted (in a funny way) over toward Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to get out of her multi-colored binds with little luck. "Eeeugh! N-ugh! Help me out here, Applejack! I can't get loose!" she hollered through her tousled mane, unable to break free from the streamers. Three of her legs were tied together, and one wing was fixed to her side by a large purple ribbon, one leg waving frantically through the air. Despite her tremoring knees, sweat-stained mane, and flustered face, Applejack couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Well at least I found ya without too much trouble this time. Though I gotta admit, I thought y'all was colorful enough before." She nickered lightly, looking down at Rainbow, who stopped her struggle long enough to give Applejack a light glare. She returned it with a mischievous smile, suddenly thinking of all the payback she could give her filly friend. "Ya know, I'm thinkin' I could have a little fun with you before I let you loose." Rainbow Dash suddenly went stock still, her face now obstructed by her rainbow mane. "W-W-Whaddya mean by… 'gulp', fun?" Applejack smirked, and then froze as the double-meaning of her words hit her. This… wasn't what she had in mind. She shook her head fiercely, 'So much fer that…'. Reaching down, Applejack took a single ribbon in her teeth, and gave it a gentle tug. The knot of decorations loosened from around her legs, and Rainbow Dash quickly shook them free, and started working on releasing her wing from the mess. Applejack gave a strained smile as she turned toward the door. "Heh, well we don't really have time fer foalin' around, what with all the décor we need to lasso about this place. So uh, nevermind. I'll hafta get you back later." She noticed that Rainbow Dash had gone quiet, still trying to free her wing from the purple ribbon, her hair still covering her face. Applejack took a step forward, worried that she may have upset her friend. "You okay… Rainbow Das?" She hesitated. The pegasus finally got her wing free, and flapping it a few times to shake off the ribbon, she turned to Applejack, flinging her hair back with a quick jerk of the neck. Applejack saw that she was smiling, though her eyes seemed lightly narrowed, and her pupils a bit larger… "She probably just got some hay botherin' her eyes or somethin'." she thought, dismissively. "Yeah, I'm cool." Rainbow Dash replied, a little shakily. Applejack let out a breath through her nose she didn't know she was holding. "Alrigh' then, I'm gonna head over to Roseluck's Botanical an' pick up the violet roses Rarity wanted me to get fer the decorations. She said she had somethin' special planned fer them… or somethin'. I'll be back soon, so keep up the…" –her eyes swept over the bare pillars of the barn, and landing back to Rainbow Dash, a mess of colored bunting around her.- "…the good work an' all. See ya'll later!" She called, running out the door at something close to a gallop. Rainbow Dash shrugged, and went to pick up the streamers when something caught her attention. *sniff* *sniff* Whoa… what was that? 'What's that smell? Oh man, it smells so... good. I'm really… It makes me…' her eyes drifted towards the ground where Applejack had stood, before looking toward the door Applejack had left from. "Hungry... I haven't eaten anything all morning! I wonder if the Apple family's started lunch yet?" Rainbow Dash chirped while jogging toward the exit, completely unaware of the burning sensation in her face… ...and of the hat that lay at the foot of the door. Before The StormDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. God forbid you put me in charge of more than a smoothie shop. Or a café. Oh man, how awesome would that be, owning a café that sold both coffee and smoothies? Smooth jazz every Saturday night, open mike nights, poetry slams… Okay, the bit's over. Story time. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 2: Before The Storm "Well ah'll be, these here flowers are quite a sight! I'm plum grateful that y'all put so much effort into these!" Applejack exclaimed, scooping up the flowers with a sweeping hoof, leaving the golden bits on the counter with the other. Roseluck smiled from behind the counter. "Oh don't thank me, Daisy's the pony that grew them. She happens to be a good friend of Twilight's, so she was more than willing to look after these. She also wanted me to ask you to let Twilight know she wishes her a happy birthday, and that she's sorry that she will not be able to attend." she said, head diving down behind the counter top, and reappearing with a violet-stained vase, handles on both sides. "Here, this might make carrying them easier." Applejack lowered herself back on all fours after setting the roses back onto the counter. "D'ya think so? How much fer the vase?" "Hee hee, don't worry about it, it's on the house. For Twilight." Roseluck insisted. Applejack smiled gratefully, setting the flowers upright in the slender glassware. "Well shucks, thank ya kindly. Ah shore do 'preciate all y'done fer us! Take care now!" she called, grabbing the vase-handle in her mouth, and was about to walk out of the store when Roseluck suddenly called her name from the back. Applejack glanced back toward the rosy-haired mare whose head peaked out from around the corner, looking back at her in perplexity. "Say, aren't you usually wearing a hat?" she asked. Applejack instinctively reached a hoof up to where her trademark usually rested, feeling nothing but dust-speckled hair. Flopping her ears, she couldn't feel the rub against the brim of her hat that she'd become so accustomed to. Gasping, she started to panic, head jerking left and right, trying to find her beloved Stetson when she heard Roseluck talking again. "Umm, I don't think you were wearing it when you came in. But if you'd like, I could-" she stopped mid-sentence as she helplessly watched Applejack tear out of the shop without another word. Roseluck cocked her head to the side as Daisy strolled up next to her. "What was that all about?" she asked. "I honestly have no idea." "She seemed to be quite… daffy. More so than the garden variety of ponies around here." "Do florists have a vernacular term for insane?" "Rosey-cheeked." … "Oh you're hilarious." Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing. Almost any resident of the (usually) quiet town of Ponyville could easily tell you that only three things could make a sound like that: One, a pegasus pony jumping on a cloud, causing it to shed any rain held inside. Two, the coiffure of the Carousel Boutique owner, Rarity, stiff with too much hairspray. (At which point the more knowledgeable ponies would quickly advise you against commenting about it while in her presence.) Or three, the lovably loud and loony laureate of Ponyville-partying: Pinkamena Diane Pie. The latter of the three had a spring in her step as she merrily made her way to the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, her hoof-made hoofbasket hat atop her head, miraculously keeping the contents from spilling out with each skip. Humming a cheery tune, she quickly came into view of the massive fields of apple trees, all blushing red with fruit. She slowed to a trot as she noticed a very colorful tree off in the distance. "Ooooh! That doesn't look like an apple tree! *Gasp!* Maybe it's a new kind of apple tree! I wonder if it grows rainbow apples! Bleck! Those would taste terrible!" she mused out loud, prancing off of the dirt trail, and down the hill into the orchard. Up ahead, a certain pegasus pony was combing through the branches of one of the many apple trees, searching for the biggest, juiciest apple she could find. Apparently the Apple family didn't eat lunch until three today, on account of the family being spread out to every corner of the field working on repairing and repainting the fences surrounding the acres. Rainbow Dash darted left and right, trying to decide between two especially plump apples, when she heard a voice… that sent a shiver through her feathers. "HEY RAINBOW DASH! HEY! DOWN HERE!" 'Oh no! Pinkie Pie!' Rainbow thought to herself. Dread overtook her long enough for the pyretic pony to pounce upward, tackling Rainbow Dash out of her stupor, and pinning her to the ground by her wings. A sharp intake of breath shortly followed… "Hi Rainbow Dash! How've ya been? I was just heading over to the barn to help you guys out with the decorations like I promised, cuz' Mr. and Mrs. Cake finished their baking early, and were able to help me out with making the cake for Twilight's birthday! Isn't that great? Anyway, I was walking along, 'la-di-da-di-da!', when I saw you by this tree! Only I didn't know it was you, I thought it was a super-duper-ali-ooper colorful apple tree that grew rainbow apples! Which is ironic, because a few weeks ago you thought Fluttershy was a tree, and I-" "Can I help you with something, Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash quickly interjected through gritted teeth. 'Ugh… why now?' Pinkie Pie didn't skip a beat. "Weeeeeeeeeell, now that you mention it, I need to head back to Sugarcube Corner and gather the rest of the supplies I was going to use to paint the banners we were going to hang around the barn! I couldn't fit anything else in my basket, and Gunny insisted that he was going to use all of my other bags for something, but he wouldn't tell me what! He can be such a mea-" "Alright fine! We'll head back to town and get your stuff. Now could you PLEASE get off of me?" Rainbow shouted, bucking Pinkie Pie off of her with a swift lurch of her legs, sending her sprawled a few feet ahead of her. She jumped back up, and re-adjusted her basket-hat, a slight pout on her face. Rainbow Dash sighed, it was hard as hay to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, but even she couldn't find the energy to let down a pepped-up Pinkie Pie. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she got up, and stretched her wings. Glancing back at Pinkie Pie, she noticed that, aside from her talking about something else that she was already sure she wouldn't care about, something was sticking out of her bushy pink tail. Striding up to her, she reached a hoof out, grabbed hold of it, and pulled it out with a light 'shff!' She blinked. She blinked twice. It was a hat. A cowboy hat, to be specific… Yeah, it was definitely Applejack's hat. Rainbow Dash's mind shut down at this point. "What… (looks left) this… (looks right) but… (looks back at the barn) hat… (looks at Pinkie Pie) you… …huh?" she finished, falling on her hindquarters, settling her gaze on the brown hat in wide-eyed disbelief. Pinkie Pie looked back, and gasped again. "So that's what that was! Right before I saw you, I saw this beautiful patch of flowers! I just had to smell them! So I walked over and went *SNOOOORT!*, and then it got really, really windy, and something poked me in the rump! It scared me so badly, I fell right on top of the flowers! SPLAT! (She made a stomping motion.) I tried to tell them I was sorry, that it wasn't my fault, but some plants-" She stopped as she received a fistful of hoof in her mouth. Rainbow Dash looked haggard, letting out a deep breath. This day was starting to take its toll, and it was barely even noon! "Look Pink, let's just head over to Sugarcube Corner, and get your stuff. We can give Applejack her hat later, but we really need to get working on getting the party ready for tomorrow." She finished tetchily. Pinkie suddenly smiled widely, leering at Rainbow Dash. "Oh, now I know what's going on! Applejack, huh? Well it's about time, you were taking so long that I was going to make the first move, but if you think you can (wink) take care of her, well, you just make sure to tell Pinkie Pie all about it when you're done!" she piped, starting back towards the path, not noticing Rainbow Dash freezing in place, her face erupting in a clashing crimson, eyes the size of wagon wheels. "Wh-wh-what? Y-you… I… B-b-b-but…" Pinkie slowed down, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I should take you to Tutti Frutti's shop. She can get you everything you'll need for tonight." She paused, and then started making measuring motions with her two hooves. "I wonder if Applejack will need a small, or a large." *THUMP* She looked back to see Rainbow Dash sprawled out across the ground, her face a bright shade of cherry, wings sticking rigidly upward, topped with an undecipherable grimace that seemed to be mumbling incoherent noises out of one side. Pinkie "hmm'd", lowering her head and scooping Rainbow Dash onto her back, then took a thoughtful stance while examining the hat her filly friend had dropped. "Well, the hat isn't very stretchy, and Applejack usually doesn't wear it all the way down, so I'd say you'd want to get a small. Ooh, I can't wait to show you Tutti Frutti's Magic Trick Parlour, she has the best magic trick and pranking supplies in all of Ponyville! Hee hee, this is going to be the best prank EVER! WAIT!" She paused again, looking back at her catatonic cargo. "Were we talking about the Itching Powder, or the Hat Buzzer? *Gasp!* How about we use BOTH of them, that'll give her twice the shock! (She started giggling) But then she'll be itching to get back at us even more!" Breaking out into full-blown laughter, Pinkie Pie barely kept her footing as she picked up Applejack's hat, made her way to drop off the supplies in her basket at the barn, cargo in tow, before heading down to Sugarcube Corner. "Alright Lucy, you make sure that he takes his medicine every day, okay? And if something happens, you let me know." Fluttershy politely asserted, giving the small grey rabbit a friendly nudge. Lucy gave a quick succession of nods, -pills in paws- and scampered back into her hole. The pink-haired pony sighed with a smile. "Okay," she softly stated to herself, "That's six families on the right half of the Apple Orchard, and four on the left, with the last burrow near the barn. The barn is right over there, so I should probably check up on them first." She looked down toward the left side of the property. "Or maybe I should check on them. It is possible the bunnies at the barn didn't get sick, being farther away from the rest of them." she mused. Tilting her head slightly, she silently debated her next course of action when she heard a voice in the not-too far-off distance. "Raiiiiiinbow!" Looking ahead, she saw a small orange pony making her way toward the barn in a frenzy of a gallop, clouds of dust kicking up behind her with each step. Frowning, Fluttershy bent down and picked up her double-knapsack, tossing it over her back, and quickly adjusting the straps so that they wouldn't fasten her folded wings down… "Rainbow Dash! Y'all in he-… oh you gotta be foalin' me." she ended, setting the vase of purple roses down and walking the rest of the way into the barn. Streamers from the two ponies' earlier mishap were still strewn across the hay-layered floor in the same place they were before. Hat forgotten for the moment, she tentatively peered up into the shady rafters for any sign of her cyan friend. Finding nothing, she stomped the ground in frustration. "Why I can't believe the nerve of that pony. S'already past mid-day an' nothin's been done n' here! That pony's just one peccadillo after n'other, ah swear! Fine filly or not, she's got a job to do!" she whispered heatedly. Shaking her head, she turned around, and came face to face with a pair of intensely cerulean eyes. "Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed, backing up slightly and looking down at the ground, pink mane covering one of her eyes in an innocent manner. Applejack frowned. She was hoping to at least have gotten the good part of the décor set up before anyone else showed up, so they could get the tables and everything else moved in without a hassle. So much for that. "Hello, Applejack. I saw you running towards the barn, a-and I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. You know, because I was worried…" she trailed off, idly scraping a hoof back and forth on the dirt floor. Applejack smiled jadedly. "Well thanks, sugarcube. I was just gettin' those roses over there while Rainbow Dash was s'posed to be finishin' up in here… *sigh*, but apparently she had other plans. What brings y'all down here to the farm so early?" she asked. Fluttershy raised her head, meeting Applejack eye-to-eye with a growing smile. "Oh, I was just checking on the bunnies that live around the acre. That terrible bunny flu is still going around, and just I'm making sure it hasn't complicated things for their families." She gently explained. Despite her situation, Applejack let a small smile grow to the side of her mouth. The bunnies taking residence in the apple orchard were actually quite the goddess-send, as the majority of the food they ate was the apples that had fallen off of the trees in between apple-bucking schedules, keeping the nice orchard grass from becoming too muddled up with rotten fruit. "Well that's mighty kind, but I gotta find Rainbow Dash somethin' fierce an' finish up preparations 'round here." she started, turning around and heading out the barn doors, the same feeling of exasperation looming over her as it did the last time she left the barn, though with a different, stronger flavor. And she didn't like it one bit. "You know, Applejack, I'm still making my rounds around the orchard. If you'd like, you could come with me and help me hand out medicine to the sick bunnies. It would make things faster for me, not having to undo my bag over and over again, plus we could both keep an eye out for Rainbow Dash, and then I'd be able to come help you two here at the barn sooner. T-That is, if you're not too busy…" she trailed off again, looking hopeful. Applejack mulled it over for a few moments. It seemed like a solid plan, chances are she would be lazing away the day on a cloud. And the pegasus ponies hadn't gotten as far as the acre as of yet, so Rainbow Dash wouldn't get re-enlisted to work on cloud cover for the upcoming rain shower should she have decided to take an afternoon nap. Plus it wouldn't hurt to have Fluttershy around to… discourage her from beating the colors off the lazy pony if she really was. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Let's get goin' then." She resigned. Fluttershy beamed, taking flight with Applejack galloping quietly behind her. "Okie dokie, I'm gonna need this! No wait, this! And this! And some of these! And we'll need this!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, darting from container to container in the upstairs party room of Sugarcube Corner, while Rainbow Dash haplessly waited near the stairs, fumbling around with Applejack's hat as a means to distract her from the saccharine-intensified scene, as well as the pointedly-embarrassing misunderstanding that she'd had with Pinkie Pie an hour ago. Thank the clouds for her friend's naivety. She had to admit, holding Applejack's hat like this was a very surreal experience all on its own. She couldn't remember ever seeing her friend's trademark in detail like she was now. Despite the many years she'd seen her with it, the old Stetson didn't show any tell-tale signs of aging. Apart from the creases layering the inside of the brim, it looked to be a fairly new hat. Upon further examination, she noticed a small green object tucked away in one of the creases. Pulling it out, she found that it was a leaf. She pulled it out, turning it over with a sturdy blue hoof, a torrent of memories washing through her. Unlike her friend Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash didn't care so much for the natural beauty she surrounded herself with on the soil. Were it not for her cherished friends (as well as a few fans), it was likely that she would still be living in Cloudsdale, rarely frequenting the flight to the peaceful town-on-the-ground. But something that she could relate with down here… were the leaves that ventured away from their sturdy homes. Carefree, light, a testament to the joy of absolute freedom. It often astounded her to see how the wind could carry the little leaflets all the way up to Cloudsdale during a storm or a rain shower. She could remember as a little filly trying in vain to keep the ones that blew upwards near her parent's home. Everything from cloud jars to enchanted shelves that could hold physical objects, all it took was a gust of wind or a careless moment, and her little souvenirs would fall through the clouds, leaving her alone in her bedroom once again. One of the few academic studies in flight school that she could say she had actually cared about, was Ground Studies. It was amazing to her just how diverse the world below her was compared to the cozy-but-consistent city of clouds. Not that she cared all that much, but it was still fascinating to her. She thought back to her first flight to the world below, on a field trip with her classmates not a few months before quitting the academy. The group had touched down at the edges of Ponyville so many years ago, the young pegasi struggling to keep their footing on the alien, unmovable and unforgiving clouds of brown and green. Rainbow Dash was the only pony who hadn't touched down right off the bat; instead she darted over to the nearest tree, and just stared. Oh what she wouldn't give to get just one of these up in her home city! It was so… awesome (She did not say gorgeous). The sunshine seemed to light up the simple tree, leaves lightly reflecting some of the rays as the wind started to pick up, the rippling branches becoming a dazzling sea of green sequins, a few of them even daring to endeavor the flight away from home. It was both hypnotic and alluring. Later in the year, she quickly came to realize that Fall had become her favorite season of them all. Frequenting the flight to the ground once a month now, it was as if the meadows around Ponyville had exploded into color within a week! Her favorite sight to see had become one that she couldn't even recognize anymore, and she could care less! She softly smirked, eyes glazing over. One of her fondest memories was the Running of the Leaves her and Applejack had taken part of last fall. After the mortifying realization that the two fillies had tied for last place, as well as the fact that the Princess herself had attended the display (Not to mention Twilight made the top five, something the both of them were eternally grateful that their good friend never brought up), the two had set off at an easier pace, enjoying the scenery, as well as each other's company. Even after the dozens of ponies had cleared through the area, many a maple had opted to keep their colored dressings, and even though the two of them galloped the trail a slower rate, the leaves all began to fall, twin curtains of red and gold funneling behind them in majesty! She keenly remembered looking toward her comrade as the two continued on, a scene she was sure would remain vivid in memory forever. Applejack's eyes were closed, and she was smiling, her pony-tail waving behind her as the leaves fell in between the two. And then she looked at her, eyes opening to reveal her vivacious green eyes, and her smile had grown even wider. Oh yeah, her two favorite things all wrapped up in one golden memory. The leaves, and Applejack… Looking up and making sure Pinkie Pie was still occupied with gathering materials, Rainbow Dash lifted the hat up to her small, blue nose, and after a moment… took a deep whiff. Her reflections were instantly forgotten as she was rewarded with a flood of ecstasy! The sweet scents of meadows, a hint of apples, some sort of flowery shampoo, and a wonderfully light trace of sweat carried her way above the clouds she burned through on a daily basis. Blushing heavily, her thoughts took her back to the old cloud-candle shop, positioned a hop away from her flight school, where as a young filly, she would often find herself distracted by the many indulgent (and sometimes repugnant) scents in the air during the shop's production hours. Goddesses, if she could only get that old pegasus to make a candle out of this… "BOO!" "GAH!" Rainbow Dash jumped in fright, wings flapping so quickly she bumped her head on the wooden ceiling. Hastily grasping one of the rafters with all four hooves, she looked down toward the ground, where Pinkie Pie was rolling across the floor, laughing with both forelegs crossed against her stomach. "Ahahahahaha! I got you good, Dashie! Hee hee!" Someday, Pinkie Pie was going to disappear from Ponyville without a trace. Releasing the wooden girder, Rainbow Dash grudgingly let herself drop to the floor, a single flap of the wings slowing her descent. Pinkie Pie, eyes closed and grinning, trotted cheerfully down the steps, her two saddlebags bouncing upward with each step. The feathered filly tossed her own pack in a sweeping slapdash motion, and started after Pinkie Pie when she remembered something, turning back toward where Applejack's hat lay behind her. "Hey Pinkie Pie, I'll be out in just a second!" she called out, not bothering to turn back toward the descending stairs. A muffled "okie-dokie" ensued as Rainbow Dash walked over toward the brown article, picked it up and- after a moment of hesitation- she tossed it into the air, flipping twice until landing squarely on her head. Immediately she began to feel dizzy with an abrupt bout of giddiness, as well as guilt, she realized. Nopony aside from Applejack had ever worn this hat for as long as she'd known her, and Rainbow Dash didn't know whether to feel shameful for wearing it, or embarrassed that she was feeling so sensual right now. She decided the word naughty encompassed the current majority. 'Oh man, I'm wearing her hat! I'm wearing… her… hat! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, I-I… can't even think straight!' she mentally cried. Lightheaded and wavering on all four hooves, she swiftly sat down on her haunches, a stupid grin plastered on her features. Just wearing her apple-bucking friend's hat blew her senses… she couldn't even imagine how she'd react if something ever were to happen between the two. Powerless against her imagination, she started envisioning herself running her hooves through the sun-bleached hair on which the Stetson usually rested, following the gorgeously matted pony-tail down her back, undoing the hair band and caressing her taunt, hard-worked back as she stroked away the stress of a hard day's work, the sweet rapture sparking through smoky-lidded eyes of green, the soft- "BLUH-LUH-LUH-LUH!" "AHHH! PINKIE PIE!" 'Three down, eight to go.' Applejack mentally recited. Keeping her eyes to the sky, she tracked her yellow companion out of the corner of her eye as the duo traveled back to the barn grounds. It wouldn't have been so dreary for the orange mare if each administration didn't take so long. It simply boggled her mind just how much conversation Fluttershy could squeeze out of a small critter. Baggy-eyed, she sullenly reminded herself that they weren't just making small talk, that she was genuinely looking out for the families of the rabbits that took ill. She went out of her way to take care and help those in need, like a true friend would. Unlike some ponies. She averted her eyes from the skies for a moment, unfocused as a flurry of green leaves blew past her, her hair swaying along with them. For all she was worth, she could not help but wonder why? Rainbow Dash loved her friend, she knew that without fault. She held the hay-pickin' Element of Loyalty, for Celestia's sake! She'd always been able to depend on her secret crush whenever the group got into trouble, and she couldn't remember a time where Rainbow Dash hadn't been there, for any of them! And here they were, trying to set up and celebrate Twilight's birthday, the first one she would have since moving down here from Canterlot… The first birthday she'd get to celebrate with her first friends, with ponies that loved her to pieces. Friends that had taken a manticore's claws alongside her. Friends who stared down the petrifying gaze of a cockatrice for her! Friends that wanted to celebrate the day Twilight Sparkle came into Equestria, and made everyone's life for the better as she blossomed in her years. Everypony from the original five still remembered the first birthday they celebrated with the other four attending, showing their appreciation for one another, they would still talk about it to this very day. Who could forget the first bone-crushing group hug they all shared at Pinkie Pie's party? Or the most heart-melting smile anyone had ever seen at Fluttershy's celebration? Or the tears that Rainbow Dash fought to keep at bay in vain, threatening to stain the floor of the Sugarcube Corner party room… at the feathered filly's own birthday party? 'So why now?' she thought bitterly, 'Why would she just up an' leave us hangin' like that? Why would she do that… to Twilight, to… me?' With a tiny gasp, Applejack found herself fighting back her own set of waterworks. She groaned, it wouldn't do for Fluttershy to see her in this state, knowing the trouble it was cause her kind heart. She unconsciously reached a hoof up to pull her beloved Stetson down to cover her face… but felt nothing. Again. Hurt gave way to betrayal, which in turn gave way to a murky, sickening spell of anger welling up inside of her. She simply could not function like this, so she willed the darkness boiling within her heart away for the moment. She was being too emotional about the situation, Rainbow Dash wasn't like that. She wouldn't abandon the group out of self-interest and take something important that belonged to one of her friends… "Maybe she didn't take m'hat outta spite. Maybe she moseyed on back to Ponyville, lookin' fer me…" Applejack looked upwards again, seeing nothing but the blending shades of light blue and white, cloud against the skies. 'Or maybe the other pegasus ponies picked her up, and she hasn't had time t'find us…' The two fillies walked along the white fence line surrounding the cabbage and celery plot about a hundred yards away from the massive barn. Applejack strained her eyes, peering up into another giant puff of clouds, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lazy mare. Looking to the left, she noted that the sun was beginning its descent, the bright beams of light no longer shining straight down, but slanting, the multitude of crops and other vegetables starting to cast their tiny shadows toward the pair, a sight which nurtured the earth pony's mounting frustration. Gingerly avoiding the many budding plants, they came up to a small rabbit-hole. Fluttershy ducked her head down into the hole, sweetly calling out for the furry residents. Applejack mechanically reached down into Fluttershy's knapsack, and pulled out one of the many peapod-sized bottles, and setting it down next to her, before despairingly returning her watch to the sky again. "Pinkie! Over here, quick!" Rainbow Dash whispered out from behind a large bush. Pinkie Pie zoomed up next to her, both ponies peering out from beneath a shady branch. They had hoped to use the usual hustle and bustle of Ponyville's main street as cover to get back to the barn, but apparently Twilight's had taken her studies with her to the fountain in the middle of the road. Spike had darted off earlier, but they weren't sure where, and didn't want to run the chance of running into him either. He was far from the smoothest secret-keeper they'd ever met, and with him in the loop, it was very likely that Twilight would suspect something was up by sundown, which was speedily approaching. So Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hid beneath the brush, planning their escape route back to the barn. "Maybe we could just walk around her?" "But what if she turns around? We're carrying all of this stuff for her party, she'll know something's up!" "Well, what if we're really, really sneaky-sneaky? Oh, what if I took one of the banners, and made a scary ghost costume! Or a cloud costume! We could-" "Oh forget this, let's just walk around." "Hey guys, what's going on?" The plotting ponies screamed as they jumped away from Twilight, who had somehow managed to get behind them while they were arguing. She looked at them quizzically, tilting her head. "Umm, did I miss something? You guys are acting really strange." The guilty girls looked at each other. They were caught, and they had to make up something fast. Twilight was about to say something when Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Oh yeah, we were just… d-delivering some supplies! Yeah, to this, uhh… bear that lives in a cave down this way. Yeah, me and Fluttershy had to house-sit for her a while back, isn't that right Pinkie Pie?" There was a moment's silence, after which Pinkie Pie uncharacteristically sweat-dropped… and then face-hoofed. Rainbow Dash coughed, nudging her partner in crime lightly, bringing her back to the current situation. "Oh yeah, that bear! She's a very, very nice bear, and we wanted to bring her kids some… coloring supplies, see!" she exclaimed too-excitedly, pointing at Rainbow Dash's saddlebags, where a few colored markers were sticking out of the flap. Twilight looked slightly skeptical, but shrugged it off all the same. "Well that's very nice of you guys. Say, do either of you have time to help me out with this spell I've been working on? It's an old interrogation spell that Princess Luna had come up with over a thousand years ago! It was used by the Royal Court to gather information about crimes committed and to garner confessions from prisoners. It's actually pretty harmless, it just causes the pony under the enchantment to temporarily be unable to keep any secret that passes through their mind while under the effect, but Princess Luna was too busy to-" Both ponies let out a shriek, and bounded away at full speed, barreling into a humming Spike and sending him tumbling into the ground. An assortment of sandwiches and leafy food products landed around him in thin packaging, leaving Twilight blinking in the wake. And was it just her, or was Rainbow Dash wearing Applejack's hat? A blur of rainbow and pink hurtled into the barn, the door shutting swiftly behind them. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash leaned back against the entrance, breathing heavily and simultaneously wiping the sweat off of their respective foreheads. After a minute, they looked at each other, grinning. "Alright Pinkie Pie, what say we get this place ready for a party?" Rainbow asked, dropping back down on all fours. The poofy-haired pony jumped with glee, setting her two bags down, and diving into their contents. Markers, containers of streamers, bags of confetti and more flew all across the barn floor as Rainbow Dash began her efforts of organizing the streamers left from this morning. The two worked in almost complete silence for a half an hour, Rainbow Dash hovering left and right, winding and twisting the multi-colored strips around the rafters, and Pinkie Pie decorating the many banners with phrases and pictures of every kind. The blue filly's progress suddenly became impeded as one of the ribbons started sticking to a wooden beam for some odd reason. Looking closely, there was some sort of sticky residue coating the beams. A quick glance upward showed that a careless sander-pony had missed a pocket of tree sap that had collected in one of the beams during the last (and fairly recent) renovation. Pulling and yanking as hard as she could without ripping the ribbon, she quickly grew frustrated, and after a particularly hard tug her body lurched forward as the ribbon jerked back hard. She felt her head bump against the long plank, and a whiny "ouch!" from below. Looking down through the dulling pain, she saw Pinkie Pie glaring down the old brown hat that had fallen off of her head... "That's TWICE you decided to poke me today, buster!" the pink pony exclaimed, pointing an accusing hoof toward the offending object. "Well I'm not going to take that sitting down, even though I was when you poked me, but now I'm standing up (she stands up on all fours) and… umm… well… I'm still not gonna take it!" Rainbow Dash chuckled, swooping down to grab the hat. She turned back to Pinkie Pie, who was still glowering at the item in her hands. "Geez, relax Pinkie, it's just a hat." She stated, casually dusting it off. Pinkie 'hmmph'd, and turned back to her coloring tools. Giving the hat a quick once-over, and setting it gently back on her head, she found herself repressing the annoying urge to giggle along with… Wait, was Pinkie Pie giggling? "Hahahaha -*snort*- ahahaha! You really shouldn't get distracted so often!" Pinkie cried through bouts of laughter. Rainbow Dash turned her head back in bewilderment, before her head started to itch… Really badly! Oh she didn't… With a strangled yelp, she speedily took the hat off and looked inside. Sure enough, there was a little packet of pink powder, labeled "Small". Taking the packet out of the hat, she flung it behind her, and frantically started scratching her multihued hair, desperately looking left and right for some sort of relief. A nail file, some sandpaper, heck, even a pitchfork at this point would do fine! As her eyes spotted a water basin in one of the corners of the barn, she took off toward it with a voice-cracking howl, plunging her head into the icy water while furiously washing the (metaphorically) smoldering substance out as fast as she could. A minute later, she resurfaced with a gasp of air, and collapsed in exhaustion. Pinkie Pie gasped for her own supply of oxygen on the other end of the building, albeit for a different reason. "Tha… tha… ahahahaha! You were… the hat… hee hee hee hee hee!" Rainbow Dash inhaled and rolled over, standing back up, her strength renewed. Walking over to the snickering mare, she salvaged what she could of her usually-mellow smirk, though her light-purple eyes gleamed with a darker edge. "Heh… heh…. good one Pinkie Pie… but you're toast." For all the levity in her heart, the pink pony could only gulp. "Well I'm glad I caught you two when I did. Oh I don't think I could have done any better, it was such a nightmare… but to think, an entire fashion line for the little… ehh, things. Not my cup of tea, personally, but Hoity-Toity seemed so pleased with my work!" "Wow, I'm so happy for you Rarity. Was the frog okay? Did you treat it nicely?" Looking worse for the wear, Applejack trudged on in front of the dainty fillies, paying little mind to their conversation. She had all but given up on finding the flighty pony that had been on her mind all day, and was tiredly watching the ground, following the path with her apple-green eyes. Whatever Rainbow Dash was doing right now, it was no concern of hers anymore. All she wanted to do was get to the barn, finish the preparations for tomorrow, and hit the hay so she could give her addled mind a well-needed reprieve. As the trio neared the barn, she could see her shadow cast along the red walls. The sun had finally begun to retire beyond the horizon, enhancing her hatless silhouette to great proportions against the building she so desperately hoped to find her heart's fixation in. She quickly noticed, however, that the lights had been turned on, a soft glow that was almost indistinguishable from the slowly fading sunlight. A spark of hope lit up in her heart, when she heard her friends talking behind her. "Fluttershy dear, have you seen Pinkie Pie today?" Rarity started. Fluttershy shook her head. "No, I haven't. From what I heard, she was supposed to be baking the cake for Twilight's birthday before coming to help us. Rainbow Dash had told me that she was going to wait until you were through with your project before moving the cake here, so you could use your magic to safely-" "Wait jus' a moment…" Applejack interjected, "When did you talk to Rainbow last?" she asked, suddenly interested. Fluttershy fixed her gaze back to the pony ahead of her. "Oh, I found her last night. She was dropping off a paint can of rainbows for Pinkie Pie to start making the banners early if she found the time, and I caught her as she was walking out. Pinkie Pie was planning on finishing the baking by about this time, so she should be coming down here very soon. She may already be at the barn." 'Well, it's either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie in there…' Applejack contemplated. The rest of the Apple family was still scattered around the field, they had seen more than a few members as her and Fluttershy had tended to the sick bunnies scattered across the property. She hoped it was both, Rainbow should've had plenty of time to set up the ribbons if she had somehow made it into the barn while she was assisting Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie would have started on the banners and balloons, leaving the group plenty of time to get everything in with minimal hassle. Applejack let out a small smile as she trotted up to the barn door, noises coming from inside. 'Maybe this won't end up bein' so bad after all." she assured herself as she opened the barn door. She couldn't believe her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that about half of the rafters were set up and decorated. Nicely -she cynically thought- though that didn't outweigh the fact that the rest of the streamers were wrapped around a pony suspended in the air like a candy wrapper. A colorful one, though it was the second colorful pony that caught her eyes next, who was suspending the swathed-up pony from a red streamer, a silly grin on her face, partially shaded by the hat she was wearing... Her hat! "That'll teach you to try and outdo me!" the flying filly exclaimed proudly. "I'm the queen of pranks, and don't you forget it!" Pranks… It all clicked together in one nasty, sickening crunch of revelation. Two and two, four and four, and less than a second later, Applejack found herself seeing red… Civilities be damned. "WHAT THE HAY IS GOIN' ON HERE!" Rainbow Dash froze at the acidic shriek that came from her orange-coated friend, dropping her colorful bundle which let out a loud "eep!" as it landed on a pile of hay, and touching down in front of her, looking stunned. "H-hey Applejack, what's goin' on? Where've you been all day?" she asked uncertainly. Applejack's glare intensified. "Are you FOALIN' me? I've been out there with Fluttershy lookin' all over for ya! Where have YOU been all day?" she shouted. Rainbow Dash took a step back, and then frowned herself. "Geez, I was helping Pinkie Pie out. We only got back a few-" "Helpin' her with what? Playin' a trick on me, or tyin' her up as a piñata fer the party?" she retorted venomously. "What in tarnation are you playin' at, Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash stood her ground, wings spread out in aggravation. "What is your problem, Applejack? Calm down!" she replied ardently, but Applejack wasn't about to back down so easily either. "ME calm down? I ran down t'Roseluck's fer twenty minutes! Twenty minutes, and you hauled outta here like you was done with the place! I was countin' on you to help me out today, and y'all left before anything got done!" she yelled. Rainbow Dash's wings lowered slightly, the heat of her argument starting to ebb away. "Yeah, well if you hadn't run off, maybe I would have…" "HOW DARE YOU!" she spat fiercely. "I busted mah flanks all mornin' long without you to get this done fer Twilight, and it wasn't near enough to make it in time! Y'all were supposed to meet me here bright 'n early like y'promised me, and you DIDN'T!" Rainbow Dash felt her wings go slack, her expression turning sorrowful. "Ya know somethin', Rainbow…" Applejack continued, her voice getting shaky, "I thought ah could depend on you, that WE could depend on you! For Celestia's sake, Fluttershy could've fixed these up rightly faster n' you! (Fluttershy ducked her head down behind a shaking Rarity, her lip quivering, and trying not to be noticed.) "An' you know why that is? Because she cares more 'bout others than about herself! She spent the whole day fixin' up her friend's families with nothin' but a smile! And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" Rainbow Dash looked down even further, speaking softly. "But… I do c-" "Jus' forget it! We've got too much work t'do, and y'all are so WORTHLESS! WE DON'T NEED YOU HERE! AND I DON'T WANT YOU HERE NEITHER!" Applejack shouted. Through her furious gaze, she watched Rainbow Dash slowly raise her head after a moment of absolute silence… she panted heavily as she prepared herself for the proud pony's next predictable outburst, her explanations and her excuses. She saw twin trails of tears, streaming from a pair of vacant, violet eyes. All of the fire, the righteous anger that festered through her being… was doused in an instant. By the tears of a broken champion. "Rainbow…" she started, quietly. But she was gone, in a bright flash of rainbow, colors that mocked the sorrow and resentment coursing through Applejack as the reality of what had happened caught up with her. Eyes glistening, she helplessly turned toward the door her friend had flown out of, to her friends backed up in the corner. Rarity was holding a trembling Fluttershy, not caring that the sensitive mare poured her tears into her previously perfect mane. She looked to the middle of the room, so lifeless and empty now… And to Pinkie Pie, still wrapped up in her bindings, unwilling to meet her eyes. Not since the day she left the farm as a filly had she ever felt so alone. Choking back a sob, she looked back to Rarity again, her expression veiled by her long indigo tresses. "Y'all… y'all gonna be okay without us fer a while, I hope." she half-asked, half-stated. Rarity turned her head toward her, eyes traced down to the floor, but let a small, understanding smile give all the confirmation Applejack needed to bolt out the door without another word, a trail of tears falling behind her as she charged under the symbol of her love's philosophy… The lone rainbow trail streaked against the blazing sunset. Raindrops and TeardropsDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Somebody else does. Lucky bastard. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 3: Raindrops and Teardrops Dusk had finally settled over Ponyville, the ponies and other minority species working to retire the terrene town underneath the tender glow that remained, while it remained. The unicorns and earth ponies worked together in the twilit tranquility, closing up shops for the night, and watering their many gardens before retiring to their homes and families. The pegasus ponies continued their work unabated, laboring together to smooth out the dark clouds into an ever-growing blanket over the denizens of the small city. A number of ponies had chosen to glance toward the remnants of the sunset, and many of them had given a double-take in that direction, as a rainbow had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, brightening up the normally tranquil atmosphere in a striking display. Rainbow Dash soared through the dimming skies of lavender and dark grey, tearing past the many pegasus ponies hovering to and fro. She had no destination, only the purpose of escaping the consuming ache of shame and depravity she could not help feeling as Applejack's furious countenance drifted through her mind. "I thought ah could depend on you…" Unconsciously she began picking up speed, the colors below blending into a dark, purple miasma. Withdrawing inside of herself, she desperately searched for the sense of thrill, for the rush of adrenaline that would overtake her, drowning out the worries of the world and emptying her mind of the despair that threatened to engulf her. "And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" Even with her wings beating at full force, the haze of pre-Sonic Rainboom cloud collection beginning to form, she felt so slow. "…y'all are so WORTHLESS!" Against her will, she began to see trace images being cast against the opaque shielding of gray in front of her, watching her memories unfold in agonizing slowness… It had almost been a year since she had left the academy. Today was a clear and sunny day, perfect for venturing down to the world below. Sparing a glance toward the barely visible community in the clouds above her, the blue filly turned her attention down a long stretch of straight meadow ground sparsely populated with trees and flowers, while casually munching on an apple. It was here where she had touched down to the earth for the first time so long ago, in all of its summer glory that bloomed into a picture-perfect replica of that special day. She had chosen this particular place many a day that she sought to fill the previously-studious hours of her young life, whether it be to run through a flying routine, to laze away the day with a nap in the swaying branches of a tree, or just to get away from the lonely clouds during school hours. Today was special, however, as she had decided to dedicate her time to start practice on her soon-to-be second signature move…. She called it the Super Speed Strut, and it was one that required precision and… grace over speed, despite the catchy name, an ability the young teenager often found herself lacking. However, she had mastered the element of confidence… And enough of that could make up for anything in her book. A few wing-flutters to loosen up the tension, a crack of the back, and one twitch of the neck later, she settled her gaze on the grass ahead, donning her trademark smirk. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath… and brought her wings down hard, launching herself straight upwards. Ten seconds of furious flapping, and she was already halfway up to Cloudsdale, rising higher and higher… So she folded her wings back in, stalled, and allowed herself to gently tip backwards, smiling as she felt the euphoria of weightlessness for all of a second, her colored mane flowing out in front of her face, before twisting and plummeting back down toward the earth. She reached forward with both hooves, ignoring the light whistling noise that increased in volume as she gained speed, the land steadily growing in detail as she could make out the individual flowers in every bunch, the direction the leaves on the trees swayed in the wind… A trail of ants marching in a line away from the apple core she carelessly tossed away moments ago. With all of the strength in her wings, she brought them out, pulling out of her dive at a flawless ninety-degree angle. Waves of dust flowing behind her, she brought her hooves parallel to the speeding ground below, and began a graceful strut. The tension in her legs was almost too much to keep up with her velocity, but she pushed through it with every step, teeth clenching with every furiously gentle hoof-touch, the pain causing her eyes to squint. Which caused a single rock to slip out of her pegasus-precision eyesight. Her back right leg caught the object hard, tipping her balance forward and to the left. It was a phenomenon she could relate to very easily, that split-second where time seemed to stop long enough for her to realize… that it wasn't long enough. A stubbed hoof, a bump to the head, she'd experienced them more times that she would prefer to admit. But something told her within that paradoxical time frame that this was going to hurt. A lot. Instinctively she recalled the lesson from her old "Crash Course" class, the very same class she had received her endearing nicker-name from the three bozos that still found the time to heckle her whenever they were near. Quickly thanking Celestia in the back of her mind, she folded her wings in, tucked her legs under herself, and jerked her head down, attempting to bounce off the ground in a roll, and catch the air with her wings in hopes of slowing herself down with minimal damage. But she overshot. Her body still lurched dangerously to the side, catching her shoulder, and sending her into a rapid corkscrew when she unfolded her wings out of panic. She spun through the air, unable to readjust her bearings, when her world was suddenly brought to a stand-still, a dull *crack!* echoing in the back of her consciousness. And then she felt the pain. Her vision danced with colored dots as she cried out in agony, her throat too taunt to scream the way her twinging body urged her to. She panted hoarsely as she lay sprawled on the ground, the fuzz of semi-consciousness surrounding her being in a medley of pain and delirium. She couldn't tell how long it had been until she decided to try and stand up. It could have been a few minutes, a half an hour, or even half of the day. Laying on her side, she could see the sun shining above her at a slight angle, indicating sometime close to midday. Not that she really cared at this point. Summing up all of the willpower she could, Rainbow Dash began flexing her legs. A growing pain began building up inside of her right leg. Not good. Testing the tension in her front legs revealed them both to be fine. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she shut her eyes tightly, and started pushing herself up off of the ground. Numbness began spreading across her body starting from her spine, and unable to support her own weight she collapsed once again, yelping from the pain stemming from falling on top of her injured leg. "Hey guys, look! It's Rainbow Crash!" Oh no… not now. Please, not now! Try as she might, she found herself unable to move from her prone position, and so she helplessly looked toward the source of the call. Three teenage pegasus ponies touched down in front of her, one with a chocolate coat and cream colored hair, one with a grey coat and black hair, and the last having a caramel-colored coat, with long brown hair that covered his eyes. "Whoa, look at her wing." The chocolate-coated pegasus spoke up. "Looks pretty bad. What'd you do this time, Rainbow Crash?" "Sh-shut up…" she croaked in a low voice, struggling to keep the tears of pain and shame back. "Ha, she totally wrecked that tree, look!" The caramel-coated pony laughed, pointing at the indentation in the tree behind her. The other two joined in as Rainbow Dash struggled to get onto her feet, pushing past the pain with anger and righteous indignation. "Yeah? Like you've never…heh… crashed before. I'm just the only pony… stallion enough to do it at full speed." she groaned, cracking a small grin. The chocolate-coated pegasus scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well we're not the ones flying into trees and breaking our wings. Face it Rainbow Crash, you're just one big failure after another!" he sneered. "…y'all are so WORTHLESS!" Rainbow glared back at him, struggling to maintain her balance. "Just shut up and wait… I'm g-gonna join the Wonderbolts someday… and I'll make you eat those words!" she yelled. The three bullies started laughing again. "Yeah right, like you could ever make the team. They'd never let a pegasus in who couldn't even graduate from Flight School. Speaking of which…" the chocolate-coated pegasus reached into one of his saddle-bags, pulling out a piece of paper. "…you just missed graduation day. And guess what? We've got our diplomas!" "So what? Who cares about some stupid piece of paper…" she trailed off, looking uncertain. "Well maybe if you stayed in school, you'd have learned that every single one of the Wonderbolts graduated from Flight School!" he chuckled, seeing the dawning look of dirt-stained horror on Rainbow Dash's face. "Well too bad for you, we've got a better chance of getting into the Wonderbolts than you do! We actually graduated Flight School…" "And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" The three burst into laughter once again, Rainbow Dash collapsing on the spot in disbelief and humiliation as she helplessly watched the three take to the skies, calling back to her as they left her behind. "Have fun walking all the way to Ponyville, Rainbow Crash!" That day, they had left her behind. They had abandoned her in the middle of the field, leaving her to the lonely and excruciating half a day's walk back to the earth pony town. She recalled the bitterness she had felt, a wrench in her heart that hurt even more than when the Ponyville nurses had to reset her wing back into place later that evening. That day, she had vowed to never let that happen to anypony. She would be loyal to everypony who needed her to be. 'I'd never leave my friends hangin'. And today, she had finally broken that credo. To the one pony who needed her the most, and who mattered the most to her. Every flap of her wings that brought her farther away from her friends only served to worsen her feelings. She flew higher and higher, into the midst of the dark rain clouds, her vision becoming completely obstructed. Maybe... if she didn't know where she was going, she would not be able to find her way back. She could never go back. 'WE DON'T NEED YOU HERE! AND I DON'T WANT YOU HERE NEITHER!' She had to go faster, she needed to get away from it all… *CRACK!* Numbness spread throughout her being as her body suddenly went slack, the only sensation being the searing, white-hot pain in her right wing. Lightly scraping against what she hazily presumed to be a mountain side, she felt herself begin a slow spiral through the dark and misty sky, beginning to descend. She closed her eyes as she began losing feeling in her body… And the last thing she saw was the old Stetson flying from above her, and plummeting down through the storm clouds. "They don't need me here… and I don't want to be here, either." Her legs ached, her lungs burned... But the screaming in her heart kept her going. Applejack raced across the windy fields of Ponyville, in the direction where the slowly-fading rainbow above her would surely lead her to Rainbow Dash. The sun had long since disappeared from view behind the dimming skies, the vitality of the world around her slowly fading into nightfall. There was no time to rest, she had to hurry. The pegasus ponies were due to start the downpour any moment now, and through the rain and darkness she would have no hope of finding her friend. …if she could still call herself the same. 'Why? Why'd I say those things to Rainbow?' She had grown especially close to Rainbow Dash as the years had gone by, closer than any of her other four best friends. Sure, they had their quarrels same as any other two ponies, but everything would always work out for the better in the end, the bonds of friendship between the two growing stronger after each and every challenge thrown between them. One day was all it had taken for her to throw it all away. 'What have I done?' She had always admired Rainbow Dash as somepony who shared her values. Both were a headstrong set of mares. If they saw something they wanted, they went for it, and held no reservations about getting down and dirty in the process. They were both hard workers, surely enough. The two had even been designated team leaders in last year's Winter Wrap-Up! But most importantly, the two of them would always help out a friend in need. She would admit that it could be a chore to get her rainbow-maned friend to help her out with a previous commitment, but if it was important, she would come through in the end, honest-to-goodness. Honest… The word suddenly echoed throughout her mind, filling the void of inquiry and drowning out the sounds of the coming storm around her. "Big Macintosh, Granny Smith! I'm home! I'm home!" The sun was shining over the lush, autumn hills as a young and freckle-faced Applejack raced down the dirt path of the apple orchard, past the coloring trees and buckets of apples, calling out for the two ponies that ran the farm. Surely enough, she could see them waiting beneath the vine-covered gate to the property, both smiling and looking so happy to see her. Overjoyed, she ran right up next to the two ponies she called family, who wordlessly nuzzled her with affection. "Oh Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, I missed y'all so much…" Applejack whispered, returning their love in full. "We missed you, little AJ." Big Macintosh replied in a quiet, deep voice. Applejack sunk deeper into the hug, leaning against her big brother's red body. After a moment Granny Smith pulled away, and started a slow walk toward the picnic area, motioning for the two to follow. "Well get a move on, young lady! There's a lot to do before we can celebrate tonight." the old pony called back, smiling. "Aww Granny Smith, y'all don't need to throw me a party. I'm jus' glad to be home for good." the orange filly replied, tilting her head. Big Macintosh walked up next to her. "I dunno, AJ. I'd say this here –he pointed to her- is definitely something to celebrate." he stated. Applejack blushed, lightly jabbing her brother in the side. "Aww, thanks Big Mac. But really, it's fine." Big Macintosh made no motion to lower his hoof. Granny Smith's toothless smile widened. "…why are y'all lookin' at me like that?" asked Applejack after a moment, shifting uncomfortably. Big Macintosh gave her a sly look. "Well why don't you take a look yourself? Or haven't you noticed it yet?" he asked rhetorically. "Wha-" But she stopped her sentence short when she noticed where her brother's hoof was pointing. Looking back, she finally saw it. Through all of the excitement of the day, she had failed to notice the three red apples that had made their grand appearance on her flank. She gasped, looking back up to Big Macintosh, who was still smiling. "Eyup." Applejack let out a high-pitched "Yee-haw!", and wrapped her arms around Big Macintosh, laughing as she jumped up and down. "Ah got my cutie mark! Ah got my cutie mark!" Granny Smith let out a hoarse chuckle after a moment, watching the celebration. "Alright, settle down young lady. Like I said, there's work to be done, and we'll need the whole Apple Family to get everything ready before tonight." Her eyes twinkling, Granny Smith walked up to the large apple tree in the center of the picnic area, right up next to the large, rusty triangle suspended from a limb. Taking the small steel rod in her mouth, she walked over and gave it to the orange filly. Applejack looked at her grandmother in confusion, before looking up again to the red pony next to her, who was giving her a warm look. "You didn't forget what today is, did you? Every Apple knows what today is." he said slowly. Applejack gave him a look, before it dawned on her. She remembered marking off the days she had been at the Orange residence in Manehattan on the calendar next to her window, where she would watch the sun rise every morning… how did she miss it? Today was the Apple Family reunion! Big Mac pushed a tree stump under the triangle, propping it up, and then looked back at her. "Get on up there, AJ. I reckon you're big enough to help out on the farm now, and this here's a good start." Applejack eagerly jumped up onto the log, unable to contain her excitement to the point that she almost dropped the metal rod. Biting down through a grin, she turned to look at the old triangle hanging above her, so rusty and worn out with time. Her thoughts drifted back to her relatives in Manehattan, how fancy and prim the sweet couple had been. Living with them, it seemed so long since she had seen anything that looked so down to earth. So… familiar. She looked back towards her kin, both of which gave her reassuring smiles. In all of her young life, she had never felt as silly as she did that she had left these wonderful folks of hers. And never so proud that she decided to come back home. 'I knew right then just who I was s'posed to be.' *DING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING!* "SOOOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!" Family. It was more than just being related. Applejack sat at one of the picnic tables, surrounded by her aunts and uncles, her cousins and other distant relatives, none of which felt like strangers to her. The whole Apple Family right here, the family whom she had come to love so very much. One whole year, and she still felt like she knew them all as well as she knew herself. She turned to watch the sunset beyond the horizon. She could see the faint outline of Manehattan in the distance, becoming a dark shadow of buildings as the sun drifted behind the large city. It was very surreal, having grown used to watching the sunrise from her room in Manehattan, the beautiful display taking place right above Ponyville. The Orange's apartment was suited on the east side of the building, and didn't have a window from which she would watch the setting sun, a sight she sorely missed. Somehow, it felt right this way. As if her chapter in Manehattan had ended once and for all, and the morning sunrise would bring her bright future along with it, right here on the farm. She stood up, politely excusing herself from the table, where she was greeted with a loud number of compliments and gestures from her sitting relatives. It didn't seem right to feel so quiet and philosophical with all of her kin around her, but she couldn't help it. She simply could not bring herself to mingle with the rest of them in this state. She walked over towards the well, where some of her cousins had decided to play apple-catch. Watching the fillies and colts play with each other, tossing apples and calling out each other's names in such a familiar manner… she still felt so out of place. 'Maybe I just need some time alone. Why don't I go… visit my old room? Maybe that'll help clear my head.' She stopped walking to the well, and about faced, starting towards the east end of the property when one of the colts called out to her from the game. "Hey Applejack, where ya goin' coz? Don'tcha wanna play with us?" one of the young colts her age asked. Applejack glanced back towards the pony who addressed her. "I would, but… I just need some time to myself, Braeburn. I'll be back, just gonna head to my room for a spell." she replied, trotting away from the picnic area at a slow pace. "Okay, don't be too long!" he called out to her, running toward the other fillies and colts tossing apples to one another. The young Applejack smiled, watching her cousin joining in with the apple-toss, before turning back to the dirt path heading to the hill behind the barn. Oh how she relished the feeling of dirt beneath her hooves, and the welcoming smell of hay and apples! The wind was breezing by so naturally, untouched by skyscrapers and alleyways. No bright city lights to obstruct the birthing stars above her in their twilight splendor. Why, the hay bales and haystacks were all lined up along the path right where she remembered them before heading off to Manehattan! Passing the last field of crops, she finally made it to the old brown house in the back of the property. She tread up the familiar wooden steps, her ears taking delight in each noise-shattering squeak that issued whenever she set her foot down, and even more so with the slow *crrreeeeeaaak!* that came from the old door when she opened it. There was no light inside, but she knew the layout of the building by heart. Making her way through the darkness, she blindly trotted up the stairs into the loft, mentally counting each step. Reaching out for the door, she found it and pushed it open. She walked in, and mechanically reached up and to the right, turning on a gas lamp suspended to the wall with effortless ease. The room, and all of her memories with it were instantly illuminated as the tiny flame above her brought the two to light before her. Nothing had changed since she had left, from her single-pony bed against the wall, the dresser on the side where she kept her work clothes, not even the log Big Macintosh had hauled up to her room for her last birthday, so she could practice apple-bucking when the season had passed. But what really caught her eye was that the room was perfectly clean. Walking up to the bed, she could smell the fresh detergent in the sheets, dust free and looking cleaner than the day she left. The dresser had been dusted, oiled even, and the floor was perfectly swept. Speaking of, she could feel a set of hooves vibrating through the floor, and her ears picked up the memorable creaking of the stairs that led to her room, when the clacking hoofsteps stopped behind her. She didn't even have to turn around. "Y'all knew that I… that I'd be comin' back this whole time, didn't you?" "…Eyup." Applejack turned to face her brother who stood in the doorway, lightly glowing red in the lamplight. Without a word spoken between them, she ran up and hugged him tight, fresh tears soaking into his orange mane. "Oh Big Macintosh, it was awful, just awful! It weren't nothin' like I was expectin', all them high-class ponies judgin' me an' makin' me feel like such a fool! I tried so hard to change for them, because I was so afraid of lettin' my folks down! The orange filly hugged the teenager tighter, her voice suddenly becoming quiet. "I… I missed y'all so very much… Down here on the farm, bein' myself was good enough for all of you. I don't gotta pretend to be somepony I'm not, because the folks here in Ponyille love me for who I am… and that should have been good enough for me." The red teenager said nothing as Applejack continued, her grip going slack. "I love my Aunt n' Uncle Orange, I really do. They're such sweet folks, and they loved me like family. But no matter how much they taught me, no matter how hard I tried… I just wasn't good enough for them…" "Now hold on a minute, little sis." Big Macintosh interrupted, pulling away, and looking into his little sister's watery eyes. "You've always been good enough for them, for 't go lettin' yourself think that there was something wrong with you in the first place, because there never was." Big Macintosh smiled. "Granny Smith and I let you go to Manehattan because we wanted you to learn a valuable lesson, a lesson that you wouldn't have learned if we made you stay here on the farm." "What lesson?" Applejack asked, frowning. Big Macintosh sat down on the floor next to her. "Well, you've already told me most of what you've found out. What else did you learn?" Applejack paused, looking down at the floor. "Well… I learned that what I wanted was right here." "And what's that?" "I-I want to live with ponies who love me for who I am. I want… I want to be who I want to be, and not somepony else. Here on the farm, everything's so simple. We don't pretend to be better than each other, or more successful. We're always thinkin' about each other and what we can do to help out the family… and the good folks of Ponyville." Applejack paused, before continuing in an even quieter voice. "I left… because I wanted to live a better life. Because I thought I could be better by actin' like some fancy pony. But I was lyin' to myself the whole walk there. Aunt Orange was right, all I was doin' was actin'." "So what does that mean you have to do?" "It means… It means I gotta be honest with myself before I can go about bein' honest with everypony else." Big Macintosh beamed, and pulled the orange filly into a big hug. Both ponies sat there, enjoying the warm silence for a moment, before he spoke up again, his voice beginning to quaver. "You've always been good enough for us, AJ, and you've always been good enough for them. And I reckon with what you've come to realize all by yourself, you just might be too good for them." Applejack returned the hug in full, a rush of loving warmth rolling through her. "Thanks, I s'pose… you always know just what t'say to me." "…Eyup." Applejack beamed at her older brother, the firelight dancing in her wide, sincere eyes. She felt much better than she had before, the sadness and self-disappointment melting away from her heart. She felt like herself again. "Alright, Mac. Let's head back to the festivities." Applejack said, trotting past Big Macintosh and down the stairs, who in turn stood and followed behind her. "Cousin Braeburn's probably wonderin' why I'm not peltin' him with apples right now." The two walked out through the open doorway in pleasant silence, and into the open world where dusk had fallen. Applejack leaped off of the porch, looking back to see that Big Macintosh had stopped in the entryway. "Hang on, sis. I've got something for you." Big Macintosh said, walking back into the old house. The young filly huffed, turning to look back at the celebration. Somepony had lit a fire out in the fields, where she could see a large number of ponies sitting around in a large circle, doing who knows what. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a light whirling noise in the air behind her, and she felt something soft, but weighted land on her head, obstructing her eyesight. "Good to see I haven't lost my touch at horseshoes. Not too many ponies to play against since you left, AJ." Applejack reached a hoof to take off whatever had landed on her head, mumbling about older brothers and their need to show off at inappropriate times. She took it off and brought it level to her face, eyes slowly growing wide. It was the most beautiful brown Stetson she had ever laid eyes on. It looked perfectly new, no creases or marks were visible. It smelled of sweet leather, and the material was just as sturdy, and not at all uncomfortable to the touch. The hat was a little big for her head, but she would grow into it in time. As she silently examined her present, Big Macintosh started up behind her. "Me and Granny Smith got this for your birthday right before you left. I noticed you eyeing it on our last trip to Ponyville before you left. We… weren't sure whether the Oranges would take kindly to you wearin' it around the house all the time, so we decided to save it for a different occasion." Applejack didn't turn back, but instead sat on her haunches, holding the hat close. "…you really did know I was coming back." she sighed. "I figured you'd like it… it's uncanny, you look just like she did with it on." Applejack blinked back a pair of tears. "Just like mom…" she whispered. Big Macintosh nodded. "She was the most dependable of ponies… and I reckon she'd be proud to know that you're following in her hoofsteps, right behind her." Applejack broke out into a wide smile at that. Standing up, she flipped the hat up into the air with an idle hoof, and let it land on her head, turning towards her brother with a wide grin. "Thank you, Big Macintosh. I promise to always be honest about who I am, whether people like it or not, and I promise to be honest to my friends and kin. An' I'll do it by showing them just how much I appreciate them." The side of the red teenager's mouth turned up slightly, and he walked up next to the proud-looking pony, who started walking down the hill in turn. "Betcha I'll grow up to be just as pretty as mom, too." "I'm sure you will. The hat really does look good on you, AJ. "Thanks, Big Macintosh." "Besides, I figure you'll be glad to have one, come your first applebuck season. You looked mighty sunburnt when you got home today. " "Well, I s'pose we can't all have your gorgeous, red c'mplexion." Three ponies sat under the stars later that evening, listening to the crickets chirping in blended harmony. The fire pit was reduced to a small pocket of glowing coals, the only source of light on the ground as far as the eyes could see. The silhouetted horizon stretched far out, blanketed by the twinkling sky above. "So did y'all see that rainbow up in the sky this mornin'?" "Not so loud, AJ. Granny Smith's asleep." "Oh, sorry. So did'ja?" "'Shore did. The most spectacular one I've ever seen." "That rainbow pointed right to Ponyville from where I could see. It led me straight home this mornin'." "You know, the pegasus ponies make the rainbows up there. But I ain't never seen one like that before, it just came outta nowhere. I reckon somepony might've had an accident, or was playing a prank." Applejack looked up toward the night sky "Well whatever it was, I'm glad it happened." . Big Macintosh looked at the young Applejack, who stood silhouetted against the starlight, proudly adjusting her new hat. "Someday, I'm gonna find the pony who made the rainbow that led me home, and I'll thank her sure enough for leadin' me back home. That's a promise." Running through the fields, the trees were getting thicker and thicker, until there was a large canopy of leaves above her. The orange pony galloped through the blinding wind, and through her memories. It was after she had learned that her best friend had made that rainbow… that she had came to realize that her affections had begun to blossom into something more, something she later came to call love. She had never approached Rainbow Dash about it, the rainbow or her feelings. And she began to wonder if it was too late for both. Her gaze fell to the rushing ground below her hooves. Laying on the ground a few yards ahead… was her Stetson. Braking hard, she walked up to it, picking it up with a shaking hoof, looking frantically for the pony who would have dropped it. She saw nopony, her gaze then settling on the hat that caught the blowing wind, trying to escape her grasp. She had vowed all those years ago on this very hat, that she would be honest with herself, and with her fellow ponies. Like her hat, it had become her identity, her life's doctrine. Both of which she had lost today, because she hadn't been honest with Rainbow Dash. Applejack lowered her head, fresh tears falling from her cheeks. How could she expect Rainbow Dash to live up to her virtue… if she couldn't do the same? Looking up to the sky, the rainbow trail had all but dulled out into the haze of cloud cover above her. Moments later, it disappeared completely, the world around her losing the last bit of color… of life. Those two promises she made all those years ago weighed heavily upon her as she sprinted off again, running through the darkening groves, the splintering shards from those pledges tracing lines over her heavy heart. Blinking furiously as a large leaf raked across her eye, she galloped onward through the first drops of rain, hat between her teeth. Rainbow Dash deserved to wear this hat more than she did. And she'd be damned if she wore it again before she reclaimed her virtue. "I'll find you, Rainbow Dash." she whispered, her words lost to the rushing wind around her. "And when I do, I'm gonna show you just how much you mean to me…" Raindrops. Her world was dark, and full of them. Cold and pitiless they cascaded around her, sliding down her limp frame and through her windswept hair. Soaking into her feathers, the icy chill dulled the throbbing in her wing enough that her thoughts drifted away from the pain. She listened to the sound of water beating through the leaves above her, offering no refuge from the chilling downpour. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Teardrops. She could feel them now, sliding down her cheeks and mingling with the dirt where she lay below. She could see the muddy grass, and the root of the tree that had brought her descent to a numbing standstill. Tilting her head, she felt something small and light shifting below her. Leaves. They were spread out around her, dark and faded against the freezing wet ground. Unmoving, lifeless and stained with mud, some lying atop the small patches of grass around her, and some almost buried completely under the rising marshes. All as soaked and lonely as herself. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes one last time, listening to the sounds of the storm around her, the silent *shluck* of somepony's hooves treading through mud, and the gentle whispering of her name, before giving way to the looming shadows in her mind. Raindrops and teardrops falling around her. OvercastDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I own a ten year-old boulder of a computer, a chair that offers no back support, and about twelve assorted musical instruments, depressingly most of which nobody has ever heard of. Maybe Pinkie Pie has? Someone go ask her. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 4: Overcast *Crick… crick-crack…pop… crick… crick-crick* The rain was gone. She lay there on her side with her eyes closed, listening to the tiny bursts of sound echoing in the stillness. Wherever 'there' was, it sure was soft. And dry. Warm, even. She gradually became conscious of the emanating heat in front of her. She lay in a pleasant daze, feeling the light waves of rolling warmth that washed over her body. Slowly, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She was lying in front of a fire pit, the logs pointing out in a conventional six-star spread, surrounded by a ring of rocks. Burning only a few feet away, she squinted as the unexpected light assaulted her vision. She blinked a few times, broadening her awareness and looking around as her eyes adjusted to the shadows of the room around her. A rock wall of jagged layers came to view first, shadows towering across the ceiling from the rough slabs, illuminated by the light of the fire. Her eyes scanned the entirety of the ceiling, and to the other side of the room above her head, same as the previous. She was in a cave. Her head began to throb dully, but painfully from the eyestrain, and so she directed her gaze sideways from the floor. Shifting to roll off of her tender shoulder, she heard a light crinkling sound, more rapid and high-pitched than those coming from the blaze before her. Glancing down, she took notice of where she lay. A bed of leaves had been arranged underneath her, glowing in different colors below the dancing light source. From her peripherals, she saw very few leaves scattered around the floor near the jumping flames. Somepony had to have collected the pile of leaves for her. 'Rainbow…' She blinked, the memories of the crash suddenly rushing back to her. She remembered… hearing somepony whispering her name before she had passed out! Violet eyes shooting open, she raised her head, feverishly searching the corners of the poorly lit cavern for her would-be rescuer. She could not see anyone. The cave was completely silent, but for the crackling noise of the fire. Directing her gaze forward, she miserably recalled the events that had brought her here, memories brought back with her epiphany a moment ago. In a single day, she had managed to ruin Twilight's surprise birthday party, lose the friendship and trust of the pony she had grown closer to than any other, and broken her wing mid-flight in the middle of nowhere, now stuck in a cave with somepony she did not know, and could not find. Tears willed themselves to the rims of her eyes, but refused to spill over, finding herself undeserving of such self-pity. She lay in stoic stillness, unable to find a reason to get up, surrendering instead to stare at the wavering firelight. Careless. That was the word that pervaded her thoughts as her vision glazed over. She watched the flames reaching upwards, stretching towards the ceiling in vain, flickering flourishes, aimlessly and spontaneous. Or so it seemed at first glance. There in the center of the fire pit was a glowing furnace of hot coals. A bed of embers, shimmering and warping the air with the intensity of its energy, feeding the burning tendrils that licked and curled in the air above. Staring into the fire, she could see the rainbow visage of a pony. In each burst of flame, the memory of a failed trick, wisping away into nothing. With every crackle from the burning logs came the scornful laughter of a pony who would not realize her dream. And from every flicker she saw a pair of victoriously-gleaming violet eyes, a silent reservoir holding back the years of accumulated pain, silently pleading for understanding and reprieve. No matter how high the flames reached, they would always disappear, leaving small cinders occasionally falling down around the ring of rocks. And still those flames ventured upwards, no irresolute or hesitant gesture made. Why? Her eyes fell to the bed of coals again, the shimmering heat giving way to a memory long since forgotten… *FWOOOSHH!* Animals of all kinds darted into the trees and burrows. Ducks abandoned a nearby pond in a frenzy of feathers as they took flight, whether by choice, or by the destructive power of the gale-force winds tearing them from the water's surface, sending the helpless birds sprawling in the awe-striking surf. Streaking upwards in a blur of colors, the peace-shattering perpetrator braked hard in mid-air, grabbing a cloud in the midst of her speeding wake and stopping her ascent in full. Legs still dangling upwards from her previous momentum, the pegasus pony grinned as a spray of pond water flew upwards at her, showering her face and drenching her hovering body in ice-cold victory. Shaking her head free of the moisture, she glanced downward, her smile growing wider as she took note of the large branches and debris strewn all over the previously-pristine clearing, a testament to the sheer velocity she had attained. Perfect. But enough warming up. Rainbow Dash had real work to do. The teenage prodigy stared down at the world below as the wind blew through her rainbow mane. The fields and meadows of Ponyville lay before her, the nearby town sitting a healthy distance away. She was only just able to make out a few colorful dots someplace far off below; a number of ponies working outside in some nearby orchard. She jumped up from the cloud, and began a routine of stretches in mid-flight, attempting to loosen up the tension in her arms and legs, twisting her body left and right. Lastly, she looked behind her and gave her rainbow tail a good flick, making sure it was devoid of any tangles or knots. This stunt was all about presentation. The pegasus lay out the practiced scene before her, visualizing a cheering crowd below; a large, slanted box full of shouting fans and adoring admirers. Her eyes became slits as she glared down to the world below, refocusing all of her attention on her upcoming routine. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and dove off of the cloud. Putting her hooves in front of her, her hawk-like gaze locked onto two objects; the imaginary stand of cheering ponies, and a tiny cloud hovering some distance below and to her right, rapidly approaching as the blue filly built up speed. Two hundred yards… one hundred yards… twenty yards. 'NOW!' Thundering passed the tiny cloud, Rainbow Dash swiftly flicked her tail out, catching the puffy object with a sharp-sounding *pff!*, and drawing all of the water into her slipstream as she roared towards the ground. Halfway to the ground, she quickly glanced backwards, grinning as she saw the beginnings of a rainbow trail forming behind her from the wayward moisture. But she wasn't through yet. The proud pegasus hurtled toward the imaginary crowd at break-neck speed, and began a high-speed twirl, the rainbow trail twisting behind her like a shimmering, dazzling ribbon. All that was left was to pull up and out of her spinning nose dive in the right direction, and she would have that audition in the bag. This stunt was bound to impress the Wonderbolts for sure! This was going to be even more spectacular than her recently-perfected second signature move. This move… was going down in the history books for sure, the name of which would be spoken in awe for generations to come! The Fantastic Filly Flash! She could feel the curvature of the wind through her outstretched wings, hear the howling wind that gave way to the triumphant athlete. She was the fastest pegasus around for miles, the sky was her racetrack in which she found no competition. Champions didn't compete, they showed off. She began struggling to keep her focus, biting back the building wave of queasiness from staring at the spinning ground below. The trick to this one was keeping her bearings, and it was hard to keep track of the direction she needed to pull up from. One wrong move or moment of hesitance would send her spiraling through the brush. Or worse, into another tree. 'Ha, she totally wrecked that tree, look!' Rainbow Dash fought hard to bury that bitter memory as she tore past the drifting clouds. 'Yeah right, like you could ever make the team…' Spinning, she began to lose focus, the same feeling of helplessness and fright from the memory overtaking her as she corkscrewed downwards, the ground growing rapidly closer… The ground! She had lost her bearings! Casting fate to the wind, Rainbow Dash leveled her course in a burst of impulse and panic, her hooves skimming the unforgiving soil below her. Through her adrenaline-fed terror, her eyes could scarcely keep up with the terminal speed at which her body rocketed, barely dodging the rushing blur of brush and tree limbs. Careening through the thickening foliage, Rainbow Dash was unable force her wings to tilt downwards in hopes of rocketing herself upwards into the spacious safety of the sky, the intensity of her speed too hard to fight. Wide-eyed and panicked, instinct had completely taken over. Left! Up! Left! Right! Left! Down! Right! Left! Up! An opening! With only a blink of hesitance, Rainbow Dash willed her wings to thrust downwards, swiftly rising up and over the treetop. Or so she would have, were it not for that moment of uncertainty. Instead the panicking pegasus cried out as a cluster of branches scraped against her body as she flew through the top of a tree, twigs lashing out at her body, and sending her tumbling through the sky at high-speeds. Five seconds of stomach-turning somersaults later, she felt herself rolling across the earth, gradually decreasing in speed. Five more seconds of painful collisions with the ground, and she finally felt the momentum leave her body, the world catching up to her as she let out a small "oof!" She lay sprawled across the ground, covered in dust and clumps of dirt. With a groan, she found the strength to raise her head slightly from the ground, only to let it fall down with a depressing *thud*. She had allowed herself to get distracted. Again. It was a miracle that she was still alive after all of the stunts she had blown, each crash more spectacular and disastrous than the last. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her focus as the months went by, her mind always drawing back to those three pegasus ponies, who forever reminded her of the disappointment she was slowly becoming. 'Face it Rainbow Crash, you're just one big failure after another!' During every trick, and after every jaw-dropping feat she performed for her growing number of admirers, that memory would haunt her. It was always sitting quietly in the back of her mind, torturous and unnerving. But it didn't matter what they thought. She would prove them wrong, and she would tell herself that every day since then. Words were cheap. 'Have fun walking all the way to Ponyville, Rainbow Crash!' And so Rainbow Dash lay there alone, listening to the sounds of the forest around her in quiet defeat. … … "Y'all just gonna lay there all day or what?" The pegasus jolted in mute surprise. From the direction of the voice, somepony was standing over her! Startled by the sudden realization that she wasn't so alone, humiliation quickly overtook her. She decided to pretend to not have heard the pony. Maybe whoever was there would leave her alone, and walk off without recognizing her. "Hello? Equestria to rainbow-pony?" Oh yeah, she had a rainbow-colored mane. So much for subtlety. Rainbow Dash exhaled in resignation, opting to glance up at the pony who had addressed her. Her violet eyes trailed up a pair of toned, orange legs, a body and a neck, and up to a set of freckles ornamenting an innocent pout… that made her heart skip a beat. Her gaze slowly worked up, and into the most vibrantly emerald eyes she had ever seen, shaded by a brown hat that rested atop her head just a size too large. But Rainbow Dash had not noticed. She locked eyes with the stranger, feeling all sense of self and self-pity slip away into those apple-green pools... "What, never seen a Stetson before? Or have I got somethin' on my face?" the pony asked, tilting her head. Rainbow Dash blinked, breaking away from the pony's puzzled stare, and looking to the side. "Hey." "Hay is fer horses… and ponies I s'pose, but that still ain't no way to greet a stranger!" The pony exclaimed readily, leaning down towards the reticent pony. "The name's Applejack, what's yours?" "…Rainbow Dash." "Well Rainbow Dash, that sure was some fancy flyin' back there. I've never met a pegasus that could do half of what you were pullin' off." … "You sure are quiet. Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash still did not meet her gaze, opting instead to stare at a nearby apple tree. "I'm fine." The hat-clad teenager cocked her head. "Can you even stand up?" she asked. The pegasus visibly tensed. "Of course I can stand up!" "Well, you must sure like that patch o' dirt." The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Do it then!" Frowning, Rainbow Dash squirmed on the ground, moving her legs into position, and tried to stand on all fours. She got as far as propping her front two legs up, when they buckled out from under her. The blue pony collapsed in a pathetic heap, groaning softly. The orange pony chuckled. "Didn't think so." She walked a slow, full circle around the silently-simmering pegasus pony, giving her a once-over, and even running a hoof down Rainbow Dash's right front leg, the pony recoiling at the touch with a sharp gasp. "Ya shore did a number on that one. Just sprained it, though, but I reckon you're still not up to flyin' anywhere." she commented. Rainbow Dash just closed her eyes, grunting in humiliation. A second later, those same eyes shot wide open as she felt a hat-clad head dive down under her belly, hoisting her onto the same pony's back. "Hey, what are you-" "Simmer down, Sallie. You're in no condition t'be walkin' or flyin' anywhere. And I don't know about you, but I'm powerful hungry for some apple pie, an' I don't fancy bakin' like one in the middle of an orchard on a hot, sunny day." she stated carelessly, beginning a slow trot through the apple trees. "Besides, I've got the rest of the day off, so we can spend some time together, get to know each other n' all." Rainbow Dash watched the trail of grass and rocks drifting by, unsure of what to say to the stranger's sudden gesture. "So… where are you taking me?" "Well lucky for you, I've got my treehouse nearby. I've been out in the orchard for a while now, doin' a quick check-up on this here part of the farm for Granny Smith before callin' it a day. Then I saw you flyin' by… an' boy howdy, you sure can fly. I could feel that last gust o' wind all the way from here before you started that twirly-trick o' yours. You sure got a talent fer it." *Clop clop, clop clop, clop clop…* "Applejack, right?" "Yeah?" "…Thanks." The trotting pony smiled, bowing her head. "Think nothin' of it." "An' so I said, 'Braeburn, why in the hay would anypony want to settle in the desert?' Want to know what he said?" "Tell me!" "He said, 'Well coz, anypony can settle in the desert, but me and Silver Star are gonna start our very own town, and our very own apple orchard!" "Hahaha, in the desert?" "I know! An'… haha, an' I said, 'Well that's about as practical as takin' an art class for horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages!" The two ponies laughed riotously while slamming their hooves down in delight, shaking the tin of steaming-hot pie that sat on the table before them. Rainbow Dash fell over onto to the wooden floor, gasping for breath. "Horse… drawn… horse-drawn… oh that's classic! Hahaha!" Applejack chuckled heartily, taking another bite of apple pie before staring out of the window. The sun had begun a slow decline beyond the horizon, casting golden beams of light across the small table, lighting the back wall and warmly diffusing throughout the rest of the room. Rainbow Dash sat up, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes with her good hoof. "You're a riot, Applejack. And a great cook too!" she exclaimed, diving back into her side of the large pie dish. "Well thank ya kindly, Rainbow… if it's alright if I call you that." she said, coyly pointing a hoof at the pony. Rainbow Dash looked up from her tasty meal, a miniature smile forming across her face. "Yeah, that's cool." "Well good. Still hankerin' for more pie?" "Actually… nope, I'm good." "Alrighy then." Applejack moved the pie dish towards her side of the table, and began to eat. "… so can I call you Jack?" The orange pony snorted into the dish. "No." The rainbow-maned pony chuckled, leaning back on her haunches and taking in the scenery. The room was surprisingly well-lit for lacking a better light source, the large windows allowing for healthy amounts of sunlight to filter in. A small fan was set up on the other side of the small room, creating a pleasant cross-breeze with the window that combed through Rainbow Dash's hair. The small blue table in front of them was close enough to the ground that the two forwent using chairs, instead sitting across from each other on the floor. Looking down further, Rainbow Dash adjusted the feather-down pillow on which her hoof softly rested. She smirked, glancing back at the freckle-faced pony, who was loudly devouring the last slice of pie, blissfully unaware of her companion's silent musings. "Hey Applejack…" she started, looking away from her. *Mmph… hawmph mmmph… gulp* "Mmm, yeah?" "Thanks again… for all of this." Applejack smiled, closing her eyes and waving her acquaintance off with an idle hoof. "Oh don't mention it." She dived back down into the pie. Rainbow Dash turned her head towards her. "No really, I-I mean it, you're a great friend." Silence. Applejack slowly leaned up, swallowing and looking away from the blue filly, who gave her a questioning stare. "Friend?" she asked in a soft whisper. Too softly to settle with Rainbow Dash. "What's wrong, Applejack. You… don't want to be friends?" Applejack took her gaze. "No! I… I do wanna be friends. I just… well, y'see…" she trailed off. Rainbow Dash leaned forward, quietly awaiting a response. Applejack looked out the window again. "I… I don't have that many friends. I spend most of my time here on the farm. There's always a lotta work t'be done, an' the only ponies here to do it are my brother Big Macintosh, my Granny Smith an' me. Sometimes we work all day long… an' we still get behind on our duties." She then noticed the look the pegasus pony was giving her. "Now don't get me wrong, workin' on the farm is my life, an' I ain't never been happier here… but it can get kinda lonesome." Rainbow Dash frowned, turning her head. She knew what 'lonesome' was like. "I mean sure, family comes to visit every so often, and all of us even get t'gether once every year. But it just isn't the same, ya know? An'… well, I don't have very many friends as it is. I don' even know… what friends are supposed to do, t'be honest." the pony ended, her gaze slowly sinking towards the empty pie dish, only to snap back up as Rainbow Dash snorted loudly. "You've got to be kidding! I fall out of the sky and sprain my leg, you carry me all the way to an awesome tree house, you give me free pie and we trade funny stories for three hours! And after talking to me for what, a minute? I mean come on, you're the best!" she declared, grinning down at the empty pie dish. "Not to mention an awesome cook." Applejack smirked, inclining her head. "Heh, you did mention that." "Oh." Rainbow Dash frowned, waving off the sniggering pony. "But I'm serious, I'd say you're a great friend, and I'd love to have you be mine. I mean… you know, one of mine." she quickly corrected, looking away with lightly-dusted cheeks. … "Yee HAW!" Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise as the orange pony ambushed her with an over-the-table hug, biting back the urge to ruin the kind-hearted gesture with a squeal of pain. It didn't help that the setting sunlight was bursting through the window now, bathing the two in an obnoxiously well-timed golden glow. But sometimes physical necessity takes priority over cosmic deliverance. "Apple… Jack… air… leg… ouch!" she squeaked. "Oh, right. Sorry partner." Applejack pulled away, ducking her head in embarrassment. She stood up and stretched out her legs with a content groan, taking note of the waning sunset outside of the window. "Would'ja look at that. Time sure does fly when y'all are havin' fun." Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, opting to look away, and coughing into her good hoof as the orange pony trotted towards the entryway with a light yawn. "I gotta head down to the farmhouse an' meet Big Macintosh b'fore it gets any later, let him know what's goin' on. I'll be back with a set o' sleepin' bags an' some marshmallows, an' we can camp outside tonight. We'll see if your leg feels any better then." The farm-pony frowned. "Y'all gonna be comfortable enough for twenty minutes or so?" The feathered filly gave her a grin, waving her hoof. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." she assured Applejack, who smirked back, and continued out the doorway. Rainbow Dash sighed when Applejack disappeared from view, glancing down to the empty pie dish. "Just fine." *Crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick* "Ouch! Horseapples!" "Heh heh, watch out for the flies 'round these parts. They bite." "It's not that, it's my stupid leg!" "Well stop leanin' on it s'much. Scoot closer to the fire." With a grumble, Rainbow Dash complied, kicking the pillow her aching foreleg rested on with her knee as she moved forward, carefully enough as to not poke the burning logs with the marshmallow-laden stick she held in her other hoof. Applejack sighed, gulping down the rest of her marshmallow, and setting her stick down to lean back and stare upwards. "It sure was awfully kind o' Granny Smith to give me the mornin' off tomorrow. "Hmm." "What's the matter? Leg still botherin' ya?" "No." *Crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick* "Bit fer your thoughts over there?" "I don't want to talk about it." "Well you sure as hay aren't doin' anypony any favors by keepin' it bottled up t' yourself." "Just don't worry about it. Could you pass me the marshmallows?" "No." Rainbow Dash looked up from the fire to the orange pony, who was giving her a firm glare. "We're friend's now, Rainbow Dash, an' if somethin' is botherin' you so much that you go an' act this way, then I wanna know what it is." "It's nothing." "The hay it ain't, sugarcube." Applejack said, her tone getting sharper. "I c'n spot a troubled pony a mile away. Ya don't get into sales without gettin' to know how a pony works, an' I've sold more apples than you'd ever care t'count. Rainbow Dash matched Applejack glare-for-glare, "It's none of your business." she asserted, pointedly. The two stared each other down, until Applejack let out a submissive sigh, turning to the fire. "Look, I don't mean t'pry. It's just that, with y'all lookin' like that… it really bothers me." She idly drew her hoof across the ground in small circles, frowning. "I mean, I know we haven't been friends fer long… but in the few hours I've have known you…" she lingered, her tone growing quieter. "…I think you've become my best." Rainbow Dash blinked, her throat growing taunt. "I really do care about you, and I can tell that somethin' is eatin' at you somethin' fierce. I jus'… wanna help." she finished, at almost a whisper. Her heart filling with a rushing warmth, Rainbow Dash's felt her own glare softening, to the point where she had to look away from the confessive pony out of embarrassment. She heard the crinkling sound of a plastic bag from across the fire. "An' I know you still want these marshmallows, Rainbow." Applejack teased, waving the bag tauntingly to the side. The pegasus exhaled through her nose in irritation, but could not prevent a resigned smirk from forming at the edges of her mouth. Applejack chuckled, tossing the bag over the fire and into the pony's lap. "Hmph, I though you said you didn't know how to be a good friend." Rainbow Dash stated, reaching into the bag for another puffy treat. The orange teenager snorted. "I jus' can't stand seein' a pony lookin' so down like you were. 'Specially a friend." she added, leaning up and resting her hooves on the ground before her. "So tell me, what's wrong?" Rainbow Dash set the bag down with a sigh, a shiver going through her wings as she brought her knees up to her chest, turning sideways. She began in a quiet voice. "Well, it all started on my very first day in Flight School, in my old Crash Course class…" … "And that's pretty much how I ended up here. Camping out with a friend, stuck on the ground… with a sprained leg." Silence filled the small clearing, the crackling of the fire muted by the solemn atmosphere. Even the crickets stayed their nocturnal thrumming, as if quietly pondering the story they had been told. Rainbow Dash turned towards her companion, barely glimpsing the Stetson-clad pony quickly wiping a hoof across her cheek, the appendage glistening and wet. Applejack sat up, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Yer a terrible story-teller, Rainbow Dash." ... "Y'all just told me a story 'bout a pathetic failure of a pony, who had nothin' to go by but a waste of a dream. Any other pony might sit here an' tell you that everythin'll be all right, that y'all deserve better than that. Well I say y'all deserve jus' what you got." Rainbow Dash bristled, but said nothing. "Jus' about any pony I know would've given up bein' a pegasus, let alone a member of the best flyers in Equestria, if they had t'go through what you jus' told me." The fire wavered and crackled before them, filling the small moment of silence. "Fer a pony… f-fer any pony to go through all that, an' still keep on fightin' fer a dream… that sounds like somepony worth cheerin' on. Somepony loyal enough to her cause to be worth somethin'. Applejack stood up, and trotted around the fire towards the shaking filly, taking a seat beside her and staring into the starlight above. "You've got a big dream, Rainbow Dash. An' it sounds like some ponies don't want you t'make it happen. Well forget them. They ain't worth the time n' effort to think about." Applejack paused, taking a deep breath. "If you're even feelin' lonely, an' find yourself thinkin' about a pony…" The Stetson-clad pony turned towards Rainbow Dash, startling her with a tear-stained smile. "…then try an' think of me. Because I'll be here for you, cheerin' you on no matter what anypony else says about you." Applejack's content, watery-eyed visage faded into blurriness as Rainbow Dash began losing the fight against the tears that danced underneath her twin violets. "From what I saw, you've got the talent, and more than enough of a drive to make it. An' if all of what you jus' told me is what it took for you t'be as good a flyer, an' as strong a fighter as you are… then I say you deserve jus' what you got, sugarcube. An' you deserve t'be proud of it." All pain forgotten, Rainbow Dash threw her hooves around Applejack's neck in desperation, who returned the silent hug in full. The grief-stricken filly held her tight, ignoring the tears that fell freely down her face, and relishing the feeling of her friend's tears dripping down her back, caressing the ache in her soul. "What I'm tellin' you… is the honest truth. You are anythin' but a failure." She felt the dam in her heart break away, and let herself go completely. She sat there in the tranquility of the moment, sobbing away months of accumulated pain into her best friend's shoulder. 'Thank you…' The only words she could think to say, and the only words that would not come. Time passed, and Rainbow Dash's sobs grew quieter and quieter, until the stillness of the camp reached their ears once again. Applejack pulled away for the two of them, catching the pegasus pony's violet eyes in her own, and giving her a knowing smile. Rainbow Dash sniffed, an embarrassed grin spreading across her own face. "Now, what say we call it a night, then?" "Yeah… that sounds good." The pegasus looked up towards the sky, her star-littered eyes sparkling as Applejack made her way back to the other side of the fire pit, shuffling supplies off of her sleeping bag. Rainbow Dash let her gaze follow a streaking star, zipping across the night sky, disappearing behind the tiny dot that she recognized to be Cloudsdale. She frowned. "Hey, do you think that…" Rainbow Dash looked back at the empty abode behind them. "Would you mind… if I ever needed someplace to hang out, somewhere I could, you know..." "Get away?" "Yeah." "My clubhouse is your clubhouse, sugarcube. Jus' make sure to say hello if you see me close by." "Well duh. I'd totally drop by if I saw you." "Not like you did t'day." she interjected, chuckling as she snuggled further into her sleeping bag. "Very. Funny." But she could not suppress a smile as she stared into the pit of coals, burning as warm as the hope in her heart. Rainbow Dash drew away from the memory, tearing her gaze from the searing coals, and back into the cold, empty reality of the cave. Bitterness and nausea swept through her chest like a wave of acid. Those flames had something to burn for. The pegasus pony shivered as a sudden chill ran through her, from the loneliness the memory brought. She had something to burn for, once. A pony that held her in high regard for never giving up, and never giving in. After every weary day, and after every failed trick, that pony had never thought any less of her, even willing to go so far as to help her out with a few of them… regardless of her own health and physical wellbeing. Rainbow Dash found the heart to turn the corner of her mouth upwards at a particular memory, only to feel her gut wrench with guilt soon after. She had not been at all grateful for the time Applejack had taken out of her busy schedule to help her out last harvest time, knowing full well that the apple-buck season was in bloom. Drifting back to Applejack's ceremony at the Town Square, she had also agreed to assist some of the others with many a time-consuming project during the demanding month. She cringed further inwardly as she remembered the pitiable state the working-pony had shown up in, before submitting herself to repeatedly falling off of the wooden tower. She could not remember hearing a single word of complaint from Applejack about her condition. And not a word of gratitude from herself, for Applejack helping her out at all. Despite having been launched all the way to Twilight's residence in the end, she was grateful. Applejack always made good with a promise in the end, and Rainbow Dash was hard-pressed to remember a time when she hadn't been there for her. She lowered her head, wishing that somehow, even after all that had been said and done between them, she could tell Applejack just how much that had meant to her throughout all their years of friendship. Too late for that. Rainbow Dash exhaled, blowing a stray leaf from out of her matted hair, watching it drift into the crackling flames. An emptiness seemed to fill the cavern as Rainbow Dash came to realize… that she had nowhere to go. She couldn't face any of her friends after what had transpired in the barn, especially Applejack. No doubt she would try and find her once the storm blew over, to make things right between them. It wouldn't change the fact that she had been right about her. The dull ache throughout her body interrupted her thoughts once more. Too tired to fight through it, she submitted to staring once more into the flickering light before her, reaching up and out into the dim cavern… …and casting shadows around an orange mare with long sun-kissed hair, sitting in stock still silence across from the fire, staring at the Stetson she held in her hooves. Silver LiningsAuthor's Note: All I can say is… finally. You've all been patient with me, so thank you all, and please enjoy the final chapter of "The Rainbow Effect!" Disclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I don't own The Hub, or anything affiliated with any of the aforementioned above. Hell, I don't even own a car. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 5: Silver Linings Rainbow Dash stared at the pony in disbelief. It couldn't be. There was no way she could have caught up with her so quickly. Yet there she was. Her cheeks held twin trails of dried tears, gleaming faintly in the firelight, while dark silhouettes tickled the freckles at the base of her eyes. Vacant, lifeless greens were glazed over in thought, thinly veiled by strands of long, golden hair. Her red hair band was nowhere to be seen, instead her mane was adorned with tiny twigs and small, muddy patches of discoloration, falling down her back in gorgeous, gilded tangles. But the orange pony paid no heed to any of these things. Rainbow Dash felt her throat run dry as she stared at the pony from across the fire. Applejack… had already found her. And now she did not know what to do next. She wanted to call out to her, to let her know she was awake. She wanted to scream at her, furious that she had chased after her through the storm. She wanted… to cry out to her, to express the remorse and disgrace that shook her fragile core. Whatever decision she made in the end, the blue pony could not find her voice. Rainbow Dash attempted to sit up, and just as quickly experienced a sharp pain that drove daggers into her side, her broken wing no longer supported by the ground. She cried out softly, landing in the bed of leaves with a light *shuff*. Applejack's head snapped up at the sound, dropping her Stetson as she leaped to her hooves in surprise. "Rainbow!" Eyes closed and body tense from the pain, Rainbow Dash heard the sound of swift hoofsteps echoing throughout the cave, coming to a rest by her side. The pony above her was breathing heavily, and her quiet voice bore signs of cracking as she addressed her. "Are… you okay?" Applejack asked slowly, tenderly. Rainbow Dash attempted to respond, but she still could not. A moment later she felt a cooling hoof gently pressed against her forehead, and one between her shoulder blades. Her ears picked up Applejack's breathing becoming shallow and shaky as she pulled away. "Oh Rainbow, this is all… all my…" 'Pit… pit…pit…' The silent pony felt her heart curl painfully at the sound. "I… *sob*… I could've prevented this. I should have been more understandin', and I could've t-taken the time to sort this out b'tween us." Applejack's voice grew hoarse, shuddering with sobs. "You're my b-best friend, Rainbow Dash, an' I n-never should'a yelled at you like I did. I'm… I'm no better t-than the pony I made you out t'be." Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop as she listened, the pony's voice laden with sobs and gasps. "I'm so sorry." Rainbow Dash felt herself grow cold, numb to the fire before her as Applejack's admission ripped through the fragile remnants of her shattered self-image. In place of pity, she felt sorrow. Where confidence once roamed, disgust. It was too much to bear. A burning fury took hold of her, seeking a victim, scapegoat on which she could lay out all of her grief and self-inflicted suffering. Her eyes fell to the ground, where her tears collected in a puddle in which she could see her own distorted reflection. A loathsome, disloyal and treacherous pony stared back from the floor from shared violet eyes, watching the watery anguish trickle down towards her. She had found one, lying in pool of shame that mingled with the dirt. "I hate you…" she whispered hoarsely to the reflection, barely audible over the crackling flames. Applejack stiffened next to her, and let out a shaky breath. "I… understand, Rainbow. But I ain't gonna leave you all by your lonesome out here.." she spoke lowly, head bowed to the ground. "So say what you need to say t'me." Applejack turned towards the fire pit, and fell onto her haunches next to her charge, silent and still as the firelight filled her vacant eyes. No more tears to spill for either of them. Rainbow Dash was brought back to reality as Applejack's words hit her in full. What? There was no way she… how could she possibly hate her? She owed Applejack… for so much. For coming after her through a blinding rainstorm in pitch black night, saving her from making what could have been the worst mistake, and possibly even her life. She had to find her voice. She needed to tell her… that she didn't deserve this. That Applejack had run out into a thunderstorm at her own safety's expense, for a pony that had not deserved to be found. But there she was, sitting only a few feet away and unwilling to leave her. So many questions, so much to say, and all she could manage to whisper was… "Why?" Applejack did not turn around to face her. "Because… I still consider you t'be my best friend. You ain't never done me wrong before, an' you still haven't." Rainbow Dash began to quiver in silence. Applejack slowly exhaled, closing her eyes in resignation. "I treated you like a traitor today, Rainbow Dash. I-I took y'all fer granted, an' you have every right t'hate me for it. But I don' care if the pony I consider m'best friend has to be the one… who hates me the most. I deserve it, then." "NO!" Rainbow Dash leapt to her feet in a flurry of leaves, screaming the word as the pain returned in force, yet firmly holding her stance. Applejack jumped in shock, snapping her head towards the sudden howl that shook her, as well as the cavern around them. "R-Rainbow! I... I'm sorry, but I can't change-" "SHUT UP! SHUT UP APPLEJACK!" Rainbow Dash roared, "JUST… just stop… please..." she moaned. Applejack recoiled as the blue pony stared her down, her visage growing soft with each word while not losing an ounce of intensity. She shrunk down inside of herself, ears low and wilted in despair, willing herself to stay strong, to not lie down and curl up around her broken heart in a weeping heap… "I… I don't hate you, Applejack." She caught Rainbow Dash's gaze just as soon as she said those words, looking into those two violet eyes, trails of tears falling down from them… same as back in the barn, when she had been the one yelling. However, these were filled with a fire of their own. "I could never hate you…" Rainbow Dash continued, her voice cracking from the outburst. "You're my best friend, and best friends… they can't hate each other. I don't hate you at all… and I can't stand the thought that you… that you think I could ever…" Rainbow Dash fell in a crumpled heap, sobbing into the floor. Applejack galloped up to her in an instant, numbly looking down at the same time Rainbow Dash looked up. And before either pony could blink, the two were in the other's arms, weeping and locked in a desperate vice. "Oh Rainbow, I've… I've done some terrible things today …" *Sniff* "Me too." "An'… when I saw you wearin' my hat, havin' a laugh with Pinkie Pie…" "I'm so sorry Applejack, I was so worried that you would be mad at me… if you lost your hat, that you would think I was-" "I did, an' I was. But y'all wouldn't do that to me. You n' Pinkie are much better than that, an' I should'a known better." "I don't care anymore, Applejack." "Never gonna happen again, I promise." "I know, I believe you. Oh AJ, I was gonna leave Cloudsdale, and Ponyville for good…" Rainbow shuddered, her grip tightening. *Sniff* "Wouldn't make a difference t'me, I'da found you either way, sugarcube. Jus' wait till after the storm nex' time, y'had me so worried. You slept for hours, an' I wasn't sure if… if…" "I'm fine now. Honest." Applejack tensed up, and slowly pulled away from the embrace at those words. "I'm sorry Rainbow… but I haven't been." Rainbow Dash shot her a puzzled look, shuffling closer towards the pony who suddenly avoided her gaze. "I… haven't been honest with you, not for a long time now." Applejack stated quietly. She took a deep breath and looked Rainbow Dash in the eye. "An' I'll be a fancy-actin' city pony once more before I let you go another minute… without lettin' you how much you really mean t'me." she finished, resolutely. Rainbow Dash stared blankly into her eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "What I… mean… to you?" The emerald-eyed pony moved in closer, steadily closing the gap between them. Rainbow Dash felt her heart pulsing throughout her chest, spreading to the ends of her legs to the tips of her ears. She could feel Applejack's breath mingling with her own, feel the tingling heat that warped the infinitely small distance keeping their noses apart, becoming smaller and smaller… …until she could feel the whispered words Applejack spoke next, on her own quivering lips. "Yeah, what you mean t'me." Applejack tilted her head slightly up, and the world dropped out from underneath the two, sunlight bursting into the cavern. At least, it was as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned. She could not remember a time when she had ever felt so… warm. All that she could feel, all that existed around her was an expanse of warmth, wrapping around her and another life next to hers, relishing in the vitality that flowed infinite and freely between them. Applejack... was kissing her! Through the encompassing heat, Rainbow Dash felt a foreleg wrap itself around the back of her neck, drawing her close. She responded by pressing up against the precious source of warmth and life, wrapping her arms around Applejack's neck, intensifying the interlacing of their essences. An infinity later, and the two slowly drew away from each other. Applejack exhaled a breathy laugh, fresh tears springing from apple-green eyes filled with a new energy. "I love you, Rainbow Dash." The pegasus pony stared blankly into those eyes, unable to move or even breathe. She already knew, Applejack's unspoken words were buzzing through her psyche and left tingling on her lonely lips, before she had pulled away and reiterated herself through sound. But to hear those words, springing forth from lips she had just embraced… A pleasant, numbing feeling welled up inside of her, banishing away the rest of the world and filling her to the brim with am intangible joy... as well as a new feeling she couldn't place her hoof-tip on. Light-headedness. "Easy there… don' hurt yerself." her partner sighed, reaching out and steadying the swaying pegasus, who stared straight ahead. She then brought that hoof up to her cheek, sliding it down to her neck and resting it above her heart. "I said I love you, Rainbow." she said, softly. Those words again, wrapping themselves around her and binding her in place. Violets meeting greens, her voice broke free from the spell for a moment. "Applejack?" "Still here, sugarcube." Rainbow Dash exhaled lightly through her nose, cracking a tiny grin… which then grew in size, until filling the entire cavern with the joy she could not contain. She jumped up to her, wrapping her hooves around her neck and burying her face in Applejack's shoulder, the two ponies spilling joyful tears for each other, and laughing away the remainder of the bitter-sweet melancholy. "How long? Please, I gotta know." she asked, breathily. Applejack wrapped her own arms around Rainbow Dash's torso, closing her eyes. "That day at Sugarcube Corner, when you were tellin' the girls 'bout the day you got your cutie mark." "Really… but why?" "It was that day that I learned… that it was you." She chuckled, resting her forehead against Rainbow Dash's. "You probably don' know it, but you saved a little filly from makin' a terrible mistake that day. You led the way home fer me with that Sonic Rainboom, back to my family. My true family, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, an the good folks 'o Ponyville." The orange pony opened her eyes, apple-green orbs swimming with emotion. "I learned that it was you all along, that you're the reason I became the pony I am t'day... an' I've loved you ever since." Rainbow Dash hiccupped, her breath shaky with a joyful chuckle. "I think… it started back when we first met, out in the apple orchard." "Heh, so soon? 'Spose I was a looker back then, too." "You kept me going, Applejack." Rainbow Dash continued, smiling. "You were the only pony who cared to see me reach my dream. Those bullies tried to keep me down, and the Wonderbolts never noticed me, but you were always there for me… and you wanted to see me make the team. You were the one who gave me a real reason to keep going, to be loyal to my cause." Rainbow Dash sniffed, closing her eyes, and sinking into the embrace. "I think you're the reason I became the pony I am today." Applejack chuckled, closing hers own, and smiling in-between the cascades of joy she felt spilling out from under them. "Well then, sounds like we're pretty good fer each other, don' it?" "Yeah… I think so." Love. It never cared if you were stuck in a cave, miles away from home. No injury or wound could keep it away when it came, and no memory stood stronger than the feelings it brought. It created color from darkness, and music from silence, traveling through distance and time, through matter and thought, unbound by the laws of nature. It created them. Rainbow Dash looked to the fire, flicking with delight and vigor in a place so dark and seemingly-lifeless, and then down to the orange-coated pony who lay beside her, basking in the warm, intangible glow… And finding herself unnaturally bound to the very same pony by that ubiquitous adhesive. Warm and content, she glanced back to the far entrance, where the raindrops had begun to fall straight down rather than in torrential sheets of velocity, nearly soundless from where the two lay. She suddenly started. "Wait, you said hours, right? Then…" Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open, bursting with hope. "Then that means we still have time!" She looked back to Applejack sitting up, before turning to the mouth of the cave. "We can get back and help with the par-ah!" Rainbow Dash's breath hitched as she twisted back in place, her misaligned wing scuffing across the floor. Applejack blinked, quickly noticing the appendage. "Rainbow, lay down." "What? Ow!" Rainbow cried, recoiling as she tried to turn to face her. "Why?" "Ya can't keep movin' around with yer wing like that. We need t'reset it, right now." Rainbow Dash stiffened, and then looked ahead as she sat up straight, puffing her chest out and smirking, trying to distract from the beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she fought to maintain her pose. "H-hey… don't worry about… about…" … "Oh, who am I kidding." she surrendered, slouching in place. "Let's just get it over with." Applejack smiled sadly. "I don't wanna do it either, but it'll only hurt worse later if ya leave it like that any longer. We… we best get it done now." she finished, wearily. Rainbow Dash nodded, and slowly stretched out across the cavern floor. The hatless pony walked up to her and straddled her haunches, gingerly setting her hooves in place under the limp wing, and behind the bent joint. "A-alrighty then. You ready?" Rainbow Dash sucked in a breath. "Do it." "Okay… h-here goes. One, two…" A muffled *crack* echoed against the cavern walls, followed by a voice-cracking shout of pain. Rainbow Dash tensed up, the wave of agony tearing through the pegasus' spine, and leaving just as quickly to be soothed by a sudden trickle of teardrops. "T-Thanks…*hah* A-Apple… Jack." The orange pony hiccupped, steadily moving off of her and sitting down, breathing steadily. "I know that wasn't easy fer ya." "*hah* You d-did what you h-had to do… *hah* Besides, t-the pain is almost gone. It just tingles a little." Applejack creased the corners of her mouth up, turning and wiping her tears away to better view the entrance of the cave. Rainbow Dash caught the slight movement out of the corner of her eye, staring at her quiet friend who was gazing out into the storm with a contemplative look on her face, seemingly lost in thought. Minutes passed, the two listening in pleasant silence to the crackling of the fire, and the faint sounds of the storm outside the , Rainbow Dash spoke. "Alright, I… think I can sit up." The pensive pony turned to face her friend, watching as she brought her forelegs in, and pushing off of the ground with little effort. Sitting upright, she looked towards Applejack, who spoke next. "Feel anythin'? Any pain at all?" Rainbow Dash did a few twists from the hip, and even flapped both wings at length for good measure, looking behind her. "Nope, nothing!" "Good." And with that, Applejack tackled Rainbow Dash back onto the bed of leaves, landing on top of the helplessly-surprised filly, and enveloping her in a kiss that rekindled Rainbow Dash's heart beat. "Wha… what are you doing?" whispered Rainbow Dash, slowly pulling back. Applejack moved in with misty eyes, nuzzling the side of her neck and effectively stopping Rainbow Dash's retreat. "I reckon I still got a lot to make up fer, Rainbow Dash." she whispered, lovingly. "And I'll be darned if I don't show you how I truly feel 'bout you any longer." "But, I-I thought… you said… the k-kiss…" she stammered, the heat rising up inside of her. "Rainbow, love…" Applejack began, bringing a hoof up to her burning face, her voice taking on a low, husky undertone. "…I haven't even begun to show you how much you mean t'me." (The lemon scene… has officially begun! For those of you who do not wish to read it, hit Crtl+F on your keyboard, and type "Skip Lemon") Rainbow Dash could feel the contours of her partner's face, how her nose pressed against her every time the apple-flanked pony dived down for another slow, taunting kiss on the neck, gradually making her way up and around her chin, once more on the cheek, and then full on the mouth, sending a wave of sparks jumping through her spine. Applejack braved the tenderness of the moment, opening her mouth and signaling to Rainbow Dash her hot-blooded intentions. The disoriented pegasus returned the gesture on instinct, softly opening her own, too immersed in the heat of the moment to notice Applejack slowly slipping her tongue into her mouth. She froze up when she did, no longer returning Applejack's affections, who then slowed down her own and pulled away to look at the hesitant pony. "What's the matter, Rainbow?" Applejack asked in a velvety voice. Rainbow Dash turned her head away in embarrassment. "I don't know what to… how to…" Applejack reached her hoof up to Rainbow Dash's face, gently turning it to her own again. "Jus' follow my lead, Dash." She moved forward, capturing her mouth and sending her back into that insensible, musical bliss. Through the haze in her mind, she dimly became aware of Applejack attempting to repeat the passionate gesture. She reached out to gather what remained of her consciousness, and slowly opened her mouth. The golden-haired pony took no time in sliding her tongue into her quivering mouth, lightly feeling around until finding hers. Rainbow Dash gasped as Applejack guided her tongue underneath her own, brought it up, and slowly began a lover's dance inside of her mouth. Breathless, she found the rhythm, and moved along with the silent beat, letting her partner take the lead and take her away to a painless, euphoric existence. Timeless, the two danced and loved in the world away from home. A slow, heated waltz of desire and necessity, a need to be closer in body and essence. Inhibitions and hesitance were thrown to the wind, left to drift away and vanish as passion filled their places… …and erased their identities. Applejack finally pulled away as Rainbow Dash felt herself drawn back to the world around them. "Apple... Apple... *hah*..." She could not finish her sentence, particularly after Applejack captured her mouth with sweet enrapture once more. Pulling away once again, she rested her forehead atop of Rainbow Dash's, giving the bewildered pony time to catch her breath. "That… was… amazing." Rainbow Dash breathed in-between gasps for air. "You're amazing." She finished, closing her eyes. When she suddenly felt a pair of lips briefly flit across hers, teasingly. "Mmm, y'all are makin' it sound like I'm finished with you…" What? Rainbow Dash felt her pulse quicken as she suddenly felt a hoof press against her beating heart, lightly beginning a slow trail down her chest, across her stomach and past, coming to rest torturously close to a spot that tingled with a steadily-growing desire. She closed her eyes in panic and desperation. The hoof did not move from there. But she could feel its follower… A kiss on the neck. A kiss to the chest. A kiss above her stomach. A kiss below her stomach. A kiss right above the hoof, which moved to make way for the powerful force that sent waves of heat soaring throughout her whole body. And a kiss… that sent her pulse skyrocketing, eliciting a gasp that caught half-way through her throat, her body afraid of giving attention to anythingbut the overwhelming pleasure that wracked through her shaking body. Just how much did she mean to Applejack? She felt her legs closing in on impulse, only to be stopped by a pair of hooves. "Applejack… w-wha…" Words gave way to harsh panting. "Y'all are gonna give yerself a heart attack. Jus' breathe fer a moment." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, willing her heart beat to steady itself to no avail. Even with her eyes closed, she could perfectly see Applejack sitting there between her legs and staring up to her, striking greens burning through her heavy-lidded eyes. She felt a pleasing movement below, and creased her eyes open, watching Applejack idly trail a hoof down Rainbow Dash's leg, slow and sensual. "You ain't never… 'fooled around' with yourself b'fore, I take it?" "I-I… w-wha… you m-mean… w-well…" "Y'all don't have to tell me if ya don't want to." Applejack cooed, trailing the hoof back upwards, almost distracting her from the orange pony's next words. "But I'll tell you what, when a pony gets in the right mood… y'all make fer some 'colorful' eye-candy." Between Applejack's idle stroking and her fiery admissions, Rainbow Dash felt herself hopelessly tongue-tied. "A-Applejack!" Applejack laughed quietly. "Honesty, Rainbow. I promised you nothin' but, an' I figured you deserved t'know." She glided her hoof up the back of her leg, and around her thigh, where she began tracing slow circles around her cutie mark, the full of the action causing Rainbow Dash's eyes to roll upwards in hazy elation. "Now, be honest with me. Are you ready fer this yet?" The feathered filly looked down at her with wide, glazed eyes, panting heavily. After a moment, she clumsily nodded her head. Finding the remaining shards of self-control left behind from Applejack's last mind-shattering kiss, Rainbow Dash slowly, but gradually spread her legs apart, giving Applejack all the consent she needed to plunge forward with a passionate tongue. Rainbow Dash shuddered at the contact, eyes widened and sitting up slightly with a gaping mouth. Electricity flowed freely through her entire being, dancing through her nerves and stealing away any sense of self that remained. All words, thought and memory in her mind had long since vanished, replaced with the numbing ecstasy brought by Applejack's warm, wet administrations. Adrenaline surged through her body with each tender lick, warping her world with every nuzzle and kiss. Rainbow Dash dug her hooves into the ground, barely able to breathe. Her ears filled themselves with the soft moans and 'mmm's from below, as well her own whimpers and whines of pleasure. She gasped softly as she felt Applejack continue further… inside of her. The pegasus' legs jerked in small spasms, her back arching upwards as her lover licked along her length. The world around her was becoming smaller, and the vivacious song her madrigalist mare's poetic tongue was composing inside of her grew larger, swelling to fill her shrinking existence. It was just her and Applejack, here… wherever here was… with literally nothing between them. The rush of love and warmth from that thought intermingled with the waves of blissful ecstasy from down below, the vibrancy inside of her growing tenfold. It was too much! Her eyes darted around the colored haze, her mind swimming with an empty pleasure that filled every fibre of her being! She could not remember where they were, she could not remember why they were here… She could not even remember her own name. Only the name of another pony, the only pony who mattered right now, and the only pony who could save her from this blissful suffering. So she screamed it. "APPLEJACK!" the pegasus cried out in a cracking voice as she lost herself completely to the chaos of ecstasy, arched and trembling as the orgasm ripped through body. Another loving lick later and she felt herself convulsing, lightly spritzing Applejack with her warm approval, who met her rapturous release with tender ardorations of her own. She finally collapsed onto her back, the leaves beneath her making no sound as she released control of her body entirely. Her heavy panting, her erratic heart beat, all were lost to her ears as she stared to the ceiling with wide, violet eyes. With perfect clarity, she listened to the sound of her fantasy's final kiss, the sweet song of her lover smiling from below her, and the melody played upon her torso as Applejack lay herself along and on top of her, moving her forelegs around her body in harmonious embrace. The orange pony brought herself up to her face, and graced her lips to her own. "Skip Lemon" Slowly, the world caught up to her. The rest of her senses began to work once more. She became aware of everything at once; the smell of their arousal, the invigorating taste of her kiss, the feeling of her and Applejack pressing against each other in desperate desire… ...and the magic she saw dancing through Applejack's green eyes, bursting with love and devotion. "What's the matter, Rainbow?" asked Applejack in a soft voice. Rainbow Dash struggled to respond between pants, in a raspy voice of her own. "I've never… n-never felt… where did you learn all that?" "Learn what?" "Everything. The kissing, you… with your hooves, a-and the… you know…" Applejack chuckled, lowering herself and snuggling up close to the rainbow pegasus. "Twilight." she sighed. Rainbow Dash blinked. "…What?" Applejack kissed the dumbfounded pony's cheek. "Heh, I'm just messin' with ya. Well, sort of... Remember that day you came crashin' into Twilight's library, the day you won that Young Flyer's Competetion?" "Yeah?" "Well, y'all left a nice little mess fer us to clean up when you left. Can't say I blame you though, you were under a lotta pressure." She traced a hoof along Rainbow Dash's chest. "But when we got back, I went with Rarity t'help clean up again. Found a fun little book lyin' on the floor called, "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted To Know About Slumber Parties, But Were Afraid To Ask." "But… isn't that the book she showed us when all of us slept over at Rarity's last mo-" "The Manehattan Mare's Edition." "…oh." An awkward silence pervaded the moment, until Applejack began chuckling. "I'm not so sure she even knew she had it there. Can't imagine innocent little Twi' gettin' into that sorta thing, much less tryin' anythin' from it at a slumber party." She frowned. "D'you remember who ran the library before she moved t'Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Me neither." Another moment of silence. "So Applejack, a-about all that. How are we going to let the others know? You know, about us?" Her partner clucked her tongue from within her mane. "Well, I don't imagine it'd be somethin' we'd just blurt out on the spot. An' tellin' em' one by one would make a mess o' things. Maybe we should wait fer a while, until all of this has blown over and Twilight has her party. Then I say we tell 'em all and be done with it." "That's a pretty good idea." Rainbow Dash said, snuggling further into the embrace. "So, what about you?" "What about me?" "We didn't… I didn't get to… aren't you feeling-" "Hey." she interrupted, kissing Rainbow Dash on the nose, causing her to blush. "Don' worry about it too much, this was your night." "But-" "Nope, you just relax. I'm fine." she assured her, nuzzling the side of her face. "Besides, between the nasty fall you took, resettin' your wing an' all the trouble we caused each other today, y'all needed the… ah, stress relief, from what I gandered." she teased, causing her friend's blush to intensify. "But if ya really want, y'all can make it up t'me later." She said, nipping her shoulder. Rainbow Dash felt her face further heat up in surprise. "You really don't have a problem telling me these things, do you?" "Only with you, Rainbow. Honesty, an' nothin' but." Rainbow Dash smiled, the last of the night's tears falling freely into her best friend's mane. "Thank you, Applejack." she whispered. "Anythin' fer you, love. Anythin' at all…" Rainbow Dash awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, and a light breeze that smelled of rain, chilling the parts of her back not covered by her feathered wings. She yawned, shivering and creaking an eye open to gaze at the source that was keeping her front warm, finding herself wrapped around an orange pony. A gorgeous, hatless orange pony. She snuggled closer to the sleeping mare in an attempt to ward off the morning cold. Opening an eye once more, she looked around. The cavern was colored in a dim, deep blue from the dawning light outside. The fire pit had gone out, and the embers beneath all but vanished with the night She tried to sit up, but quickly found herself bound to the pony before her, her limbs unwilling to let go of the pleasant warmth. "Hey Applejack… you awake? Applejack?" "C-Caramel…? Thassa red gala, you…*yawn*… silly pony." Rainbow Dash uncharastically giggled into her partner's mane, heaving a hearty sigh. Burying her face into the sleeping pony's hair, she could not help but imagine herself lying atop a cloud, weightless and free. And so she felt, after all that had been said and done the previous night, the weight in her heart and the ache in her wings fading into a new tomorrow. She felt like a true pegasus again. A new tomorrow… Rainbow Dash sat up in an instant, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Oh my gosh, Twilight's birthday is today! Applejack! Applejack, wake up!" Applejack stirred from underneath her arm, and sat up with a yawn, looking around the dim cavern. *Yawn* Whassa matter, Rainbow?" "It's Twilight's birthday today! We gotta get back to Ponyville and finish the barn for the party!" Applejack blinked. "…oh, is that all?" she mumbled, nestling back against her warm spot on the ground. Rainbow Dash jumped up. "What?! Applejack, we don't have time to sleep! It's already morning, look! There's so much work to be done, and the others won't be able to handle it all on their own! Twilight's going to be so di-" Her rant caught in her throat as Applejack leaned up, and tenderly kissed the panic-stricken pony on the neck. "Rainbow… party's not 'till tonight." She froze, slouching in place. "I-It's not?" " Nope. Rarity's givin' her presentation t'Hoity-Toity today, so we were plannin' on holdin' it after sundown. We jus' wanted to have it all finished a day early, so we wouldn't have s'much to be worried 'bout." Rainbow Dash looked down at the lethargic mare, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "I… guess I missed that part." Applejack nudged her friend in the ribs, smiling. "I figured you might've." she chuckled, stretching out and standing up on all fours, shaking her unbound mane in fatigue. "Well, might as well get up now, seein' as I'm awake. What say we head on back t'Ponyville, partner?" Rainbow Dash yawned, and stretched out her wings, itching to feel the breeze between them once more. "I say that sounds like a great idea!" "Well good. Up an' at em'." Rainbow Dash smiled back at the mare, who returned it in silence. Her cheeks tingling, the pegasus began a slow walk in the other direction, listening to the mirroring sounds of hoofsteps behind hers. The two trotted to the entrance of the cave, and looked out at the world. The smell of meadow rain filled their senses as the morning sunrise dawned across the sky from behind a distant mountain. Rainbow Dash walked out into the open, when she heard Applejack call out to her. "Hold on, I almost forgot somethin'." Rainbow Dash turned back to the cave as Applejack's tail quickly disappeared from view. Facing forward, she stretched out her wings, and flapped them a few times, hovering just above the dewy grass. The sounds of her wings beating filled her ears, as the morning light dancing across the tiny dot of Cloudsdale in the distance filled her eyes. And close below, Ponyville was waiting for them. She had a destination again, and a pony who would travel there with her. *Whoosh!* *Fft!* "Yee-haw, I'll beat Big Macintosh at horseshoes jus' yet!" Rainbow Dash took the Stetson from off of her head, blowing her colored bangs from off of her face, and holding it back toward the owner with a smile, who shook her head. "Nope, y'all get to wear it on the way back." "What? Why?" The apple-flanked pony sported a grin. "I'll tell you a little story 'bout my youth on the way back. You'll understand then, Rainbow love." Rainbow Dash felt her heart swell as she grinned, "Deal." she exclaimed, putting the hat back on, nestling itself perfectly between her ears. "Well I'll be, it looks like it fits good." "Yeah, I dunno… it's not really my color." Applejack snorted. "Like that's hardly an issue. I think y'all look jus' dandy with it on." she stated, winking. "Besides, I don' look so good in it without a ponytail, anyway." The hat-clad pegasus smirked, "You don't look so bad with your hair down." Applejack looked away with a blush, "Yeah, well don' get too used to it, it ain't practical in my line o' work. An' speakin' o' colors." She walked up to the pegasus, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "I say we make blue n' orange look pretty good." "I thought I made any color look good." her partner pointed out. "Well then," she kissed the pegasus on the cheek. "I s'pose I'll have to hang around you often as I can." The blue pony thew a wide grin in her direction, pulling away and starting towards the horizon, her hatless lover close behind. "Rarity'd be green with envy." The pegasus groaned, not looking back. "That was a terrible pun, Applejack." "Oh hush up an' get goin'." *Shff shff, shff shff, shff shff…* *Fwf, fwf, fwf, fwf…* … "So you dream about guy ponies in your sleep, huh?" Applejack tripped over her hooves, and whipped around to face Rainbow Dash. "Say what now?" The hovering pegasus burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm just teasing. I heard you mumbling something about Caramel in your sleep." "Oh yeah, I remember now." Applejack mumbled under her breath. "That pony, I swear…" She looked up. "Well, it might be a few hours' walk, but we should make it in plenty of time to help out. I wager we'll be back in Ponyville by high-noon." "Hey, doesn't matter to me how long it takes." Rainbow Dash said, hovering close. "As long as you're here with me." Applejack giggled, elbowing the pegasus pony. "That was real sappy, Rainbow. But thanks." "Don't mention it." Rainbow Dash turned to her friend. "Seriously, don't." Rainbow Dash looked away with a frown as she heard her friend chuckling, in a tone lower that she would have liked. "Oh don' spit yer bit, I'm only messin' with ya." … "By the way, I'm startin' t'notice a pattern in our relationship. Must you always twist or break somethin' fer us t'have a tender moment?" "Oh shut up, Applejack." She heard more chuckling. "Well come an' make me, sugarcube." Rainbow Dash felt a hoof tip the hat over her face, obscuring her vision as she dazedly hovered forward. Right into a tree. *Thud!* "Ow!" Applejack burst out laughing. "Well I guess breakin' yer nose counts too! So ya wanna cuddle in the grass, or would you prefer a piggy-back ride?" "Alright Applejack, it's on!" Applejack closed her eyes mid-laugh, pointing at the unfortunate pony when a big clump of mud smacked into her face, filling her nose and open mouth with slimy, gritty muck. "Eeugh! Bleck! Rainbow!" "Haha, I'll take the piggy-back ride! You're muddy enough to be one!" The pegasus pony went into a cackling fit at the sight of the gagging pony, laughing even harder when she found herself dodging similar clumps of dirt and mud. "Y'all *cough!* like me bein' honest so much? Well I'm gonna kick yer hind *bleck!* up n' over your wings! You'll be wearin' yer rear as a party hat to *cough!* to Twilight's party, *bleck!* an' that's the honest truth! Now get back here!" Rainbow Dash flew up and across the hill with her apple-flanked pursuer close behind, joyful laughter and throaty curses echoing in harmony across the meadow as they chased one another under the blazing morning sun, peaking over the horizon and heralding the dawn of a brand new day… The End
Wind In The LeavesAuthor's Note: Hey everyone, I'm back! New name and everything! I've finally decided to start writing stories again, though chances are you probably don't know me. Well hopefully this story will give you something to remember me by! This is my first dive into the deep waters of… eh heh, adult literature, so give me any feedback or tips you've got! Read and review! Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. If I did, I'd have a cockatrice make a pretty little statue out of Gilda, paint it gold, and have the dragon from Dragonshy haul it off to who knows where. Aaaand... on with the story! "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 1: Wind In The Leaves It was so… gorgeous. Celestia's legacy lightly bathed the outskirts of Ponyville. The green hills appeared to flow with rippling waves as the summer breeze fluttered along the lively clearing. Butterflies spread out among the clusters of flowers, unaware of the portrait to which they paid homage, a life of color to the wondrous sight. The trees spread their shadows, and one was more than likely to see a squirrel or rabbit snoozing away the sunny day underneath one of them. It was the picture-perfect lazy day for all. …but a single leaf riding in the wind. Trailing the air in a dazzling display of flips and turns, weaving in and out of the eddying winds, soaring faster and faster, so seemingly out of place in such a serene setting, and finally coming to rest… …in the brim of the hat of one Applejack. "Oh for hay's sake, she's got a rainbow for a mane! " Still scouring the skies for any sight of her feathered friend, Applejack just couldn't find hair or hoof of Rainbow Dash amidst the many pegasus ponies dutifully moving the clouds around all morning long. She was about to pull the reigns on her little operation when she heard someone talking behind her. "…and then I pulled up with three ponies on my back! The ground was so close, the grass caught fire! Fwooosh!" 'Heh, ain't no pony in Equestria that can tell their tales with such a spin', the earth pony thought. 'Cept maybe that Trixie girl.' Applejack looked up behind her, and could see a spill of rainbow suspended over the edge of a cloud, two arms dramatically waving in the air. Three blonde mares were hovering just above them, their "oohs" and "ahhs" in perfect synchronization. Applejack shook her head fondly, glad that her goose-hunt was over. Even if her quarry was already full of stuffing. "Hey Rainbow!" She called out. Rainbow Dash let out a small 'hm?', and sat up, turning around to look down to her friend. "Oh hey Applejack, what's up?" The pegasus jumped off the top of the cloud, and glided toward the ground. The three girls all frowned with a "hmph," and left to help the other ponies move the clouds. Applejack blinked, her well-prepared speech about laziness and forgetting every other pony-darned thing died in her throat, unable to keep from watching the bright blue pony descend from atop her cloud, her sleek wings stretched out in all their feathered glory, her colored mane waving wildly behind her, the way her smile… "Uhh, Applejack? You okay?" Applejack nearly jumped, but kept her footing, settling for looking away with a blush. "Well shewt, I've been lookin' for ya all mornin'! Just a little sunburnt is all, plus the sun shinin' in my eyes don't help none." She replied, squinting her eyes for effect. Rainbow Dash frowned for a second, then retook her ever-confident grin. Applejack let out an inward sigh of relief. "Y'all remember what tomorrow is, don'tcha?" She asked. "Yeah, tomorrow's Twilight's birthday! But what does that have to- oh yeah…" she trailed off, looking suddenly sheepish. Applejack rolled her eyes. "I've been settin' up preparation's an' everythan' all by myself! Fluttershy's too busy with sick animals today, Pinkie Pie's spendin' all day makin' the cake, and Rarity's got her… frou-frou dress guy comin' over fer some big project she's been workin' on. I could use a little help…" she responded, weakly. "Yeah yeah, let me just tell the guys upstairs that I'll be too busy to be helping with the downpour this month. I'll meet you back at the barn in ten minutes." "Flat?" Applejack threw in, smirking. Rainbow rolled her eyes, scowling, and took off in a flash of color as Applejack galloped off with a light chuckle, leaf still tucked in the brim. "Piece by piece, snip by snip. Croup dock haunch, shoulders hip…" Through the numerous stands of clothing in the Carousel Boutique, one would be hard-pressed to see the lovely unicorn through the window, surrounded by bolts of cloth, softly singing as she gathered a number of dresses from one of the racks, and laid them on a table next to her self-enchanted sewing machine. But then, some ponies don't always show up for just a look. "RARITY!" Applejack nearly shouted as she burst through the door, causing the laboring lady to shriek, her red-rimmed glasses flying into the air and sending her tumbling onto another table of linens, cloth flying everywhere in a dazzlingly terrifying display. The cowpony looked more than hangdog as Rarity fumbled around under a large green roll of cloth, dramatically flinging it off herself, leveling Applejack with a look of her own. "Applejack! WHAT are you doing, frightening me in the middle of my work? I don't have time for such nonsense! Hoity-Toity is going to be here in less than a few hours to-" "Uhh… Rarity?" "-and just barge in here like you own the boutique! As if-" "Rarity?" "-should really get that enchantment for the entryway that keeps you ruffians from flinging my newly-polished doors-" "RARITY!" "WHAT?" "Frog." Applejack simply replied, looking a little worn. Rarity blinked, slowly looked up to her horn, where a plump, green frog had perched itself, croaking quietly. Pupils shrinking, Rarity inhaled a large breath while Applejack slowly slid her hat down to cover her ears… "And I just came down to get the ribbons an' streamers for the party… Didn't mean to scare you like that." "Oh don't worry about it, darling. Everything's all cleaned up, and I wouldn't want to keep Rainbow Dash waiting any longer, you know how impatient she can be." Rarity calmly replied, magicking the basket of items for the party off of a shelf in front of Applejack. "Uh, heh, yeah. W-Wouldn' wanna keep her waitin' any longer." She stammered, bowing her head and feeling her face heat up. Rarity stared at Applejack for a moment. "Hmm? Applejack dear, you look a little flushed. Are you all right?" Applejack did jump this time, nearly tripping over the basket. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sun-dried," she dourly replied, mentally kicking herself. Rarity let a small smile grace her features, turning away and trotting toward the back. "Oh don't trouble yourself. Sit right there, and I'll be back with some water. You must be parched!" She tittered to herself with a shake of her head, disappearing behind a dress rack with another tune on her lips. Applejack let herself slump to the floor, more out of nerves than exhaustion. "Good gallop, I gotta get a grip on myself. If Rarity 'spected that I had a thing fer Rainbow, it'd be all over Equestria by tomorrow! Why I'd hafta pack up an' move on in to the Everfree Forest! 'Course Zecora'd probably hear it from Twilight by then, so then I'd-" "Gracious, you must be exhausted! You're not even listening to a word I'm saying!" Rarity's voice chimed beside her, shaking Applejack out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Oh no, I was uhh… just admirin' yer carpet! Y'all sure do have fine taste in yer... floorin', don' ya know." She pointed out with an exaggerated gesture of the hoof while grabbing the floating teacup from Rarity, who's eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment. "Well thank you Applejack! I did have it imported from Canterlot, made by the very same pony who provided the carpeting inside the Royal Castle! Why, it's even the same material, though in a much lighter shade of periwinkle. I just love what it does to the place, so magnificent! It really brings out the curtains around the… Applejack?" She glanced behind her, barely catching the swinging of the deep-purple door, ending with a merry 'click!' Rarity shook her head. "Oh well, so much to do for the both of us, I suppose. I must admit, I never held Applejack as a pony who knew an apple's worth about interior designing." Giggling at her pun, she turned around to face a large glass jar, where a green frog lightly simpered in her direction. "And you are going to sit there until I've finished my tailoring! Honestly, pet fashion is pushing my limits as it is, but a suit for a frog? Please, not much I can do to make you look any better. If it wasn't Hoity-Toity that…" The frog merely puffed out its cheeks as Rarity continued her rant, either out of pride, or indignation. Applejack raced into the barn as fast as she could, skidding to a halt as hay flew off of the ground across the floor. 'pant'…'pant'…"Rainbow?"…'pant'…"Y'all in here? Aww horseshoes, she probably went out lookin' fer-" "YAHHHHHH!" SHOOF! Her back now throbbing, and a low groan coming from her throat, the pony-tailed mare opened her eyes. Through her slightly fuzzy vision, she could see a blue leg dangling in front of her face, all tangled up in an array of colorful ribbons. Eyes widening, she helplessly let gaze trail upwards to where her other leg was, bent to the left, and still on upwards to her rainbow tail, arched up and outward, giving her a perfect, not-so-fuzzy view of Rainbow Dash's… "CANDY APPLES!" she yelled, flinging the trussed-up pony into the air, who cried out in shock, landing in a haystack with a small "oof!" Suddenly dizzy, whether from standing up so fast, or… other reasons, Applejack struggled to stay on her hooves, unaware of that her hat had flown off and landed near the barn door. A rustling to the right brought her back to reality, and she trotted (in a funny way) over toward Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to get out of her multi-colored binds with little luck. "Eeeugh! N-ugh! Help me out here, Applejack! I can't get loose!" she hollered through her tousled mane, unable to break free from the streamers. Three of her legs were tied together, and one wing was fixed to her side by a large purple ribbon, one leg waving frantically through the air. Despite her tremoring knees, sweat-stained mane, and flustered face, Applejack couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Well at least I found ya without too much trouble this time. Though I gotta admit, I thought y'all was colorful enough before." She nickered lightly, looking down at Rainbow, who stopped her struggle long enough to give Applejack a light glare. She returned it with a mischievous smile, suddenly thinking of all the payback she could give her filly friend. "Ya know, I'm thinkin' I could have a little fun with you before I let you loose." Rainbow Dash suddenly went stock still, her face now obstructed by her rainbow mane. "W-W-Whaddya mean by… 'gulp', fun?" Applejack smirked, and then froze as the double-meaning of her words hit her. This… wasn't what she had in mind. She shook her head fiercely, 'So much fer that…'. Reaching down, Applejack took a single ribbon in her teeth, and gave it a gentle tug. The knot of decorations loosened from around her legs, and Rainbow Dash quickly shook them free, and started working on releasing her wing from the mess. Applejack gave a strained smile as she turned toward the door. "Heh, well we don't really have time fer foalin' around, what with all the décor we need to lasso about this place. So uh, nevermind. I'll hafta get you back later." She noticed that Rainbow Dash had gone quiet, still trying to free her wing from the purple ribbon, her hair still covering her face. Applejack took a step forward, worried that she may have upset her friend. "You okay… Rainbow Das?" She hesitated. The pegasus finally got her wing free, and flapping it a few times to shake off the ribbon, she turned to Applejack, flinging her hair back with a quick jerk of the neck. Applejack saw that she was smiling, though her eyes seemed lightly narrowed, and her pupils a bit larger… "She probably just got some hay botherin' her eyes or somethin'." she thought, dismissively. "Yeah, I'm cool." Rainbow Dash replied, a little shakily. Applejack let out a breath through her nose she didn't know she was holding. "Alrigh' then, I'm gonna head over to Roseluck's Botanical an' pick up the violet roses Rarity wanted me to get fer the decorations. She said she had somethin' special planned fer them… or somethin'. I'll be back soon, so keep up the…" –her eyes swept over the bare pillars of the barn, and landing back to Rainbow Dash, a mess of colored bunting around her.- "…the good work an' all. See ya'll later!" She called, running out the door at something close to a gallop. Rainbow Dash shrugged, and went to pick up the streamers when something caught her attention. *sniff* *sniff* Whoa… what was that? 'What's that smell? Oh man, it smells so... good. I'm really… It makes me…' her eyes drifted towards the ground where Applejack had stood, before looking toward the door Applejack had left from. "Hungry... I haven't eaten anything all morning! I wonder if the Apple family's started lunch yet?" Rainbow Dash chirped while jogging toward the exit, completely unaware of the burning sensation in her face… ...and of the hat that lay at the foot of the door.
Before The StormDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. God forbid you put me in charge of more than a smoothie shop. Or a café. Oh man, how awesome would that be, owning a café that sold both coffee and smoothies? Smooth jazz every Saturday night, open mike nights, poetry slams… Okay, the bit's over. Story time. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 2: Before The Storm "Well ah'll be, these here flowers are quite a sight! I'm plum grateful that y'all put so much effort into these!" Applejack exclaimed, scooping up the flowers with a sweeping hoof, leaving the golden bits on the counter with the other. Roseluck smiled from behind the counter. "Oh don't thank me, Daisy's the pony that grew them. She happens to be a good friend of Twilight's, so she was more than willing to look after these. She also wanted me to ask you to let Twilight know she wishes her a happy birthday, and that she's sorry that she will not be able to attend." she said, head diving down behind the counter top, and reappearing with a violet-stained vase, handles on both sides. "Here, this might make carrying them easier." Applejack lowered herself back on all fours after setting the roses back onto the counter. "D'ya think so? How much fer the vase?" "Hee hee, don't worry about it, it's on the house. For Twilight." Roseluck insisted. Applejack smiled gratefully, setting the flowers upright in the slender glassware. "Well shucks, thank ya kindly. Ah shore do 'preciate all y'done fer us! Take care now!" she called, grabbing the vase-handle in her mouth, and was about to walk out of the store when Roseluck suddenly called her name from the back. Applejack glanced back toward the rosy-haired mare whose head peaked out from around the corner, looking back at her in perplexity. "Say, aren't you usually wearing a hat?" she asked. Applejack instinctively reached a hoof up to where her trademark usually rested, feeling nothing but dust-speckled hair. Flopping her ears, she couldn't feel the rub against the brim of her hat that she'd become so accustomed to. Gasping, she started to panic, head jerking left and right, trying to find her beloved Stetson when she heard Roseluck talking again. "Umm, I don't think you were wearing it when you came in. But if you'd like, I could-" she stopped mid-sentence as she helplessly watched Applejack tear out of the shop without another word. Roseluck cocked her head to the side as Daisy strolled up next to her. "What was that all about?" she asked. "I honestly have no idea." "She seemed to be quite… daffy. More so than the garden variety of ponies around here." "Do florists have a vernacular term for insane?" "Rosey-cheeked." … "Oh you're hilarious." Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing. Almost any resident of the (usually) quiet town of Ponyville could easily tell you that only three things could make a sound like that: One, a pegasus pony jumping on a cloud, causing it to shed any rain held inside. Two, the coiffure of the Carousel Boutique owner, Rarity, stiff with too much hairspray. (At which point the more knowledgeable ponies would quickly advise you against commenting about it while in her presence.) Or three, the lovably loud and loony laureate of Ponyville-partying: Pinkamena Diane Pie. The latter of the three had a spring in her step as she merrily made her way to the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, her hoof-made hoofbasket hat atop her head, miraculously keeping the contents from spilling out with each skip. Humming a cheery tune, she quickly came into view of the massive fields of apple trees, all blushing red with fruit. She slowed to a trot as she noticed a very colorful tree off in the distance. "Ooooh! That doesn't look like an apple tree! *Gasp!* Maybe it's a new kind of apple tree! I wonder if it grows rainbow apples! Bleck! Those would taste terrible!" she mused out loud, prancing off of the dirt trail, and down the hill into the orchard. Up ahead, a certain pegasus pony was combing through the branches of one of the many apple trees, searching for the biggest, juiciest apple she could find. Apparently the Apple family didn't eat lunch until three today, on account of the family being spread out to every corner of the field working on repairing and repainting the fences surrounding the acres. Rainbow Dash darted left and right, trying to decide between two especially plump apples, when she heard a voice… that sent a shiver through her feathers. "HEY RAINBOW DASH! HEY! DOWN HERE!" 'Oh no! Pinkie Pie!' Rainbow thought to herself. Dread overtook her long enough for the pyretic pony to pounce upward, tackling Rainbow Dash out of her stupor, and pinning her to the ground by her wings. A sharp intake of breath shortly followed… "Hi Rainbow Dash! How've ya been? I was just heading over to the barn to help you guys out with the decorations like I promised, cuz' Mr. and Mrs. Cake finished their baking early, and were able to help me out with making the cake for Twilight's birthday! Isn't that great? Anyway, I was walking along, 'la-di-da-di-da!', when I saw you by this tree! Only I didn't know it was you, I thought it was a super-duper-ali-ooper colorful apple tree that grew rainbow apples! Which is ironic, because a few weeks ago you thought Fluttershy was a tree, and I-" "Can I help you with something, Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash quickly interjected through gritted teeth. 'Ugh… why now?' Pinkie Pie didn't skip a beat. "Weeeeeeeeeell, now that you mention it, I need to head back to Sugarcube Corner and gather the rest of the supplies I was going to use to paint the banners we were going to hang around the barn! I couldn't fit anything else in my basket, and Gunny insisted that he was going to use all of my other bags for something, but he wouldn't tell me what! He can be such a mea-" "Alright fine! We'll head back to town and get your stuff. Now could you PLEASE get off of me?" Rainbow shouted, bucking Pinkie Pie off of her with a swift lurch of her legs, sending her sprawled a few feet ahead of her. She jumped back up, and re-adjusted her basket-hat, a slight pout on her face. Rainbow Dash sighed, it was hard as hay to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, but even she couldn't find the energy to let down a pepped-up Pinkie Pie. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she got up, and stretched her wings. Glancing back at Pinkie Pie, she noticed that, aside from her talking about something else that she was already sure she wouldn't care about, something was sticking out of her bushy pink tail. Striding up to her, she reached a hoof out, grabbed hold of it, and pulled it out with a light 'shff!' She blinked. She blinked twice. It was a hat. A cowboy hat, to be specific… Yeah, it was definitely Applejack's hat. Rainbow Dash's mind shut down at this point. "What… (looks left) this… (looks right) but… (looks back at the barn) hat… (looks at Pinkie Pie) you… …huh?" she finished, falling on her hindquarters, settling her gaze on the brown hat in wide-eyed disbelief. Pinkie Pie looked back, and gasped again. "So that's what that was! Right before I saw you, I saw this beautiful patch of flowers! I just had to smell them! So I walked over and went *SNOOOORT!*, and then it got really, really windy, and something poked me in the rump! It scared me so badly, I fell right on top of the flowers! SPLAT! (She made a stomping motion.) I tried to tell them I was sorry, that it wasn't my fault, but some plants-" She stopped as she received a fistful of hoof in her mouth. Rainbow Dash looked haggard, letting out a deep breath. This day was starting to take its toll, and it was barely even noon! "Look Pink, let's just head over to Sugarcube Corner, and get your stuff. We can give Applejack her hat later, but we really need to get working on getting the party ready for tomorrow." She finished tetchily. Pinkie suddenly smiled widely, leering at Rainbow Dash. "Oh, now I know what's going on! Applejack, huh? Well it's about time, you were taking so long that I was going to make the first move, but if you think you can (wink) take care of her, well, you just make sure to tell Pinkie Pie all about it when you're done!" she piped, starting back towards the path, not noticing Rainbow Dash freezing in place, her face erupting in a clashing crimson, eyes the size of wagon wheels. "Wh-wh-what? Y-you… I… B-b-b-but…" Pinkie slowed down, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I should take you to Tutti Frutti's shop. She can get you everything you'll need for tonight." She paused, and then started making measuring motions with her two hooves. "I wonder if Applejack will need a small, or a large." *THUMP* She looked back to see Rainbow Dash sprawled out across the ground, her face a bright shade of cherry, wings sticking rigidly upward, topped with an undecipherable grimace that seemed to be mumbling incoherent noises out of one side. Pinkie "hmm'd", lowering her head and scooping Rainbow Dash onto her back, then took a thoughtful stance while examining the hat her filly friend had dropped. "Well, the hat isn't very stretchy, and Applejack usually doesn't wear it all the way down, so I'd say you'd want to get a small. Ooh, I can't wait to show you Tutti Frutti's Magic Trick Parlour, she has the best magic trick and pranking supplies in all of Ponyville! Hee hee, this is going to be the best prank EVER! WAIT!" She paused again, looking back at her catatonic cargo. "Were we talking about the Itching Powder, or the Hat Buzzer? *Gasp!* How about we use BOTH of them, that'll give her twice the shock! (She started giggling) But then she'll be itching to get back at us even more!" Breaking out into full-blown laughter, Pinkie Pie barely kept her footing as she picked up Applejack's hat, made her way to drop off the supplies in her basket at the barn, cargo in tow, before heading down to Sugarcube Corner. "Alright Lucy, you make sure that he takes his medicine every day, okay? And if something happens, you let me know." Fluttershy politely asserted, giving the small grey rabbit a friendly nudge. Lucy gave a quick succession of nods, -pills in paws- and scampered back into her hole. The pink-haired pony sighed with a smile. "Okay," she softly stated to herself, "That's six families on the right half of the Apple Orchard, and four on the left, with the last burrow near the barn. The barn is right over there, so I should probably check up on them first." She looked down toward the left side of the property. "Or maybe I should check on them. It is possible the bunnies at the barn didn't get sick, being farther away from the rest of them." she mused. Tilting her head slightly, she silently debated her next course of action when she heard a voice in the not-too far-off distance. "Raiiiiiinbow!" Looking ahead, she saw a small orange pony making her way toward the barn in a frenzy of a gallop, clouds of dust kicking up behind her with each step. Frowning, Fluttershy bent down and picked up her double-knapsack, tossing it over her back, and quickly adjusting the straps so that they wouldn't fasten her folded wings down… "Rainbow Dash! Y'all in he-… oh you gotta be foalin' me." she ended, setting the vase of purple roses down and walking the rest of the way into the barn. Streamers from the two ponies' earlier mishap were still strewn across the hay-layered floor in the same place they were before. Hat forgotten for the moment, she tentatively peered up into the shady rafters for any sign of her cyan friend. Finding nothing, she stomped the ground in frustration. "Why I can't believe the nerve of that pony. S'already past mid-day an' nothin's been done n' here! That pony's just one peccadillo after n'other, ah swear! Fine filly or not, she's got a job to do!" she whispered heatedly. Shaking her head, she turned around, and came face to face with a pair of intensely cerulean eyes. "Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed, backing up slightly and looking down at the ground, pink mane covering one of her eyes in an innocent manner. Applejack frowned. She was hoping to at least have gotten the good part of the décor set up before anyone else showed up, so they could get the tables and everything else moved in without a hassle. So much for that. "Hello, Applejack. I saw you running towards the barn, a-and I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. You know, because I was worried…" she trailed off, idly scraping a hoof back and forth on the dirt floor. Applejack smiled jadedly. "Well thanks, sugarcube. I was just gettin' those roses over there while Rainbow Dash was s'posed to be finishin' up in here… *sigh*, but apparently she had other plans. What brings y'all down here to the farm so early?" she asked. Fluttershy raised her head, meeting Applejack eye-to-eye with a growing smile. "Oh, I was just checking on the bunnies that live around the acre. That terrible bunny flu is still going around, and just I'm making sure it hasn't complicated things for their families." She gently explained. Despite her situation, Applejack let a small smile grow to the side of her mouth. The bunnies taking residence in the apple orchard were actually quite the goddess-send, as the majority of the food they ate was the apples that had fallen off of the trees in between apple-bucking schedules, keeping the nice orchard grass from becoming too muddled up with rotten fruit. "Well that's mighty kind, but I gotta find Rainbow Dash somethin' fierce an' finish up preparations 'round here." she started, turning around and heading out the barn doors, the same feeling of exasperation looming over her as it did the last time she left the barn, though with a different, stronger flavor. And she didn't like it one bit. "You know, Applejack, I'm still making my rounds around the orchard. If you'd like, you could come with me and help me hand out medicine to the sick bunnies. It would make things faster for me, not having to undo my bag over and over again, plus we could both keep an eye out for Rainbow Dash, and then I'd be able to come help you two here at the barn sooner. T-That is, if you're not too busy…" she trailed off again, looking hopeful. Applejack mulled it over for a few moments. It seemed like a solid plan, chances are she would be lazing away the day on a cloud. And the pegasus ponies hadn't gotten as far as the acre as of yet, so Rainbow Dash wouldn't get re-enlisted to work on cloud cover for the upcoming rain shower should she have decided to take an afternoon nap. Plus it wouldn't hurt to have Fluttershy around to… discourage her from beating the colors off the lazy pony if she really was. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Let's get goin' then." She resigned. Fluttershy beamed, taking flight with Applejack galloping quietly behind her. "Okie dokie, I'm gonna need this! No wait, this! And this! And some of these! And we'll need this!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, darting from container to container in the upstairs party room of Sugarcube Corner, while Rainbow Dash haplessly waited near the stairs, fumbling around with Applejack's hat as a means to distract her from the saccharine-intensified scene, as well as the pointedly-embarrassing misunderstanding that she'd had with Pinkie Pie an hour ago. Thank the clouds for her friend's naivety. She had to admit, holding Applejack's hat like this was a very surreal experience all on its own. She couldn't remember ever seeing her friend's trademark in detail like she was now. Despite the many years she'd seen her with it, the old Stetson didn't show any tell-tale signs of aging. Apart from the creases layering the inside of the brim, it looked to be a fairly new hat. Upon further examination, she noticed a small green object tucked away in one of the creases. Pulling it out, she found that it was a leaf. She pulled it out, turning it over with a sturdy blue hoof, a torrent of memories washing through her. Unlike her friend Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash didn't care so much for the natural beauty she surrounded herself with on the soil. Were it not for her cherished friends (as well as a few fans), it was likely that she would still be living in Cloudsdale, rarely frequenting the flight to the peaceful town-on-the-ground. But something that she could relate with down here… were the leaves that ventured away from their sturdy homes. Carefree, light, a testament to the joy of absolute freedom. It often astounded her to see how the wind could carry the little leaflets all the way up to Cloudsdale during a storm or a rain shower. She could remember as a little filly trying in vain to keep the ones that blew upwards near her parent's home. Everything from cloud jars to enchanted shelves that could hold physical objects, all it took was a gust of wind or a careless moment, and her little souvenirs would fall through the clouds, leaving her alone in her bedroom once again. One of the few academic studies in flight school that she could say she had actually cared about, was Ground Studies. It was amazing to her just how diverse the world below her was compared to the cozy-but-consistent city of clouds. Not that she cared all that much, but it was still fascinating to her. She thought back to her first flight to the world below, on a field trip with her classmates not a few months before quitting the academy. The group had touched down at the edges of Ponyville so many years ago, the young pegasi struggling to keep their footing on the alien, unmovable and unforgiving clouds of brown and green. Rainbow Dash was the only pony who hadn't touched down right off the bat; instead she darted over to the nearest tree, and just stared. Oh what she wouldn't give to get just one of these up in her home city! It was so… awesome (She did not say gorgeous). The sunshine seemed to light up the simple tree, leaves lightly reflecting some of the rays as the wind started to pick up, the rippling branches becoming a dazzling sea of green sequins, a few of them even daring to endeavor the flight away from home. It was both hypnotic and alluring. Later in the year, she quickly came to realize that Fall had become her favorite season of them all. Frequenting the flight to the ground once a month now, it was as if the meadows around Ponyville had exploded into color within a week! Her favorite sight to see had become one that she couldn't even recognize anymore, and she could care less! She softly smirked, eyes glazing over. One of her fondest memories was the Running of the Leaves her and Applejack had taken part of last fall. After the mortifying realization that the two fillies had tied for last place, as well as the fact that the Princess herself had attended the display (Not to mention Twilight made the top five, something the both of them were eternally grateful that their good friend never brought up), the two had set off at an easier pace, enjoying the scenery, as well as each other's company. Even after the dozens of ponies had cleared through the area, many a maple had opted to keep their colored dressings, and even though the two of them galloped the trail a slower rate, the leaves all began to fall, twin curtains of red and gold funneling behind them in majesty! She keenly remembered looking toward her comrade as the two continued on, a scene she was sure would remain vivid in memory forever. Applejack's eyes were closed, and she was smiling, her pony-tail waving behind her as the leaves fell in between the two. And then she looked at her, eyes opening to reveal her vivacious green eyes, and her smile had grown even wider. Oh yeah, her two favorite things all wrapped up in one golden memory. The leaves, and Applejack… Looking up and making sure Pinkie Pie was still occupied with gathering materials, Rainbow Dash lifted the hat up to her small, blue nose, and after a moment… took a deep whiff. Her reflections were instantly forgotten as she was rewarded with a flood of ecstasy! The sweet scents of meadows, a hint of apples, some sort of flowery shampoo, and a wonderfully light trace of sweat carried her way above the clouds she burned through on a daily basis. Blushing heavily, her thoughts took her back to the old cloud-candle shop, positioned a hop away from her flight school, where as a young filly, she would often find herself distracted by the many indulgent (and sometimes repugnant) scents in the air during the shop's production hours. Goddesses, if she could only get that old pegasus to make a candle out of this… "BOO!" "GAH!" Rainbow Dash jumped in fright, wings flapping so quickly she bumped her head on the wooden ceiling. Hastily grasping one of the rafters with all four hooves, she looked down toward the ground, where Pinkie Pie was rolling across the floor, laughing with both forelegs crossed against her stomach. "Ahahahahaha! I got you good, Dashie! Hee hee!" Someday, Pinkie Pie was going to disappear from Ponyville without a trace. Releasing the wooden girder, Rainbow Dash grudgingly let herself drop to the floor, a single flap of the wings slowing her descent. Pinkie Pie, eyes closed and grinning, trotted cheerfully down the steps, her two saddlebags bouncing upward with each step. The feathered filly tossed her own pack in a sweeping slapdash motion, and started after Pinkie Pie when she remembered something, turning back toward where Applejack's hat lay behind her. "Hey Pinkie Pie, I'll be out in just a second!" she called out, not bothering to turn back toward the descending stairs. A muffled "okie-dokie" ensued as Rainbow Dash walked over toward the brown article, picked it up and- after a moment of hesitation- she tossed it into the air, flipping twice until landing squarely on her head. Immediately she began to feel dizzy with an abrupt bout of giddiness, as well as guilt, she realized. Nopony aside from Applejack had ever worn this hat for as long as she'd known her, and Rainbow Dash didn't know whether to feel shameful for wearing it, or embarrassed that she was feeling so sensual right now. She decided the word naughty encompassed the current majority. 'Oh man, I'm wearing her hat! I'm wearing… her… hat! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, I-I… can't even think straight!' she mentally cried. Lightheaded and wavering on all four hooves, she swiftly sat down on her haunches, a stupid grin plastered on her features. Just wearing her apple-bucking friend's hat blew her senses… she couldn't even imagine how she'd react if something ever were to happen between the two. Powerless against her imagination, she started envisioning herself running her hooves through the sun-bleached hair on which the Stetson usually rested, following the gorgeously matted pony-tail down her back, undoing the hair band and caressing her taunt, hard-worked back as she stroked away the stress of a hard day's work, the sweet rapture sparking through smoky-lidded eyes of green, the soft- "BLUH-LUH-LUH-LUH!" "AHHH! PINKIE PIE!" 'Three down, eight to go.' Applejack mentally recited. Keeping her eyes to the sky, she tracked her yellow companion out of the corner of her eye as the duo traveled back to the barn grounds. It wouldn't have been so dreary for the orange mare if each administration didn't take so long. It simply boggled her mind just how much conversation Fluttershy could squeeze out of a small critter. Baggy-eyed, she sullenly reminded herself that they weren't just making small talk, that she was genuinely looking out for the families of the rabbits that took ill. She went out of her way to take care and help those in need, like a true friend would. Unlike some ponies. She averted her eyes from the skies for a moment, unfocused as a flurry of green leaves blew past her, her hair swaying along with them. For all she was worth, she could not help but wonder why? Rainbow Dash loved her friend, she knew that without fault. She held the hay-pickin' Element of Loyalty, for Celestia's sake! She'd always been able to depend on her secret crush whenever the group got into trouble, and she couldn't remember a time where Rainbow Dash hadn't been there, for any of them! And here they were, trying to set up and celebrate Twilight's birthday, the first one she would have since moving down here from Canterlot… The first birthday she'd get to celebrate with her first friends, with ponies that loved her to pieces. Friends that had taken a manticore's claws alongside her. Friends who stared down the petrifying gaze of a cockatrice for her! Friends that wanted to celebrate the day Twilight Sparkle came into Equestria, and made everyone's life for the better as she blossomed in her years. Everypony from the original five still remembered the first birthday they celebrated with the other four attending, showing their appreciation for one another, they would still talk about it to this very day. Who could forget the first bone-crushing group hug they all shared at Pinkie Pie's party? Or the most heart-melting smile anyone had ever seen at Fluttershy's celebration? Or the tears that Rainbow Dash fought to keep at bay in vain, threatening to stain the floor of the Sugarcube Corner party room… at the feathered filly's own birthday party? 'So why now?' she thought bitterly, 'Why would she just up an' leave us hangin' like that? Why would she do that… to Twilight, to… me?' With a tiny gasp, Applejack found herself fighting back her own set of waterworks. She groaned, it wouldn't do for Fluttershy to see her in this state, knowing the trouble it was cause her kind heart. She unconsciously reached a hoof up to pull her beloved Stetson down to cover her face… but felt nothing. Again. Hurt gave way to betrayal, which in turn gave way to a murky, sickening spell of anger welling up inside of her. She simply could not function like this, so she willed the darkness boiling within her heart away for the moment. She was being too emotional about the situation, Rainbow Dash wasn't like that. She wouldn't abandon the group out of self-interest and take something important that belonged to one of her friends… "Maybe she didn't take m'hat outta spite. Maybe she moseyed on back to Ponyville, lookin' fer me…" Applejack looked upwards again, seeing nothing but the blending shades of light blue and white, cloud against the skies. 'Or maybe the other pegasus ponies picked her up, and she hasn't had time t'find us…' The two fillies walked along the white fence line surrounding the cabbage and celery plot about a hundred yards away from the massive barn. Applejack strained her eyes, peering up into another giant puff of clouds, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lazy mare. Looking to the left, she noted that the sun was beginning its descent, the bright beams of light no longer shining straight down, but slanting, the multitude of crops and other vegetables starting to cast their tiny shadows toward the pair, a sight which nurtured the earth pony's mounting frustration. Gingerly avoiding the many budding plants, they came up to a small rabbit-hole. Fluttershy ducked her head down into the hole, sweetly calling out for the furry residents. Applejack mechanically reached down into Fluttershy's knapsack, and pulled out one of the many peapod-sized bottles, and setting it down next to her, before despairingly returning her watch to the sky again. "Pinkie! Over here, quick!" Rainbow Dash whispered out from behind a large bush. Pinkie Pie zoomed up next to her, both ponies peering out from beneath a shady branch. They had hoped to use the usual hustle and bustle of Ponyville's main street as cover to get back to the barn, but apparently Twilight's had taken her studies with her to the fountain in the middle of the road. Spike had darted off earlier, but they weren't sure where, and didn't want to run the chance of running into him either. He was far from the smoothest secret-keeper they'd ever met, and with him in the loop, it was very likely that Twilight would suspect something was up by sundown, which was speedily approaching. So Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hid beneath the brush, planning their escape route back to the barn. "Maybe we could just walk around her?" "But what if she turns around? We're carrying all of this stuff for her party, she'll know something's up!" "Well, what if we're really, really sneaky-sneaky? Oh, what if I took one of the banners, and made a scary ghost costume! Or a cloud costume! We could-" "Oh forget this, let's just walk around." "Hey guys, what's going on?" The plotting ponies screamed as they jumped away from Twilight, who had somehow managed to get behind them while they were arguing. She looked at them quizzically, tilting her head. "Umm, did I miss something? You guys are acting really strange." The guilty girls looked at each other. They were caught, and they had to make up something fast. Twilight was about to say something when Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Oh yeah, we were just… d-delivering some supplies! Yeah, to this, uhh… bear that lives in a cave down this way. Yeah, me and Fluttershy had to house-sit for her a while back, isn't that right Pinkie Pie?" There was a moment's silence, after which Pinkie Pie uncharacteristically sweat-dropped… and then face-hoofed. Rainbow Dash coughed, nudging her partner in crime lightly, bringing her back to the current situation. "Oh yeah, that bear! She's a very, very nice bear, and we wanted to bring her kids some… coloring supplies, see!" she exclaimed too-excitedly, pointing at Rainbow Dash's saddlebags, where a few colored markers were sticking out of the flap. Twilight looked slightly skeptical, but shrugged it off all the same. "Well that's very nice of you guys. Say, do either of you have time to help me out with this spell I've been working on? It's an old interrogation spell that Princess Luna had come up with over a thousand years ago! It was used by the Royal Court to gather information about crimes committed and to garner confessions from prisoners. It's actually pretty harmless, it just causes the pony under the enchantment to temporarily be unable to keep any secret that passes through their mind while under the effect, but Princess Luna was too busy to-" Both ponies let out a shriek, and bounded away at full speed, barreling into a humming Spike and sending him tumbling into the ground. An assortment of sandwiches and leafy food products landed around him in thin packaging, leaving Twilight blinking in the wake. And was it just her, or was Rainbow Dash wearing Applejack's hat? A blur of rainbow and pink hurtled into the barn, the door shutting swiftly behind them. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash leaned back against the entrance, breathing heavily and simultaneously wiping the sweat off of their respective foreheads. After a minute, they looked at each other, grinning. "Alright Pinkie Pie, what say we get this place ready for a party?" Rainbow asked, dropping back down on all fours. The poofy-haired pony jumped with glee, setting her two bags down, and diving into their contents. Markers, containers of streamers, bags of confetti and more flew all across the barn floor as Rainbow Dash began her efforts of organizing the streamers left from this morning. The two worked in almost complete silence for a half an hour, Rainbow Dash hovering left and right, winding and twisting the multi-colored strips around the rafters, and Pinkie Pie decorating the many banners with phrases and pictures of every kind. The blue filly's progress suddenly became impeded as one of the ribbons started sticking to a wooden beam for some odd reason. Looking closely, there was some sort of sticky residue coating the beams. A quick glance upward showed that a careless sander-pony had missed a pocket of tree sap that had collected in one of the beams during the last (and fairly recent) renovation. Pulling and yanking as hard as she could without ripping the ribbon, she quickly grew frustrated, and after a particularly hard tug her body lurched forward as the ribbon jerked back hard. She felt her head bump against the long plank, and a whiny "ouch!" from below. Looking down through the dulling pain, she saw Pinkie Pie glaring down the old brown hat that had fallen off of her head... "That's TWICE you decided to poke me today, buster!" the pink pony exclaimed, pointing an accusing hoof toward the offending object. "Well I'm not going to take that sitting down, even though I was when you poked me, but now I'm standing up (she stands up on all fours) and… umm… well… I'm still not gonna take it!" Rainbow Dash chuckled, swooping down to grab the hat. She turned back to Pinkie Pie, who was still glowering at the item in her hands. "Geez, relax Pinkie, it's just a hat." She stated, casually dusting it off. Pinkie 'hmmph'd, and turned back to her coloring tools. Giving the hat a quick once-over, and setting it gently back on her head, she found herself repressing the annoying urge to giggle along with… Wait, was Pinkie Pie giggling? "Hahahaha -*snort*- ahahaha! You really shouldn't get distracted so often!" Pinkie cried through bouts of laughter. Rainbow Dash turned her head back in bewilderment, before her head started to itch… Really badly! Oh she didn't… With a strangled yelp, she speedily took the hat off and looked inside. Sure enough, there was a little packet of pink powder, labeled "Small". Taking the packet out of the hat, she flung it behind her, and frantically started scratching her multihued hair, desperately looking left and right for some sort of relief. A nail file, some sandpaper, heck, even a pitchfork at this point would do fine! As her eyes spotted a water basin in one of the corners of the barn, she took off toward it with a voice-cracking howl, plunging her head into the icy water while furiously washing the (metaphorically) smoldering substance out as fast as she could. A minute later, she resurfaced with a gasp of air, and collapsed in exhaustion. Pinkie Pie gasped for her own supply of oxygen on the other end of the building, albeit for a different reason. "Tha… tha… ahahahaha! You were… the hat… hee hee hee hee hee!" Rainbow Dash inhaled and rolled over, standing back up, her strength renewed. Walking over to the snickering mare, she salvaged what she could of her usually-mellow smirk, though her light-purple eyes gleamed with a darker edge. "Heh… heh…. good one Pinkie Pie… but you're toast." For all the levity in her heart, the pink pony could only gulp. "Well I'm glad I caught you two when I did. Oh I don't think I could have done any better, it was such a nightmare… but to think, an entire fashion line for the little… ehh, things. Not my cup of tea, personally, but Hoity-Toity seemed so pleased with my work!" "Wow, I'm so happy for you Rarity. Was the frog okay? Did you treat it nicely?" Looking worse for the wear, Applejack trudged on in front of the dainty fillies, paying little mind to their conversation. She had all but given up on finding the flighty pony that had been on her mind all day, and was tiredly watching the ground, following the path with her apple-green eyes. Whatever Rainbow Dash was doing right now, it was no concern of hers anymore. All she wanted to do was get to the barn, finish the preparations for tomorrow, and hit the hay so she could give her addled mind a well-needed reprieve. As the trio neared the barn, she could see her shadow cast along the red walls. The sun had finally begun to retire beyond the horizon, enhancing her hatless silhouette to great proportions against the building she so desperately hoped to find her heart's fixation in. She quickly noticed, however, that the lights had been turned on, a soft glow that was almost indistinguishable from the slowly fading sunlight. A spark of hope lit up in her heart, when she heard her friends talking behind her. "Fluttershy dear, have you seen Pinkie Pie today?" Rarity started. Fluttershy shook her head. "No, I haven't. From what I heard, she was supposed to be baking the cake for Twilight's birthday before coming to help us. Rainbow Dash had told me that she was going to wait until you were through with your project before moving the cake here, so you could use your magic to safely-" "Wait jus' a moment…" Applejack interjected, "When did you talk to Rainbow last?" she asked, suddenly interested. Fluttershy fixed her gaze back to the pony ahead of her. "Oh, I found her last night. She was dropping off a paint can of rainbows for Pinkie Pie to start making the banners early if she found the time, and I caught her as she was walking out. Pinkie Pie was planning on finishing the baking by about this time, so she should be coming down here very soon. She may already be at the barn." 'Well, it's either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie in there…' Applejack contemplated. The rest of the Apple family was still scattered around the field, they had seen more than a few members as her and Fluttershy had tended to the sick bunnies scattered across the property. She hoped it was both, Rainbow should've had plenty of time to set up the ribbons if she had somehow made it into the barn while she was assisting Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie would have started on the banners and balloons, leaving the group plenty of time to get everything in with minimal hassle. Applejack let out a small smile as she trotted up to the barn door, noises coming from inside. 'Maybe this won't end up bein' so bad after all." she assured herself as she opened the barn door. She couldn't believe her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that about half of the rafters were set up and decorated. Nicely -she cynically thought- though that didn't outweigh the fact that the rest of the streamers were wrapped around a pony suspended in the air like a candy wrapper. A colorful one, though it was the second colorful pony that caught her eyes next, who was suspending the swathed-up pony from a red streamer, a silly grin on her face, partially shaded by the hat she was wearing... Her hat! "That'll teach you to try and outdo me!" the flying filly exclaimed proudly. "I'm the queen of pranks, and don't you forget it!" Pranks… It all clicked together in one nasty, sickening crunch of revelation. Two and two, four and four, and less than a second later, Applejack found herself seeing red… Civilities be damned. "WHAT THE HAY IS GOIN' ON HERE!" Rainbow Dash froze at the acidic shriek that came from her orange-coated friend, dropping her colorful bundle which let out a loud "eep!" as it landed on a pile of hay, and touching down in front of her, looking stunned. "H-hey Applejack, what's goin' on? Where've you been all day?" she asked uncertainly. Applejack's glare intensified. "Are you FOALIN' me? I've been out there with Fluttershy lookin' all over for ya! Where have YOU been all day?" she shouted. Rainbow Dash took a step back, and then frowned herself. "Geez, I was helping Pinkie Pie out. We only got back a few-" "Helpin' her with what? Playin' a trick on me, or tyin' her up as a piñata fer the party?" she retorted venomously. "What in tarnation are you playin' at, Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash stood her ground, wings spread out in aggravation. "What is your problem, Applejack? Calm down!" she replied ardently, but Applejack wasn't about to back down so easily either. "ME calm down? I ran down t'Roseluck's fer twenty minutes! Twenty minutes, and you hauled outta here like you was done with the place! I was countin' on you to help me out today, and y'all left before anything got done!" she yelled. Rainbow Dash's wings lowered slightly, the heat of her argument starting to ebb away. "Yeah, well if you hadn't run off, maybe I would have…" "HOW DARE YOU!" she spat fiercely. "I busted mah flanks all mornin' long without you to get this done fer Twilight, and it wasn't near enough to make it in time! Y'all were supposed to meet me here bright 'n early like y'promised me, and you DIDN'T!" Rainbow Dash felt her wings go slack, her expression turning sorrowful. "Ya know somethin', Rainbow…" Applejack continued, her voice getting shaky, "I thought ah could depend on you, that WE could depend on you! For Celestia's sake, Fluttershy could've fixed these up rightly faster n' you! (Fluttershy ducked her head down behind a shaking Rarity, her lip quivering, and trying not to be noticed.) "An' you know why that is? Because she cares more 'bout others than about herself! She spent the whole day fixin' up her friend's families with nothin' but a smile! And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" Rainbow Dash looked down even further, speaking softly. "But… I do c-" "Jus' forget it! We've got too much work t'do, and y'all are so WORTHLESS! WE DON'T NEED YOU HERE! AND I DON'T WANT YOU HERE NEITHER!" Applejack shouted. Through her furious gaze, she watched Rainbow Dash slowly raise her head after a moment of absolute silence… she panted heavily as she prepared herself for the proud pony's next predictable outburst, her explanations and her excuses. She saw twin trails of tears, streaming from a pair of vacant, violet eyes. All of the fire, the righteous anger that festered through her being… was doused in an instant. By the tears of a broken champion. "Rainbow…" she started, quietly. But she was gone, in a bright flash of rainbow, colors that mocked the sorrow and resentment coursing through Applejack as the reality of what had happened caught up with her. Eyes glistening, she helplessly turned toward the door her friend had flown out of, to her friends backed up in the corner. Rarity was holding a trembling Fluttershy, not caring that the sensitive mare poured her tears into her previously perfect mane. She looked to the middle of the room, so lifeless and empty now… And to Pinkie Pie, still wrapped up in her bindings, unwilling to meet her eyes. Not since the day she left the farm as a filly had she ever felt so alone. Choking back a sob, she looked back to Rarity again, her expression veiled by her long indigo tresses. "Y'all… y'all gonna be okay without us fer a while, I hope." she half-asked, half-stated. Rarity turned her head toward her, eyes traced down to the floor, but let a small, understanding smile give all the confirmation Applejack needed to bolt out the door without another word, a trail of tears falling behind her as she charged under the symbol of her love's philosophy… The lone rainbow trail streaked against the blazing sunset.
Raindrops and TeardropsDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Somebody else does. Lucky bastard. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 3: Raindrops and Teardrops Dusk had finally settled over Ponyville, the ponies and other minority species working to retire the terrene town underneath the tender glow that remained, while it remained. The unicorns and earth ponies worked together in the twilit tranquility, closing up shops for the night, and watering their many gardens before retiring to their homes and families. The pegasus ponies continued their work unabated, laboring together to smooth out the dark clouds into an ever-growing blanket over the denizens of the small city. A number of ponies had chosen to glance toward the remnants of the sunset, and many of them had given a double-take in that direction, as a rainbow had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, brightening up the normally tranquil atmosphere in a striking display. Rainbow Dash soared through the dimming skies of lavender and dark grey, tearing past the many pegasus ponies hovering to and fro. She had no destination, only the purpose of escaping the consuming ache of shame and depravity she could not help feeling as Applejack's furious countenance drifted through her mind. "I thought ah could depend on you…" Unconsciously she began picking up speed, the colors below blending into a dark, purple miasma. Withdrawing inside of herself, she desperately searched for the sense of thrill, for the rush of adrenaline that would overtake her, drowning out the worries of the world and emptying her mind of the despair that threatened to engulf her. "And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" Even with her wings beating at full force, the haze of pre-Sonic Rainboom cloud collection beginning to form, she felt so slow. "…y'all are so WORTHLESS!" Against her will, she began to see trace images being cast against the opaque shielding of gray in front of her, watching her memories unfold in agonizing slowness… It had almost been a year since she had left the academy. Today was a clear and sunny day, perfect for venturing down to the world below. Sparing a glance toward the barely visible community in the clouds above her, the blue filly turned her attention down a long stretch of straight meadow ground sparsely populated with trees and flowers, while casually munching on an apple. It was here where she had touched down to the earth for the first time so long ago, in all of its summer glory that bloomed into a picture-perfect replica of that special day. She had chosen this particular place many a day that she sought to fill the previously-studious hours of her young life, whether it be to run through a flying routine, to laze away the day with a nap in the swaying branches of a tree, or just to get away from the lonely clouds during school hours. Today was special, however, as she had decided to dedicate her time to start practice on her soon-to-be second signature move…. She called it the Super Speed Strut, and it was one that required precision and… grace over speed, despite the catchy name, an ability the young teenager often found herself lacking. However, she had mastered the element of confidence… And enough of that could make up for anything in her book. A few wing-flutters to loosen up the tension, a crack of the back, and one twitch of the neck later, she settled her gaze on the grass ahead, donning her trademark smirk. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath… and brought her wings down hard, launching herself straight upwards. Ten seconds of furious flapping, and she was already halfway up to Cloudsdale, rising higher and higher… So she folded her wings back in, stalled, and allowed herself to gently tip backwards, smiling as she felt the euphoria of weightlessness for all of a second, her colored mane flowing out in front of her face, before twisting and plummeting back down toward the earth. She reached forward with both hooves, ignoring the light whistling noise that increased in volume as she gained speed, the land steadily growing in detail as she could make out the individual flowers in every bunch, the direction the leaves on the trees swayed in the wind… A trail of ants marching in a line away from the apple core she carelessly tossed away moments ago. With all of the strength in her wings, she brought them out, pulling out of her dive at a flawless ninety-degree angle. Waves of dust flowing behind her, she brought her hooves parallel to the speeding ground below, and began a graceful strut. The tension in her legs was almost too much to keep up with her velocity, but she pushed through it with every step, teeth clenching with every furiously gentle hoof-touch, the pain causing her eyes to squint. Which caused a single rock to slip out of her pegasus-precision eyesight. Her back right leg caught the object hard, tipping her balance forward and to the left. It was a phenomenon she could relate to very easily, that split-second where time seemed to stop long enough for her to realize… that it wasn't long enough. A stubbed hoof, a bump to the head, she'd experienced them more times that she would prefer to admit. But something told her within that paradoxical time frame that this was going to hurt. A lot. Instinctively she recalled the lesson from her old "Crash Course" class, the very same class she had received her endearing nicker-name from the three bozos that still found the time to heckle her whenever they were near. Quickly thanking Celestia in the back of her mind, she folded her wings in, tucked her legs under herself, and jerked her head down, attempting to bounce off the ground in a roll, and catch the air with her wings in hopes of slowing herself down with minimal damage. But she overshot. Her body still lurched dangerously to the side, catching her shoulder, and sending her into a rapid corkscrew when she unfolded her wings out of panic. She spun through the air, unable to readjust her bearings, when her world was suddenly brought to a stand-still, a dull *crack!* echoing in the back of her consciousness. And then she felt the pain. Her vision danced with colored dots as she cried out in agony, her throat too taunt to scream the way her twinging body urged her to. She panted hoarsely as she lay sprawled on the ground, the fuzz of semi-consciousness surrounding her being in a medley of pain and delirium. She couldn't tell how long it had been until she decided to try and stand up. It could have been a few minutes, a half an hour, or even half of the day. Laying on her side, she could see the sun shining above her at a slight angle, indicating sometime close to midday. Not that she really cared at this point. Summing up all of the willpower she could, Rainbow Dash began flexing her legs. A growing pain began building up inside of her right leg. Not good. Testing the tension in her front legs revealed them both to be fine. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she shut her eyes tightly, and started pushing herself up off of the ground. Numbness began spreading across her body starting from her spine, and unable to support her own weight she collapsed once again, yelping from the pain stemming from falling on top of her injured leg. "Hey guys, look! It's Rainbow Crash!" Oh no… not now. Please, not now! Try as she might, she found herself unable to move from her prone position, and so she helplessly looked toward the source of the call. Three teenage pegasus ponies touched down in front of her, one with a chocolate coat and cream colored hair, one with a grey coat and black hair, and the last having a caramel-colored coat, with long brown hair that covered his eyes. "Whoa, look at her wing." The chocolate-coated pegasus spoke up. "Looks pretty bad. What'd you do this time, Rainbow Crash?" "Sh-shut up…" she croaked in a low voice, struggling to keep the tears of pain and shame back. "Ha, she totally wrecked that tree, look!" The caramel-coated pony laughed, pointing at the indentation in the tree behind her. The other two joined in as Rainbow Dash struggled to get onto her feet, pushing past the pain with anger and righteous indignation. "Yeah? Like you've never…heh… crashed before. I'm just the only pony… stallion enough to do it at full speed." she groaned, cracking a small grin. The chocolate-coated pegasus scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well we're not the ones flying into trees and breaking our wings. Face it Rainbow Crash, you're just one big failure after another!" he sneered. "…y'all are so WORTHLESS!" Rainbow glared back at him, struggling to maintain her balance. "Just shut up and wait… I'm g-gonna join the Wonderbolts someday… and I'll make you eat those words!" she yelled. The three bullies started laughing again. "Yeah right, like you could ever make the team. They'd never let a pegasus in who couldn't even graduate from Flight School. Speaking of which…" the chocolate-coated pegasus reached into one of his saddle-bags, pulling out a piece of paper. "…you just missed graduation day. And guess what? We've got our diplomas!" "So what? Who cares about some stupid piece of paper…" she trailed off, looking uncertain. "Well maybe if you stayed in school, you'd have learned that every single one of the Wonderbolts graduated from Flight School!" he chuckled, seeing the dawning look of dirt-stained horror on Rainbow Dash's face. "Well too bad for you, we've got a better chance of getting into the Wonderbolts than you do! We actually graduated Flight School…" "And what've you got to show? NOTHIN'!" The three burst into laughter once again, Rainbow Dash collapsing on the spot in disbelief and humiliation as she helplessly watched the three take to the skies, calling back to her as they left her behind. "Have fun walking all the way to Ponyville, Rainbow Crash!" That day, they had left her behind. They had abandoned her in the middle of the field, leaving her to the lonely and excruciating half a day's walk back to the earth pony town. She recalled the bitterness she had felt, a wrench in her heart that hurt even more than when the Ponyville nurses had to reset her wing back into place later that evening. That day, she had vowed to never let that happen to anypony. She would be loyal to everypony who needed her to be. 'I'd never leave my friends hangin'. And today, she had finally broken that credo. To the one pony who needed her the most, and who mattered the most to her. Every flap of her wings that brought her farther away from her friends only served to worsen her feelings. She flew higher and higher, into the midst of the dark rain clouds, her vision becoming completely obstructed. Maybe... if she didn't know where she was going, she would not be able to find her way back. She could never go back. 'WE DON'T NEED YOU HERE! AND I DON'T WANT YOU HERE NEITHER!' She had to go faster, she needed to get away from it all… *CRACK!* Numbness spread throughout her being as her body suddenly went slack, the only sensation being the searing, white-hot pain in her right wing. Lightly scraping against what she hazily presumed to be a mountain side, she felt herself begin a slow spiral through the dark and misty sky, beginning to descend. She closed her eyes as she began losing feeling in her body… And the last thing she saw was the old Stetson flying from above her, and plummeting down through the storm clouds. "They don't need me here… and I don't want to be here, either." Her legs ached, her lungs burned... But the screaming in her heart kept her going. Applejack raced across the windy fields of Ponyville, in the direction where the slowly-fading rainbow above her would surely lead her to Rainbow Dash. The sun had long since disappeared from view behind the dimming skies, the vitality of the world around her slowly fading into nightfall. There was no time to rest, she had to hurry. The pegasus ponies were due to start the downpour any moment now, and through the rain and darkness she would have no hope of finding her friend. …if she could still call herself the same. 'Why? Why'd I say those things to Rainbow?' She had grown especially close to Rainbow Dash as the years had gone by, closer than any of her other four best friends. Sure, they had their quarrels same as any other two ponies, but everything would always work out for the better in the end, the bonds of friendship between the two growing stronger after each and every challenge thrown between them. One day was all it had taken for her to throw it all away. 'What have I done?' She had always admired Rainbow Dash as somepony who shared her values. Both were a headstrong set of mares. If they saw something they wanted, they went for it, and held no reservations about getting down and dirty in the process. They were both hard workers, surely enough. The two had even been designated team leaders in last year's Winter Wrap-Up! But most importantly, the two of them would always help out a friend in need. She would admit that it could be a chore to get her rainbow-maned friend to help her out with a previous commitment, but if it was important, she would come through in the end, honest-to-goodness. Honest… The word suddenly echoed throughout her mind, filling the void of inquiry and drowning out the sounds of the coming storm around her. "Big Macintosh, Granny Smith! I'm home! I'm home!" The sun was shining over the lush, autumn hills as a young and freckle-faced Applejack raced down the dirt path of the apple orchard, past the coloring trees and buckets of apples, calling out for the two ponies that ran the farm. Surely enough, she could see them waiting beneath the vine-covered gate to the property, both smiling and looking so happy to see her. Overjoyed, she ran right up next to the two ponies she called family, who wordlessly nuzzled her with affection. "Oh Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, I missed y'all so much…" Applejack whispered, returning their love in full. "We missed you, little AJ." Big Macintosh replied in a quiet, deep voice. Applejack sunk deeper into the hug, leaning against her big brother's red body. After a moment Granny Smith pulled away, and started a slow walk toward the picnic area, motioning for the two to follow. "Well get a move on, young lady! There's a lot to do before we can celebrate tonight." the old pony called back, smiling. "Aww Granny Smith, y'all don't need to throw me a party. I'm jus' glad to be home for good." the orange filly replied, tilting her head. Big Macintosh walked up next to her. "I dunno, AJ. I'd say this here –he pointed to her- is definitely something to celebrate." he stated. Applejack blushed, lightly jabbing her brother in the side. "Aww, thanks Big Mac. But really, it's fine." Big Macintosh made no motion to lower his hoof. Granny Smith's toothless smile widened. "…why are y'all lookin' at me like that?" asked Applejack after a moment, shifting uncomfortably. Big Macintosh gave her a sly look. "Well why don't you take a look yourself? Or haven't you noticed it yet?" he asked rhetorically. "Wha-" But she stopped her sentence short when she noticed where her brother's hoof was pointing. Looking back, she finally saw it. Through all of the excitement of the day, she had failed to notice the three red apples that had made their grand appearance on her flank. She gasped, looking back up to Big Macintosh, who was still smiling. "Eyup." Applejack let out a high-pitched "Yee-haw!", and wrapped her arms around Big Macintosh, laughing as she jumped up and down. "Ah got my cutie mark! Ah got my cutie mark!" Granny Smith let out a hoarse chuckle after a moment, watching the celebration. "Alright, settle down young lady. Like I said, there's work to be done, and we'll need the whole Apple Family to get everything ready before tonight." Her eyes twinkling, Granny Smith walked up to the large apple tree in the center of the picnic area, right up next to the large, rusty triangle suspended from a limb. Taking the small steel rod in her mouth, she walked over and gave it to the orange filly. Applejack looked at her grandmother in confusion, before looking up again to the red pony next to her, who was giving her a warm look. "You didn't forget what today is, did you? Every Apple knows what today is." he said slowly. Applejack gave him a look, before it dawned on her. She remembered marking off the days she had been at the Orange residence in Manehattan on the calendar next to her window, where she would watch the sun rise every morning… how did she miss it? Today was the Apple Family reunion! Big Mac pushed a tree stump under the triangle, propping it up, and then looked back at her. "Get on up there, AJ. I reckon you're big enough to help out on the farm now, and this here's a good start." Applejack eagerly jumped up onto the log, unable to contain her excitement to the point that she almost dropped the metal rod. Biting down through a grin, she turned to look at the old triangle hanging above her, so rusty and worn out with time. Her thoughts drifted back to her relatives in Manehattan, how fancy and prim the sweet couple had been. Living with them, it seemed so long since she had seen anything that looked so down to earth. So… familiar. She looked back towards her kin, both of which gave her reassuring smiles. In all of her young life, she had never felt as silly as she did that she had left these wonderful folks of hers. And never so proud that she decided to come back home. 'I knew right then just who I was s'posed to be.' *DING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING!* "SOOOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!" Family. It was more than just being related. Applejack sat at one of the picnic tables, surrounded by her aunts and uncles, her cousins and other distant relatives, none of which felt like strangers to her. The whole Apple Family right here, the family whom she had come to love so very much. One whole year, and she still felt like she knew them all as well as she knew herself. She turned to watch the sunset beyond the horizon. She could see the faint outline of Manehattan in the distance, becoming a dark shadow of buildings as the sun drifted behind the large city. It was very surreal, having grown used to watching the sunrise from her room in Manehattan, the beautiful display taking place right above Ponyville. The Orange's apartment was suited on the east side of the building, and didn't have a window from which she would watch the setting sun, a sight she sorely missed. Somehow, it felt right this way. As if her chapter in Manehattan had ended once and for all, and the morning sunrise would bring her bright future along with it, right here on the farm. She stood up, politely excusing herself from the table, where she was greeted with a loud number of compliments and gestures from her sitting relatives. It didn't seem right to feel so quiet and philosophical with all of her kin around her, but she couldn't help it. She simply could not bring herself to mingle with the rest of them in this state. She walked over towards the well, where some of her cousins had decided to play apple-catch. Watching the fillies and colts play with each other, tossing apples and calling out each other's names in such a familiar manner… she still felt so out of place. 'Maybe I just need some time alone. Why don't I go… visit my old room? Maybe that'll help clear my head.' She stopped walking to the well, and about faced, starting towards the east end of the property when one of the colts called out to her from the game. "Hey Applejack, where ya goin' coz? Don'tcha wanna play with us?" one of the young colts her age asked. Applejack glanced back towards the pony who addressed her. "I would, but… I just need some time to myself, Braeburn. I'll be back, just gonna head to my room for a spell." she replied, trotting away from the picnic area at a slow pace. "Okay, don't be too long!" he called out to her, running toward the other fillies and colts tossing apples to one another. The young Applejack smiled, watching her cousin joining in with the apple-toss, before turning back to the dirt path heading to the hill behind the barn. Oh how she relished the feeling of dirt beneath her hooves, and the welcoming smell of hay and apples! The wind was breezing by so naturally, untouched by skyscrapers and alleyways. No bright city lights to obstruct the birthing stars above her in their twilight splendor. Why, the hay bales and haystacks were all lined up along the path right where she remembered them before heading off to Manehattan! Passing the last field of crops, she finally made it to the old brown house in the back of the property. She tread up the familiar wooden steps, her ears taking delight in each noise-shattering squeak that issued whenever she set her foot down, and even more so with the slow *crrreeeeeaaak!* that came from the old door when she opened it. There was no light inside, but she knew the layout of the building by heart. Making her way through the darkness, she blindly trotted up the stairs into the loft, mentally counting each step. Reaching out for the door, she found it and pushed it open. She walked in, and mechanically reached up and to the right, turning on a gas lamp suspended to the wall with effortless ease. The room, and all of her memories with it were instantly illuminated as the tiny flame above her brought the two to light before her. Nothing had changed since she had left, from her single-pony bed against the wall, the dresser on the side where she kept her work clothes, not even the log Big Macintosh had hauled up to her room for her last birthday, so she could practice apple-bucking when the season had passed. But what really caught her eye was that the room was perfectly clean. Walking up to the bed, she could smell the fresh detergent in the sheets, dust free and looking cleaner than the day she left. The dresser had been dusted, oiled even, and the floor was perfectly swept. Speaking of, she could feel a set of hooves vibrating through the floor, and her ears picked up the memorable creaking of the stairs that led to her room, when the clacking hoofsteps stopped behind her. She didn't even have to turn around. "Y'all knew that I… that I'd be comin' back this whole time, didn't you?" "…Eyup." Applejack turned to face her brother who stood in the doorway, lightly glowing red in the lamplight. Without a word spoken between them, she ran up and hugged him tight, fresh tears soaking into his orange mane. "Oh Big Macintosh, it was awful, just awful! It weren't nothin' like I was expectin', all them high-class ponies judgin' me an' makin' me feel like such a fool! I tried so hard to change for them, because I was so afraid of lettin' my folks down! The orange filly hugged the teenager tighter, her voice suddenly becoming quiet. "I… I missed y'all so very much… Down here on the farm, bein' myself was good enough for all of you. I don't gotta pretend to be somepony I'm not, because the folks here in Ponyille love me for who I am… and that should have been good enough for me." The red teenager said nothing as Applejack continued, her grip going slack. "I love my Aunt n' Uncle Orange, I really do. They're such sweet folks, and they loved me like family. But no matter how much they taught me, no matter how hard I tried… I just wasn't good enough for them…" "Now hold on a minute, little sis." Big Macintosh interrupted, pulling away, and looking into his little sister's watery eyes. "You've always been good enough for them, for 't go lettin' yourself think that there was something wrong with you in the first place, because there never was." Big Macintosh smiled. "Granny Smith and I let you go to Manehattan because we wanted you to learn a valuable lesson, a lesson that you wouldn't have learned if we made you stay here on the farm." "What lesson?" Applejack asked, frowning. Big Macintosh sat down on the floor next to her. "Well, you've already told me most of what you've found out. What else did you learn?" Applejack paused, looking down at the floor. "Well… I learned that what I wanted was right here." "And what's that?" "I-I want to live with ponies who love me for who I am. I want… I want to be who I want to be, and not somepony else. Here on the farm, everything's so simple. We don't pretend to be better than each other, or more successful. We're always thinkin' about each other and what we can do to help out the family… and the good folks of Ponyville." Applejack paused, before continuing in an even quieter voice. "I left… because I wanted to live a better life. Because I thought I could be better by actin' like some fancy pony. But I was lyin' to myself the whole walk there. Aunt Orange was right, all I was doin' was actin'." "So what does that mean you have to do?" "It means… It means I gotta be honest with myself before I can go about bein' honest with everypony else." Big Macintosh beamed, and pulled the orange filly into a big hug. Both ponies sat there, enjoying the warm silence for a moment, before he spoke up again, his voice beginning to quaver. "You've always been good enough for us, AJ, and you've always been good enough for them. And I reckon with what you've come to realize all by yourself, you just might be too good for them." Applejack returned the hug in full, a rush of loving warmth rolling through her. "Thanks, I s'pose… you always know just what t'say to me." "…Eyup." Applejack beamed at her older brother, the firelight dancing in her wide, sincere eyes. She felt much better than she had before, the sadness and self-disappointment melting away from her heart. She felt like herself again. "Alright, Mac. Let's head back to the festivities." Applejack said, trotting past Big Macintosh and down the stairs, who in turn stood and followed behind her. "Cousin Braeburn's probably wonderin' why I'm not peltin' him with apples right now." The two walked out through the open doorway in pleasant silence, and into the open world where dusk had fallen. Applejack leaped off of the porch, looking back to see that Big Macintosh had stopped in the entryway. "Hang on, sis. I've got something for you." Big Macintosh said, walking back into the old house. The young filly huffed, turning to look back at the celebration. Somepony had lit a fire out in the fields, where she could see a large number of ponies sitting around in a large circle, doing who knows what. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a light whirling noise in the air behind her, and she felt something soft, but weighted land on her head, obstructing her eyesight. "Good to see I haven't lost my touch at horseshoes. Not too many ponies to play against since you left, AJ." Applejack reached a hoof to take off whatever had landed on her head, mumbling about older brothers and their need to show off at inappropriate times. She took it off and brought it level to her face, eyes slowly growing wide. It was the most beautiful brown Stetson she had ever laid eyes on. It looked perfectly new, no creases or marks were visible. It smelled of sweet leather, and the material was just as sturdy, and not at all uncomfortable to the touch. The hat was a little big for her head, but she would grow into it in time. As she silently examined her present, Big Macintosh started up behind her. "Me and Granny Smith got this for your birthday right before you left. I noticed you eyeing it on our last trip to Ponyville before you left. We… weren't sure whether the Oranges would take kindly to you wearin' it around the house all the time, so we decided to save it for a different occasion." Applejack didn't turn back, but instead sat on her haunches, holding the hat close. "…you really did know I was coming back." she sighed. "I figured you'd like it… it's uncanny, you look just like she did with it on." Applejack blinked back a pair of tears. "Just like mom…" she whispered. Big Macintosh nodded. "She was the most dependable of ponies… and I reckon she'd be proud to know that you're following in her hoofsteps, right behind her." Applejack broke out into a wide smile at that. Standing up, she flipped the hat up into the air with an idle hoof, and let it land on her head, turning towards her brother with a wide grin. "Thank you, Big Macintosh. I promise to always be honest about who I am, whether people like it or not, and I promise to be honest to my friends and kin. An' I'll do it by showing them just how much I appreciate them." The side of the red teenager's mouth turned up slightly, and he walked up next to the proud-looking pony, who started walking down the hill in turn. "Betcha I'll grow up to be just as pretty as mom, too." "I'm sure you will. The hat really does look good on you, AJ. "Thanks, Big Macintosh." "Besides, I figure you'll be glad to have one, come your first applebuck season. You looked mighty sunburnt when you got home today. " "Well, I s'pose we can't all have your gorgeous, red c'mplexion." Three ponies sat under the stars later that evening, listening to the crickets chirping in blended harmony. The fire pit was reduced to a small pocket of glowing coals, the only source of light on the ground as far as the eyes could see. The silhouetted horizon stretched far out, blanketed by the twinkling sky above. "So did y'all see that rainbow up in the sky this mornin'?" "Not so loud, AJ. Granny Smith's asleep." "Oh, sorry. So did'ja?" "'Shore did. The most spectacular one I've ever seen." "That rainbow pointed right to Ponyville from where I could see. It led me straight home this mornin'." "You know, the pegasus ponies make the rainbows up there. But I ain't never seen one like that before, it just came outta nowhere. I reckon somepony might've had an accident, or was playing a prank." Applejack looked up toward the night sky "Well whatever it was, I'm glad it happened." . Big Macintosh looked at the young Applejack, who stood silhouetted against the starlight, proudly adjusting her new hat. "Someday, I'm gonna find the pony who made the rainbow that led me home, and I'll thank her sure enough for leadin' me back home. That's a promise." Running through the fields, the trees were getting thicker and thicker, until there was a large canopy of leaves above her. The orange pony galloped through the blinding wind, and through her memories. It was after she had learned that her best friend had made that rainbow… that she had came to realize that her affections had begun to blossom into something more, something she later came to call love. She had never approached Rainbow Dash about it, the rainbow or her feelings. And she began to wonder if it was too late for both. Her gaze fell to the rushing ground below her hooves. Laying on the ground a few yards ahead… was her Stetson. Braking hard, she walked up to it, picking it up with a shaking hoof, looking frantically for the pony who would have dropped it. She saw nopony, her gaze then settling on the hat that caught the blowing wind, trying to escape her grasp. She had vowed all those years ago on this very hat, that she would be honest with herself, and with her fellow ponies. Like her hat, it had become her identity, her life's doctrine. Both of which she had lost today, because she hadn't been honest with Rainbow Dash. Applejack lowered her head, fresh tears falling from her cheeks. How could she expect Rainbow Dash to live up to her virtue… if she couldn't do the same? Looking up to the sky, the rainbow trail had all but dulled out into the haze of cloud cover above her. Moments later, it disappeared completely, the world around her losing the last bit of color… of life. Those two promises she made all those years ago weighed heavily upon her as she sprinted off again, running through the darkening groves, the splintering shards from those pledges tracing lines over her heavy heart. Blinking furiously as a large leaf raked across her eye, she galloped onward through the first drops of rain, hat between her teeth. Rainbow Dash deserved to wear this hat more than she did. And she'd be damned if she wore it again before she reclaimed her virtue. "I'll find you, Rainbow Dash." she whispered, her words lost to the rushing wind around her. "And when I do, I'm gonna show you just how much you mean to me…" Raindrops. Her world was dark, and full of them. Cold and pitiless they cascaded around her, sliding down her limp frame and through her windswept hair. Soaking into her feathers, the icy chill dulled the throbbing in her wing enough that her thoughts drifted away from the pain. She listened to the sound of water beating through the leaves above her, offering no refuge from the chilling downpour. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Teardrops. She could feel them now, sliding down her cheeks and mingling with the dirt where she lay below. She could see the muddy grass, and the root of the tree that had brought her descent to a numbing standstill. Tilting her head, she felt something small and light shifting below her. Leaves. They were spread out around her, dark and faded against the freezing wet ground. Unmoving, lifeless and stained with mud, some lying atop the small patches of grass around her, and some almost buried completely under the rising marshes. All as soaked and lonely as herself. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes one last time, listening to the sounds of the storm around her, the silent *shluck* of somepony's hooves treading through mud, and the gentle whispering of her name, before giving way to the looming shadows in her mind. Raindrops and teardrops falling around her.
OvercastDisclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I own a ten year-old boulder of a computer, a chair that offers no back support, and about twelve assorted musical instruments, depressingly most of which nobody has ever heard of. Maybe Pinkie Pie has? Someone go ask her. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 4: Overcast *Crick… crick-crack…pop… crick… crick-crick* The rain was gone. She lay there on her side with her eyes closed, listening to the tiny bursts of sound echoing in the stillness. Wherever 'there' was, it sure was soft. And dry. Warm, even. She gradually became conscious of the emanating heat in front of her. She lay in a pleasant daze, feeling the light waves of rolling warmth that washed over her body. Slowly, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She was lying in front of a fire pit, the logs pointing out in a conventional six-star spread, surrounded by a ring of rocks. Burning only a few feet away, she squinted as the unexpected light assaulted her vision. She blinked a few times, broadening her awareness and looking around as her eyes adjusted to the shadows of the room around her. A rock wall of jagged layers came to view first, shadows towering across the ceiling from the rough slabs, illuminated by the light of the fire. Her eyes scanned the entirety of the ceiling, and to the other side of the room above her head, same as the previous. She was in a cave. Her head began to throb dully, but painfully from the eyestrain, and so she directed her gaze sideways from the floor. Shifting to roll off of her tender shoulder, she heard a light crinkling sound, more rapid and high-pitched than those coming from the blaze before her. Glancing down, she took notice of where she lay. A bed of leaves had been arranged underneath her, glowing in different colors below the dancing light source. From her peripherals, she saw very few leaves scattered around the floor near the jumping flames. Somepony had to have collected the pile of leaves for her. 'Rainbow…' She blinked, the memories of the crash suddenly rushing back to her. She remembered… hearing somepony whispering her name before she had passed out! Violet eyes shooting open, she raised her head, feverishly searching the corners of the poorly lit cavern for her would-be rescuer. She could not see anyone. The cave was completely silent, but for the crackling noise of the fire. Directing her gaze forward, she miserably recalled the events that had brought her here, memories brought back with her epiphany a moment ago. In a single day, she had managed to ruin Twilight's surprise birthday party, lose the friendship and trust of the pony she had grown closer to than any other, and broken her wing mid-flight in the middle of nowhere, now stuck in a cave with somepony she did not know, and could not find. Tears willed themselves to the rims of her eyes, but refused to spill over, finding herself undeserving of such self-pity. She lay in stoic stillness, unable to find a reason to get up, surrendering instead to stare at the wavering firelight. Careless. That was the word that pervaded her thoughts as her vision glazed over. She watched the flames reaching upwards, stretching towards the ceiling in vain, flickering flourishes, aimlessly and spontaneous. Or so it seemed at first glance. There in the center of the fire pit was a glowing furnace of hot coals. A bed of embers, shimmering and warping the air with the intensity of its energy, feeding the burning tendrils that licked and curled in the air above. Staring into the fire, she could see the rainbow visage of a pony. In each burst of flame, the memory of a failed trick, wisping away into nothing. With every crackle from the burning logs came the scornful laughter of a pony who would not realize her dream. And from every flicker she saw a pair of victoriously-gleaming violet eyes, a silent reservoir holding back the years of accumulated pain, silently pleading for understanding and reprieve. No matter how high the flames reached, they would always disappear, leaving small cinders occasionally falling down around the ring of rocks. And still those flames ventured upwards, no irresolute or hesitant gesture made. Why? Her eyes fell to the bed of coals again, the shimmering heat giving way to a memory long since forgotten… *FWOOOSHH!* Animals of all kinds darted into the trees and burrows. Ducks abandoned a nearby pond in a frenzy of feathers as they took flight, whether by choice, or by the destructive power of the gale-force winds tearing them from the water's surface, sending the helpless birds sprawling in the awe-striking surf. Streaking upwards in a blur of colors, the peace-shattering perpetrator braked hard in mid-air, grabbing a cloud in the midst of her speeding wake and stopping her ascent in full. Legs still dangling upwards from her previous momentum, the pegasus pony grinned as a spray of pond water flew upwards at her, showering her face and drenching her hovering body in ice-cold victory. Shaking her head free of the moisture, she glanced downward, her smile growing wider as she took note of the large branches and debris strewn all over the previously-pristine clearing, a testament to the sheer velocity she had attained. Perfect. But enough warming up. Rainbow Dash had real work to do. The teenage prodigy stared down at the world below as the wind blew through her rainbow mane. The fields and meadows of Ponyville lay before her, the nearby town sitting a healthy distance away. She was only just able to make out a few colorful dots someplace far off below; a number of ponies working outside in some nearby orchard. She jumped up from the cloud, and began a routine of stretches in mid-flight, attempting to loosen up the tension in her arms and legs, twisting her body left and right. Lastly, she looked behind her and gave her rainbow tail a good flick, making sure it was devoid of any tangles or knots. This stunt was all about presentation. The pegasus lay out the practiced scene before her, visualizing a cheering crowd below; a large, slanted box full of shouting fans and adoring admirers. Her eyes became slits as she glared down to the world below, refocusing all of her attention on her upcoming routine. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and dove off of the cloud. Putting her hooves in front of her, her hawk-like gaze locked onto two objects; the imaginary stand of cheering ponies, and a tiny cloud hovering some distance below and to her right, rapidly approaching as the blue filly built up speed. Two hundred yards… one hundred yards… twenty yards. 'NOW!' Thundering passed the tiny cloud, Rainbow Dash swiftly flicked her tail out, catching the puffy object with a sharp-sounding *pff!*, and drawing all of the water into her slipstream as she roared towards the ground. Halfway to the ground, she quickly glanced backwards, grinning as she saw the beginnings of a rainbow trail forming behind her from the wayward moisture. But she wasn't through yet. The proud pegasus hurtled toward the imaginary crowd at break-neck speed, and began a high-speed twirl, the rainbow trail twisting behind her like a shimmering, dazzling ribbon. All that was left was to pull up and out of her spinning nose dive in the right direction, and she would have that audition in the bag. This stunt was bound to impress the Wonderbolts for sure! This was going to be even more spectacular than her recently-perfected second signature move. This move… was going down in the history books for sure, the name of which would be spoken in awe for generations to come! The Fantastic Filly Flash! She could feel the curvature of the wind through her outstretched wings, hear the howling wind that gave way to the triumphant athlete. She was the fastest pegasus around for miles, the sky was her racetrack in which she found no competition. Champions didn't compete, they showed off. She began struggling to keep her focus, biting back the building wave of queasiness from staring at the spinning ground below. The trick to this one was keeping her bearings, and it was hard to keep track of the direction she needed to pull up from. One wrong move or moment of hesitance would send her spiraling through the brush. Or worse, into another tree. 'Ha, she totally wrecked that tree, look!' Rainbow Dash fought hard to bury that bitter memory as she tore past the drifting clouds. 'Yeah right, like you could ever make the team…' Spinning, she began to lose focus, the same feeling of helplessness and fright from the memory overtaking her as she corkscrewed downwards, the ground growing rapidly closer… The ground! She had lost her bearings! Casting fate to the wind, Rainbow Dash leveled her course in a burst of impulse and panic, her hooves skimming the unforgiving soil below her. Through her adrenaline-fed terror, her eyes could scarcely keep up with the terminal speed at which her body rocketed, barely dodging the rushing blur of brush and tree limbs. Careening through the thickening foliage, Rainbow Dash was unable force her wings to tilt downwards in hopes of rocketing herself upwards into the spacious safety of the sky, the intensity of her speed too hard to fight. Wide-eyed and panicked, instinct had completely taken over. Left! Up! Left! Right! Left! Down! Right! Left! Up! An opening! With only a blink of hesitance, Rainbow Dash willed her wings to thrust downwards, swiftly rising up and over the treetop. Or so she would have, were it not for that moment of uncertainty. Instead the panicking pegasus cried out as a cluster of branches scraped against her body as she flew through the top of a tree, twigs lashing out at her body, and sending her tumbling through the sky at high-speeds. Five seconds of stomach-turning somersaults later, she felt herself rolling across the earth, gradually decreasing in speed. Five more seconds of painful collisions with the ground, and she finally felt the momentum leave her body, the world catching up to her as she let out a small "oof!" She lay sprawled across the ground, covered in dust and clumps of dirt. With a groan, she found the strength to raise her head slightly from the ground, only to let it fall down with a depressing *thud*. She had allowed herself to get distracted. Again. It was a miracle that she was still alive after all of the stunts she had blown, each crash more spectacular and disastrous than the last. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her focus as the months went by, her mind always drawing back to those three pegasus ponies, who forever reminded her of the disappointment she was slowly becoming. 'Face it Rainbow Crash, you're just one big failure after another!' During every trick, and after every jaw-dropping feat she performed for her growing number of admirers, that memory would haunt her. It was always sitting quietly in the back of her mind, torturous and unnerving. But it didn't matter what they thought. She would prove them wrong, and she would tell herself that every day since then. Words were cheap. 'Have fun walking all the way to Ponyville, Rainbow Crash!' And so Rainbow Dash lay there alone, listening to the sounds of the forest around her in quiet defeat. … … "Y'all just gonna lay there all day or what?" The pegasus jolted in mute surprise. From the direction of the voice, somepony was standing over her! Startled by the sudden realization that she wasn't so alone, humiliation quickly overtook her. She decided to pretend to not have heard the pony. Maybe whoever was there would leave her alone, and walk off without recognizing her. "Hello? Equestria to rainbow-pony?" Oh yeah, she had a rainbow-colored mane. So much for subtlety. Rainbow Dash exhaled in resignation, opting to glance up at the pony who had addressed her. Her violet eyes trailed up a pair of toned, orange legs, a body and a neck, and up to a set of freckles ornamenting an innocent pout… that made her heart skip a beat. Her gaze slowly worked up, and into the most vibrantly emerald eyes she had ever seen, shaded by a brown hat that rested atop her head just a size too large. But Rainbow Dash had not noticed. She locked eyes with the stranger, feeling all sense of self and self-pity slip away into those apple-green pools... "What, never seen a Stetson before? Or have I got somethin' on my face?" the pony asked, tilting her head. Rainbow Dash blinked, breaking away from the pony's puzzled stare, and looking to the side. "Hey." "Hay is fer horses… and ponies I s'pose, but that still ain't no way to greet a stranger!" The pony exclaimed readily, leaning down towards the reticent pony. "The name's Applejack, what's yours?" "…Rainbow Dash." "Well Rainbow Dash, that sure was some fancy flyin' back there. I've never met a pegasus that could do half of what you were pullin' off." … "You sure are quiet. Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash still did not meet her gaze, opting instead to stare at a nearby apple tree. "I'm fine." The hat-clad teenager cocked her head. "Can you even stand up?" she asked. The pegasus visibly tensed. "Of course I can stand up!" "Well, you must sure like that patch o' dirt." The stranger raised an eyebrow. "Do it then!" Frowning, Rainbow Dash squirmed on the ground, moving her legs into position, and tried to stand on all fours. She got as far as propping her front two legs up, when they buckled out from under her. The blue pony collapsed in a pathetic heap, groaning softly. The orange pony chuckled. "Didn't think so." She walked a slow, full circle around the silently-simmering pegasus pony, giving her a once-over, and even running a hoof down Rainbow Dash's right front leg, the pony recoiling at the touch with a sharp gasp. "Ya shore did a number on that one. Just sprained it, though, but I reckon you're still not up to flyin' anywhere." she commented. Rainbow Dash just closed her eyes, grunting in humiliation. A second later, those same eyes shot wide open as she felt a hat-clad head dive down under her belly, hoisting her onto the same pony's back. "Hey, what are you-" "Simmer down, Sallie. You're in no condition t'be walkin' or flyin' anywhere. And I don't know about you, but I'm powerful hungry for some apple pie, an' I don't fancy bakin' like one in the middle of an orchard on a hot, sunny day." she stated carelessly, beginning a slow trot through the apple trees. "Besides, I've got the rest of the day off, so we can spend some time together, get to know each other n' all." Rainbow Dash watched the trail of grass and rocks drifting by, unsure of what to say to the stranger's sudden gesture. "So… where are you taking me?" "Well lucky for you, I've got my treehouse nearby. I've been out in the orchard for a while now, doin' a quick check-up on this here part of the farm for Granny Smith before callin' it a day. Then I saw you flyin' by… an' boy howdy, you sure can fly. I could feel that last gust o' wind all the way from here before you started that twirly-trick o' yours. You sure got a talent fer it." *Clop clop, clop clop, clop clop…* "Applejack, right?" "Yeah?" "…Thanks." The trotting pony smiled, bowing her head. "Think nothin' of it." "An' so I said, 'Braeburn, why in the hay would anypony want to settle in the desert?' Want to know what he said?" "Tell me!" "He said, 'Well coz, anypony can settle in the desert, but me and Silver Star are gonna start our very own town, and our very own apple orchard!" "Hahaha, in the desert?" "I know! An'… haha, an' I said, 'Well that's about as practical as takin' an art class for horse-drawn horse-drawn carriages!" The two ponies laughed riotously while slamming their hooves down in delight, shaking the tin of steaming-hot pie that sat on the table before them. Rainbow Dash fell over onto to the wooden floor, gasping for breath. "Horse… drawn… horse-drawn… oh that's classic! Hahaha!" Applejack chuckled heartily, taking another bite of apple pie before staring out of the window. The sun had begun a slow decline beyond the horizon, casting golden beams of light across the small table, lighting the back wall and warmly diffusing throughout the rest of the room. Rainbow Dash sat up, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes with her good hoof. "You're a riot, Applejack. And a great cook too!" she exclaimed, diving back into her side of the large pie dish. "Well thank ya kindly, Rainbow… if it's alright if I call you that." she said, coyly pointing a hoof at the pony. Rainbow Dash looked up from her tasty meal, a miniature smile forming across her face. "Yeah, that's cool." "Well good. Still hankerin' for more pie?" "Actually… nope, I'm good." "Alrighy then." Applejack moved the pie dish towards her side of the table, and began to eat. "… so can I call you Jack?" The orange pony snorted into the dish. "No." The rainbow-maned pony chuckled, leaning back on her haunches and taking in the scenery. The room was surprisingly well-lit for lacking a better light source, the large windows allowing for healthy amounts of sunlight to filter in. A small fan was set up on the other side of the small room, creating a pleasant cross-breeze with the window that combed through Rainbow Dash's hair. The small blue table in front of them was close enough to the ground that the two forwent using chairs, instead sitting across from each other on the floor. Looking down further, Rainbow Dash adjusted the feather-down pillow on which her hoof softly rested. She smirked, glancing back at the freckle-faced pony, who was loudly devouring the last slice of pie, blissfully unaware of her companion's silent musings. "Hey Applejack…" she started, looking away from her. *Mmph… hawmph mmmph… gulp* "Mmm, yeah?" "Thanks again… for all of this." Applejack smiled, closing her eyes and waving her acquaintance off with an idle hoof. "Oh don't mention it." She dived back down into the pie. Rainbow Dash turned her head towards her. "No really, I-I mean it, you're a great friend." Silence. Applejack slowly leaned up, swallowing and looking away from the blue filly, who gave her a questioning stare. "Friend?" she asked in a soft whisper. Too softly to settle with Rainbow Dash. "What's wrong, Applejack. You… don't want to be friends?" Applejack took her gaze. "No! I… I do wanna be friends. I just… well, y'see…" she trailed off. Rainbow Dash leaned forward, quietly awaiting a response. Applejack looked out the window again. "I… I don't have that many friends. I spend most of my time here on the farm. There's always a lotta work t'be done, an' the only ponies here to do it are my brother Big Macintosh, my Granny Smith an' me. Sometimes we work all day long… an' we still get behind on our duties." She then noticed the look the pegasus pony was giving her. "Now don't get me wrong, workin' on the farm is my life, an' I ain't never been happier here… but it can get kinda lonesome." Rainbow Dash frowned, turning her head. She knew what 'lonesome' was like. "I mean sure, family comes to visit every so often, and all of us even get t'gether once every year. But it just isn't the same, ya know? An'… well, I don't have very many friends as it is. I don' even know… what friends are supposed to do, t'be honest." the pony ended, her gaze slowly sinking towards the empty pie dish, only to snap back up as Rainbow Dash snorted loudly. "You've got to be kidding! I fall out of the sky and sprain my leg, you carry me all the way to an awesome tree house, you give me free pie and we trade funny stories for three hours! And after talking to me for what, a minute? I mean come on, you're the best!" she declared, grinning down at the empty pie dish. "Not to mention an awesome cook." Applejack smirked, inclining her head. "Heh, you did mention that." "Oh." Rainbow Dash frowned, waving off the sniggering pony. "But I'm serious, I'd say you're a great friend, and I'd love to have you be mine. I mean… you know, one of mine." she quickly corrected, looking away with lightly-dusted cheeks. … "Yee HAW!" Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise as the orange pony ambushed her with an over-the-table hug, biting back the urge to ruin the kind-hearted gesture with a squeal of pain. It didn't help that the setting sunlight was bursting through the window now, bathing the two in an obnoxiously well-timed golden glow. But sometimes physical necessity takes priority over cosmic deliverance. "Apple… Jack… air… leg… ouch!" she squeaked. "Oh, right. Sorry partner." Applejack pulled away, ducking her head in embarrassment. She stood up and stretched out her legs with a content groan, taking note of the waning sunset outside of the window. "Would'ja look at that. Time sure does fly when y'all are havin' fun." Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, opting to look away, and coughing into her good hoof as the orange pony trotted towards the entryway with a light yawn. "I gotta head down to the farmhouse an' meet Big Macintosh b'fore it gets any later, let him know what's goin' on. I'll be back with a set o' sleepin' bags an' some marshmallows, an' we can camp outside tonight. We'll see if your leg feels any better then." The farm-pony frowned. "Y'all gonna be comfortable enough for twenty minutes or so?" The feathered filly gave her a grin, waving her hoof. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." she assured Applejack, who smirked back, and continued out the doorway. Rainbow Dash sighed when Applejack disappeared from view, glancing down to the empty pie dish. "Just fine." *Crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick* "Ouch! Horseapples!" "Heh heh, watch out for the flies 'round these parts. They bite." "It's not that, it's my stupid leg!" "Well stop leanin' on it s'much. Scoot closer to the fire." With a grumble, Rainbow Dash complied, kicking the pillow her aching foreleg rested on with her knee as she moved forward, carefully enough as to not poke the burning logs with the marshmallow-laden stick she held in her other hoof. Applejack sighed, gulping down the rest of her marshmallow, and setting her stick down to lean back and stare upwards. "It sure was awfully kind o' Granny Smith to give me the mornin' off tomorrow. "Hmm." "What's the matter? Leg still botherin' ya?" "No." *Crick-crick… crick-crick… crick-crick* "Bit fer your thoughts over there?" "I don't want to talk about it." "Well you sure as hay aren't doin' anypony any favors by keepin' it bottled up t' yourself." "Just don't worry about it. Could you pass me the marshmallows?" "No." Rainbow Dash looked up from the fire to the orange pony, who was giving her a firm glare. "We're friend's now, Rainbow Dash, an' if somethin' is botherin' you so much that you go an' act this way, then I wanna know what it is." "It's nothing." "The hay it ain't, sugarcube." Applejack said, her tone getting sharper. "I c'n spot a troubled pony a mile away. Ya don't get into sales without gettin' to know how a pony works, an' I've sold more apples than you'd ever care t'count. Rainbow Dash matched Applejack glare-for-glare, "It's none of your business." she asserted, pointedly. The two stared each other down, until Applejack let out a submissive sigh, turning to the fire. "Look, I don't mean t'pry. It's just that, with y'all lookin' like that… it really bothers me." She idly drew her hoof across the ground in small circles, frowning. "I mean, I know we haven't been friends fer long… but in the few hours I've have known you…" she lingered, her tone growing quieter. "…I think you've become my best." Rainbow Dash blinked, her throat growing taunt. "I really do care about you, and I can tell that somethin' is eatin' at you somethin' fierce. I jus'… wanna help." she finished, at almost a whisper. Her heart filling with a rushing warmth, Rainbow Dash's felt her own glare softening, to the point where she had to look away from the confessive pony out of embarrassment. She heard the crinkling sound of a plastic bag from across the fire. "An' I know you still want these marshmallows, Rainbow." Applejack teased, waving the bag tauntingly to the side. The pegasus exhaled through her nose in irritation, but could not prevent a resigned smirk from forming at the edges of her mouth. Applejack chuckled, tossing the bag over the fire and into the pony's lap. "Hmph, I though you said you didn't know how to be a good friend." Rainbow Dash stated, reaching into the bag for another puffy treat. The orange teenager snorted. "I jus' can't stand seein' a pony lookin' so down like you were. 'Specially a friend." she added, leaning up and resting her hooves on the ground before her. "So tell me, what's wrong?" Rainbow Dash set the bag down with a sigh, a shiver going through her wings as she brought her knees up to her chest, turning sideways. She began in a quiet voice. "Well, it all started on my very first day in Flight School, in my old Crash Course class…" … "And that's pretty much how I ended up here. Camping out with a friend, stuck on the ground… with a sprained leg." Silence filled the small clearing, the crackling of the fire muted by the solemn atmosphere. Even the crickets stayed their nocturnal thrumming, as if quietly pondering the story they had been told. Rainbow Dash turned towards her companion, barely glimpsing the Stetson-clad pony quickly wiping a hoof across her cheek, the appendage glistening and wet. Applejack sat up, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Yer a terrible story-teller, Rainbow Dash." ... "Y'all just told me a story 'bout a pathetic failure of a pony, who had nothin' to go by but a waste of a dream. Any other pony might sit here an' tell you that everythin'll be all right, that y'all deserve better than that. Well I say y'all deserve jus' what you got." Rainbow Dash bristled, but said nothing. "Jus' about any pony I know would've given up bein' a pegasus, let alone a member of the best flyers in Equestria, if they had t'go through what you jus' told me." The fire wavered and crackled before them, filling the small moment of silence. "Fer a pony… f-fer any pony to go through all that, an' still keep on fightin' fer a dream… that sounds like somepony worth cheerin' on. Somepony loyal enough to her cause to be worth somethin'. Applejack stood up, and trotted around the fire towards the shaking filly, taking a seat beside her and staring into the starlight above. "You've got a big dream, Rainbow Dash. An' it sounds like some ponies don't want you t'make it happen. Well forget them. They ain't worth the time n' effort to think about." Applejack paused, taking a deep breath. "If you're even feelin' lonely, an' find yourself thinkin' about a pony…" The Stetson-clad pony turned towards Rainbow Dash, startling her with a tear-stained smile. "…then try an' think of me. Because I'll be here for you, cheerin' you on no matter what anypony else says about you." Applejack's content, watery-eyed visage faded into blurriness as Rainbow Dash began losing the fight against the tears that danced underneath her twin violets. "From what I saw, you've got the talent, and more than enough of a drive to make it. An' if all of what you jus' told me is what it took for you t'be as good a flyer, an' as strong a fighter as you are… then I say you deserve jus' what you got, sugarcube. An' you deserve t'be proud of it." All pain forgotten, Rainbow Dash threw her hooves around Applejack's neck in desperation, who returned the silent hug in full. The grief-stricken filly held her tight, ignoring the tears that fell freely down her face, and relishing the feeling of her friend's tears dripping down her back, caressing the ache in her soul. "What I'm tellin' you… is the honest truth. You are anythin' but a failure." She felt the dam in her heart break away, and let herself go completely. She sat there in the tranquility of the moment, sobbing away months of accumulated pain into her best friend's shoulder. 'Thank you…' The only words she could think to say, and the only words that would not come. Time passed, and Rainbow Dash's sobs grew quieter and quieter, until the stillness of the camp reached their ears once again. Applejack pulled away for the two of them, catching the pegasus pony's violet eyes in her own, and giving her a knowing smile. Rainbow Dash sniffed, an embarrassed grin spreading across her own face. "Now, what say we call it a night, then?" "Yeah… that sounds good." The pegasus looked up towards the sky, her star-littered eyes sparkling as Applejack made her way back to the other side of the fire pit, shuffling supplies off of her sleeping bag. Rainbow Dash let her gaze follow a streaking star, zipping across the night sky, disappearing behind the tiny dot that she recognized to be Cloudsdale. She frowned. "Hey, do you think that…" Rainbow Dash looked back at the empty abode behind them. "Would you mind… if I ever needed someplace to hang out, somewhere I could, you know..." "Get away?" "Yeah." "My clubhouse is your clubhouse, sugarcube. Jus' make sure to say hello if you see me close by." "Well duh. I'd totally drop by if I saw you." "Not like you did t'day." she interjected, chuckling as she snuggled further into her sleeping bag. "Very. Funny." But she could not suppress a smile as she stared into the pit of coals, burning as warm as the hope in her heart. Rainbow Dash drew away from the memory, tearing her gaze from the searing coals, and back into the cold, empty reality of the cave. Bitterness and nausea swept through her chest like a wave of acid. Those flames had something to burn for. The pegasus pony shivered as a sudden chill ran through her, from the loneliness the memory brought. She had something to burn for, once. A pony that held her in high regard for never giving up, and never giving in. After every weary day, and after every failed trick, that pony had never thought any less of her, even willing to go so far as to help her out with a few of them… regardless of her own health and physical wellbeing. Rainbow Dash found the heart to turn the corner of her mouth upwards at a particular memory, only to feel her gut wrench with guilt soon after. She had not been at all grateful for the time Applejack had taken out of her busy schedule to help her out last harvest time, knowing full well that the apple-buck season was in bloom. Drifting back to Applejack's ceremony at the Town Square, she had also agreed to assist some of the others with many a time-consuming project during the demanding month. She cringed further inwardly as she remembered the pitiable state the working-pony had shown up in, before submitting herself to repeatedly falling off of the wooden tower. She could not remember hearing a single word of complaint from Applejack about her condition. And not a word of gratitude from herself, for Applejack helping her out at all. Despite having been launched all the way to Twilight's residence in the end, she was grateful. Applejack always made good with a promise in the end, and Rainbow Dash was hard-pressed to remember a time when she hadn't been there for her. She lowered her head, wishing that somehow, even after all that had been said and done between them, she could tell Applejack just how much that had meant to her throughout all their years of friendship. Too late for that. Rainbow Dash exhaled, blowing a stray leaf from out of her matted hair, watching it drift into the crackling flames. An emptiness seemed to fill the cavern as Rainbow Dash came to realize… that she had nowhere to go. She couldn't face any of her friends after what had transpired in the barn, especially Applejack. No doubt she would try and find her once the storm blew over, to make things right between them. It wouldn't change the fact that she had been right about her. The dull ache throughout her body interrupted her thoughts once more. Too tired to fight through it, she submitted to staring once more into the flickering light before her, reaching up and out into the dim cavern… …and casting shadows around an orange mare with long sun-kissed hair, sitting in stock still silence across from the fire, staring at the Stetson she held in her hooves.
Silver LiningsAuthor's Note: All I can say is… finally. You've all been patient with me, so thank you all, and please enjoy the final chapter of "The Rainbow Effect!" Disclaimer: I don't own Hasbro, or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I don't own The Hub, or anything affiliated with any of the aforementioned above. Hell, I don't even own a car. "The Rainbow Effect" By: Aquarian Poet Chapter 5: Silver Linings Rainbow Dash stared at the pony in disbelief. It couldn't be. There was no way she could have caught up with her so quickly. Yet there she was. Her cheeks held twin trails of dried tears, gleaming faintly in the firelight, while dark silhouettes tickled the freckles at the base of her eyes. Vacant, lifeless greens were glazed over in thought, thinly veiled by strands of long, golden hair. Her red hair band was nowhere to be seen, instead her mane was adorned with tiny twigs and small, muddy patches of discoloration, falling down her back in gorgeous, gilded tangles. But the orange pony paid no heed to any of these things. Rainbow Dash felt her throat run dry as she stared at the pony from across the fire. Applejack… had already found her. And now she did not know what to do next. She wanted to call out to her, to let her know she was awake. She wanted to scream at her, furious that she had chased after her through the storm. She wanted… to cry out to her, to express the remorse and disgrace that shook her fragile core. Whatever decision she made in the end, the blue pony could not find her voice. Rainbow Dash attempted to sit up, and just as quickly experienced a sharp pain that drove daggers into her side, her broken wing no longer supported by the ground. She cried out softly, landing in the bed of leaves with a light *shuff*. Applejack's head snapped up at the sound, dropping her Stetson as she leaped to her hooves in surprise. "Rainbow!" Eyes closed and body tense from the pain, Rainbow Dash heard the sound of swift hoofsteps echoing throughout the cave, coming to a rest by her side. The pony above her was breathing heavily, and her quiet voice bore signs of cracking as she addressed her. "Are… you okay?" Applejack asked slowly, tenderly. Rainbow Dash attempted to respond, but she still could not. A moment later she felt a cooling hoof gently pressed against her forehead, and one between her shoulder blades. Her ears picked up Applejack's breathing becoming shallow and shaky as she pulled away. "Oh Rainbow, this is all… all my…" 'Pit… pit…pit…' The silent pony felt her heart curl painfully at the sound. "I… *sob*… I could've prevented this. I should have been more understandin', and I could've t-taken the time to sort this out b'tween us." Applejack's voice grew hoarse, shuddering with sobs. "You're my b-best friend, Rainbow Dash, an' I n-never should'a yelled at you like I did. I'm… I'm no better t-than the pony I made you out t'be." Rainbow Dash felt her heart stop as she listened, the pony's voice laden with sobs and gasps. "I'm so sorry." Rainbow Dash felt herself grow cold, numb to the fire before her as Applejack's admission ripped through the fragile remnants of her shattered self-image. In place of pity, she felt sorrow. Where confidence once roamed, disgust. It was too much to bear. A burning fury took hold of her, seeking a victim, scapegoat on which she could lay out all of her grief and self-inflicted suffering. Her eyes fell to the ground, where her tears collected in a puddle in which she could see her own distorted reflection. A loathsome, disloyal and treacherous pony stared back from the floor from shared violet eyes, watching the watery anguish trickle down towards her. She had found one, lying in pool of shame that mingled with the dirt. "I hate you…" she whispered hoarsely to the reflection, barely audible over the crackling flames. Applejack stiffened next to her, and let out a shaky breath. "I… understand, Rainbow. But I ain't gonna leave you all by your lonesome out here.." she spoke lowly, head bowed to the ground. "So say what you need to say t'me." Applejack turned towards the fire pit, and fell onto her haunches next to her charge, silent and still as the firelight filled her vacant eyes. No more tears to spill for either of them. Rainbow Dash was brought back to reality as Applejack's words hit her in full. What? There was no way she… how could she possibly hate her? She owed Applejack… for so much. For coming after her through a blinding rainstorm in pitch black night, saving her from making what could have been the worst mistake, and possibly even her life. She had to find her voice. She needed to tell her… that she didn't deserve this. That Applejack had run out into a thunderstorm at her own safety's expense, for a pony that had not deserved to be found. But there she was, sitting only a few feet away and unwilling to leave her. So many questions, so much to say, and all she could manage to whisper was… "Why?" Applejack did not turn around to face her. "Because… I still consider you t'be my best friend. You ain't never done me wrong before, an' you still haven't." Rainbow Dash began to quiver in silence. Applejack slowly exhaled, closing her eyes in resignation. "I treated you like a traitor today, Rainbow Dash. I-I took y'all fer granted, an' you have every right t'hate me for it. But I don' care if the pony I consider m'best friend has to be the one… who hates me the most. I deserve it, then." "NO!" Rainbow Dash leapt to her feet in a flurry of leaves, screaming the word as the pain returned in force, yet firmly holding her stance. Applejack jumped in shock, snapping her head towards the sudden howl that shook her, as well as the cavern around them. "R-Rainbow! I... I'm sorry, but I can't change-" "SHUT UP! SHUT UP APPLEJACK!" Rainbow Dash roared, "JUST… just stop… please..." she moaned. Applejack recoiled as the blue pony stared her down, her visage growing soft with each word while not losing an ounce of intensity. She shrunk down inside of herself, ears low and wilted in despair, willing herself to stay strong, to not lie down and curl up around her broken heart in a weeping heap… "I… I don't hate you, Applejack." She caught Rainbow Dash's gaze just as soon as she said those words, looking into those two violet eyes, trails of tears falling down from them… same as back in the barn, when she had been the one yelling. However, these were filled with a fire of their own. "I could never hate you…" Rainbow Dash continued, her voice cracking from the outburst. "You're my best friend, and best friends… they can't hate each other. I don't hate you at all… and I can't stand the thought that you… that you think I could ever…" Rainbow Dash fell in a crumpled heap, sobbing into the floor. Applejack galloped up to her in an instant, numbly looking down at the same time Rainbow Dash looked up. And before either pony could blink, the two were in the other's arms, weeping and locked in a desperate vice. "Oh Rainbow, I've… I've done some terrible things today …" *Sniff* "Me too." "An'… when I saw you wearin' my hat, havin' a laugh with Pinkie Pie…" "I'm so sorry Applejack, I was so worried that you would be mad at me… if you lost your hat, that you would think I was-" "I did, an' I was. But y'all wouldn't do that to me. You n' Pinkie are much better than that, an' I should'a known better." "I don't care anymore, Applejack." "Never gonna happen again, I promise." "I know, I believe you. Oh AJ, I was gonna leave Cloudsdale, and Ponyville for good…" Rainbow shuddered, her grip tightening. *Sniff* "Wouldn't make a difference t'me, I'da found you either way, sugarcube. Jus' wait till after the storm nex' time, y'had me so worried. You slept for hours, an' I wasn't sure if… if…" "I'm fine now. Honest." Applejack tensed up, and slowly pulled away from the embrace at those words. "I'm sorry Rainbow… but I haven't been." Rainbow Dash shot her a puzzled look, shuffling closer towards the pony who suddenly avoided her gaze. "I… haven't been honest with you, not for a long time now." Applejack stated quietly. She took a deep breath and looked Rainbow Dash in the eye. "An' I'll be a fancy-actin' city pony once more before I let you go another minute… without lettin' you how much you really mean t'me." she finished, resolutely. Rainbow Dash stared blankly into her eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "What I… mean… to you?" The emerald-eyed pony moved in closer, steadily closing the gap between them. Rainbow Dash felt her heart pulsing throughout her chest, spreading to the ends of her legs to the tips of her ears. She could feel Applejack's breath mingling with her own, feel the tingling heat that warped the infinitely small distance keeping their noses apart, becoming smaller and smaller… …until she could feel the whispered words Applejack spoke next, on her own quivering lips. "Yeah, what you mean t'me." Applejack tilted her head slightly up, and the world dropped out from underneath the two, sunlight bursting into the cavern. At least, it was as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned. She could not remember a time when she had ever felt so… warm. All that she could feel, all that existed around her was an expanse of warmth, wrapping around her and another life next to hers, relishing in the vitality that flowed infinite and freely between them. Applejack... was kissing her! Through the encompassing heat, Rainbow Dash felt a foreleg wrap itself around the back of her neck, drawing her close. She responded by pressing up against the precious source of warmth and life, wrapping her arms around Applejack's neck, intensifying the interlacing of their essences. An infinity later, and the two slowly drew away from each other. Applejack exhaled a breathy laugh, fresh tears springing from apple-green eyes filled with a new energy. "I love you, Rainbow Dash." The pegasus pony stared blankly into those eyes, unable to move or even breathe. She already knew, Applejack's unspoken words were buzzing through her psyche and left tingling on her lonely lips, before she had pulled away and reiterated herself through sound. But to hear those words, springing forth from lips she had just embraced… A pleasant, numbing feeling welled up inside of her, banishing away the rest of the world and filling her to the brim with am intangible joy... as well as a new feeling she couldn't place her hoof-tip on. Light-headedness. "Easy there… don' hurt yerself." her partner sighed, reaching out and steadying the swaying pegasus, who stared straight ahead. She then brought that hoof up to her cheek, sliding it down to her neck and resting it above her heart. "I said I love you, Rainbow." she said, softly. Those words again, wrapping themselves around her and binding her in place. Violets meeting greens, her voice broke free from the spell for a moment. "Applejack?" "Still here, sugarcube." Rainbow Dash exhaled lightly through her nose, cracking a tiny grin… which then grew in size, until filling the entire cavern with the joy she could not contain. She jumped up to her, wrapping her hooves around her neck and burying her face in Applejack's shoulder, the two ponies spilling joyful tears for each other, and laughing away the remainder of the bitter-sweet melancholy. "How long? Please, I gotta know." she asked, breathily. Applejack wrapped her own arms around Rainbow Dash's torso, closing her eyes. "That day at Sugarcube Corner, when you were tellin' the girls 'bout the day you got your cutie mark." "Really… but why?" "It was that day that I learned… that it was you." She chuckled, resting her forehead against Rainbow Dash's. "You probably don' know it, but you saved a little filly from makin' a terrible mistake that day. You led the way home fer me with that Sonic Rainboom, back to my family. My true family, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, an the good folks 'o Ponyville." The orange pony opened her eyes, apple-green orbs swimming with emotion. "I learned that it was you all along, that you're the reason I became the pony I am t'day... an' I've loved you ever since." Rainbow Dash hiccupped, her breath shaky with a joyful chuckle. "I think… it started back when we first met, out in the apple orchard." "Heh, so soon? 'Spose I was a looker back then, too." "You kept me going, Applejack." Rainbow Dash continued, smiling. "You were the only pony who cared to see me reach my dream. Those bullies tried to keep me down, and the Wonderbolts never noticed me, but you were always there for me… and you wanted to see me make the team. You were the one who gave me a real reason to keep going, to be loyal to my cause." Rainbow Dash sniffed, closing her eyes, and sinking into the embrace. "I think you're the reason I became the pony I am today." Applejack chuckled, closing hers own, and smiling in-between the cascades of joy she felt spilling out from under them. "Well then, sounds like we're pretty good fer each other, don' it?" "Yeah… I think so." Love. It never cared if you were stuck in a cave, miles away from home. No injury or wound could keep it away when it came, and no memory stood stronger than the feelings it brought. It created color from darkness, and music from silence, traveling through distance and time, through matter and thought, unbound by the laws of nature. It created them. Rainbow Dash looked to the fire, flicking with delight and vigor in a place so dark and seemingly-lifeless, and then down to the orange-coated pony who lay beside her, basking in the warm, intangible glow… And finding herself unnaturally bound to the very same pony by that ubiquitous adhesive. Warm and content, she glanced back to the far entrance, where the raindrops had begun to fall straight down rather than in torrential sheets of velocity, nearly soundless from where the two lay. She suddenly started. "Wait, you said hours, right? Then…" Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open, bursting with hope. "Then that means we still have time!" She looked back to Applejack sitting up, before turning to the mouth of the cave. "We can get back and help with the par-ah!" Rainbow Dash's breath hitched as she twisted back in place, her misaligned wing scuffing across the floor. Applejack blinked, quickly noticing the appendage. "Rainbow, lay down." "What? Ow!" Rainbow cried, recoiling as she tried to turn to face her. "Why?" "Ya can't keep movin' around with yer wing like that. We need t'reset it, right now." Rainbow Dash stiffened, and then looked ahead as she sat up straight, puffing her chest out and smirking, trying to distract from the beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she fought to maintain her pose. "H-hey… don't worry about… about…" … "Oh, who am I kidding." she surrendered, slouching in place. "Let's just get it over with." Applejack smiled sadly. "I don't wanna do it either, but it'll only hurt worse later if ya leave it like that any longer. We… we best get it done now." she finished, wearily. Rainbow Dash nodded, and slowly stretched out across the cavern floor. The hatless pony walked up to her and straddled her haunches, gingerly setting her hooves in place under the limp wing, and behind the bent joint. "A-alrighty then. You ready?" Rainbow Dash sucked in a breath. "Do it." "Okay… h-here goes. One, two…" A muffled *crack* echoed against the cavern walls, followed by a voice-cracking shout of pain. Rainbow Dash tensed up, the wave of agony tearing through the pegasus' spine, and leaving just as quickly to be soothed by a sudden trickle of teardrops. "T-Thanks…*hah* A-Apple… Jack." The orange pony hiccupped, steadily moving off of her and sitting down, breathing steadily. "I know that wasn't easy fer ya." "*hah* You d-did what you h-had to do… *hah* Besides, t-the pain is almost gone. It just tingles a little." Applejack creased the corners of her mouth up, turning and wiping her tears away to better view the entrance of the cave. Rainbow Dash caught the slight movement out of the corner of her eye, staring at her quiet friend who was gazing out into the storm with a contemplative look on her face, seemingly lost in thought. Minutes passed, the two listening in pleasant silence to the crackling of the fire, and the faint sounds of the storm outside the , Rainbow Dash spoke. "Alright, I… think I can sit up." The pensive pony turned to face her friend, watching as she brought her forelegs in, and pushing off of the ground with little effort. Sitting upright, she looked towards Applejack, who spoke next. "Feel anythin'? Any pain at all?" Rainbow Dash did a few twists from the hip, and even flapped both wings at length for good measure, looking behind her. "Nope, nothing!" "Good." And with that, Applejack tackled Rainbow Dash back onto the bed of leaves, landing on top of the helplessly-surprised filly, and enveloping her in a kiss that rekindled Rainbow Dash's heart beat. "Wha… what are you doing?" whispered Rainbow Dash, slowly pulling back. Applejack moved in with misty eyes, nuzzling the side of her neck and effectively stopping Rainbow Dash's retreat. "I reckon I still got a lot to make up fer, Rainbow Dash." she whispered, lovingly. "And I'll be darned if I don't show you how I truly feel 'bout you any longer." "But, I-I thought… you said… the k-kiss…" she stammered, the heat rising up inside of her. "Rainbow, love…" Applejack began, bringing a hoof up to her burning face, her voice taking on a low, husky undertone. "…I haven't even begun to show you how much you mean t'me." (The lemon scene… has officially begun! For those of you who do not wish to read it, hit Crtl+F on your keyboard, and type "Skip Lemon") Rainbow Dash could feel the contours of her partner's face, how her nose pressed against her every time the apple-flanked pony dived down for another slow, taunting kiss on the neck, gradually making her way up and around her chin, once more on the cheek, and then full on the mouth, sending a wave of sparks jumping through her spine. Applejack braved the tenderness of the moment, opening her mouth and signaling to Rainbow Dash her hot-blooded intentions. The disoriented pegasus returned the gesture on instinct, softly opening her own, too immersed in the heat of the moment to notice Applejack slowly slipping her tongue into her mouth. She froze up when she did, no longer returning Applejack's affections, who then slowed down her own and pulled away to look at the hesitant pony. "What's the matter, Rainbow?" Applejack asked in a velvety voice. Rainbow Dash turned her head away in embarrassment. "I don't know what to… how to…" Applejack reached her hoof up to Rainbow Dash's face, gently turning it to her own again. "Jus' follow my lead, Dash." She moved forward, capturing her mouth and sending her back into that insensible, musical bliss. Through the haze in her mind, she dimly became aware of Applejack attempting to repeat the passionate gesture. She reached out to gather what remained of her consciousness, and slowly opened her mouth. The golden-haired pony took no time in sliding her tongue into her quivering mouth, lightly feeling around until finding hers. Rainbow Dash gasped as Applejack guided her tongue underneath her own, brought it up, and slowly began a lover's dance inside of her mouth. Breathless, she found the rhythm, and moved along with the silent beat, letting her partner take the lead and take her away to a painless, euphoric existence. Timeless, the two danced and loved in the world away from home. A slow, heated waltz of desire and necessity, a need to be closer in body and essence. Inhibitions and hesitance were thrown to the wind, left to drift away and vanish as passion filled their places… …and erased their identities. Applejack finally pulled away as Rainbow Dash felt herself drawn back to the world around them. "Apple... Apple... *hah*..." She could not finish her sentence, particularly after Applejack captured her mouth with sweet enrapture once more. Pulling away once again, she rested her forehead atop of Rainbow Dash's, giving the bewildered pony time to catch her breath. "That… was… amazing." Rainbow Dash breathed in-between gasps for air. "You're amazing." She finished, closing her eyes. When she suddenly felt a pair of lips briefly flit across hers, teasingly. "Mmm, y'all are makin' it sound like I'm finished with you…" What? Rainbow Dash felt her pulse quicken as she suddenly felt a hoof press against her beating heart, lightly beginning a slow trail down her chest, across her stomach and past, coming to rest torturously close to a spot that tingled with a steadily-growing desire. She closed her eyes in panic and desperation. The hoof did not move from there. But she could feel its follower… A kiss on the neck. A kiss to the chest. A kiss above her stomach. A kiss below her stomach. A kiss right above the hoof, which moved to make way for the powerful force that sent waves of heat soaring throughout her whole body. And a kiss… that sent her pulse skyrocketing, eliciting a gasp that caught half-way through her throat, her body afraid of giving attention to anythingbut the overwhelming pleasure that wracked through her shaking body. Just how much did she mean to Applejack? She felt her legs closing in on impulse, only to be stopped by a pair of hooves. "Applejack… w-wha…" Words gave way to harsh panting. "Y'all are gonna give yerself a heart attack. Jus' breathe fer a moment." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, willing her heart beat to steady itself to no avail. Even with her eyes closed, she could perfectly see Applejack sitting there between her legs and staring up to her, striking greens burning through her heavy-lidded eyes. She felt a pleasing movement below, and creased her eyes open, watching Applejack idly trail a hoof down Rainbow Dash's leg, slow and sensual. "You ain't never… 'fooled around' with yourself b'fore, I take it?" "I-I… w-wha… you m-mean… w-well…" "Y'all don't have to tell me if ya don't want to." Applejack cooed, trailing the hoof back upwards, almost distracting her from the orange pony's next words. "But I'll tell you what, when a pony gets in the right mood… y'all make fer some 'colorful' eye-candy." Between Applejack's idle stroking and her fiery admissions, Rainbow Dash felt herself hopelessly tongue-tied. "A-Applejack!" Applejack laughed quietly. "Honesty, Rainbow. I promised you nothin' but, an' I figured you deserved t'know." She glided her hoof up the back of her leg, and around her thigh, where she began tracing slow circles around her cutie mark, the full of the action causing Rainbow Dash's eyes to roll upwards in hazy elation. "Now, be honest with me. Are you ready fer this yet?" The feathered filly looked down at her with wide, glazed eyes, panting heavily. After a moment, she clumsily nodded her head. Finding the remaining shards of self-control left behind from Applejack's last mind-shattering kiss, Rainbow Dash slowly, but gradually spread her legs apart, giving Applejack all the consent she needed to plunge forward with a passionate tongue. Rainbow Dash shuddered at the contact, eyes widened and sitting up slightly with a gaping mouth. Electricity flowed freely through her entire being, dancing through her nerves and stealing away any sense of self that remained. All words, thought and memory in her mind had long since vanished, replaced with the numbing ecstasy brought by Applejack's warm, wet administrations. Adrenaline surged through her body with each tender lick, warping her world with every nuzzle and kiss. Rainbow Dash dug her hooves into the ground, barely able to breathe. Her ears filled themselves with the soft moans and 'mmm's from below, as well her own whimpers and whines of pleasure. She gasped softly as she felt Applejack continue further… inside of her. The pegasus' legs jerked in small spasms, her back arching upwards as her lover licked along her length. The world around her was becoming smaller, and the vivacious song her madrigalist mare's poetic tongue was composing inside of her grew larger, swelling to fill her shrinking existence. It was just her and Applejack, here… wherever here was… with literally nothing between them. The rush of love and warmth from that thought intermingled with the waves of blissful ecstasy from down below, the vibrancy inside of her growing tenfold. It was too much! Her eyes darted around the colored haze, her mind swimming with an empty pleasure that filled every fibre of her being! She could not remember where they were, she could not remember why they were here… She could not even remember her own name. Only the name of another pony, the only pony who mattered right now, and the only pony who could save her from this blissful suffering. So she screamed it. "APPLEJACK!" the pegasus cried out in a cracking voice as she lost herself completely to the chaos of ecstasy, arched and trembling as the orgasm ripped through body. Another loving lick later and she felt herself convulsing, lightly spritzing Applejack with her warm approval, who met her rapturous release with tender ardorations of her own. She finally collapsed onto her back, the leaves beneath her making no sound as she released control of her body entirely. Her heavy panting, her erratic heart beat, all were lost to her ears as she stared to the ceiling with wide, violet eyes. With perfect clarity, she listened to the sound of her fantasy's final kiss, the sweet song of her lover smiling from below her, and the melody played upon her torso as Applejack lay herself along and on top of her, moving her forelegs around her body in harmonious embrace. The orange pony brought herself up to her face, and graced her lips to her own. "Skip Lemon" Slowly, the world caught up to her. The rest of her senses began to work once more. She became aware of everything at once; the smell of their arousal, the invigorating taste of her kiss, the feeling of her and Applejack pressing against each other in desperate desire… ...and the magic she saw dancing through Applejack's green eyes, bursting with love and devotion. "What's the matter, Rainbow?" asked Applejack in a soft voice. Rainbow Dash struggled to respond between pants, in a raspy voice of her own. "I've never… n-never felt… where did you learn all that?" "Learn what?" "Everything. The kissing, you… with your hooves, a-and the… you know…" Applejack chuckled, lowering herself and snuggling up close to the rainbow pegasus. "Twilight." she sighed. Rainbow Dash blinked. "…What?" Applejack kissed the dumbfounded pony's cheek. "Heh, I'm just messin' with ya. Well, sort of... Remember that day you came crashin' into Twilight's library, the day you won that Young Flyer's Competetion?" "Yeah?" "Well, y'all left a nice little mess fer us to clean up when you left. Can't say I blame you though, you were under a lotta pressure." She traced a hoof along Rainbow Dash's chest. "But when we got back, I went with Rarity t'help clean up again. Found a fun little book lyin' on the floor called, "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted To Know About Slumber Parties, But Were Afraid To Ask." "But… isn't that the book she showed us when all of us slept over at Rarity's last mo-" "The Manehattan Mare's Edition." "…oh." An awkward silence pervaded the moment, until Applejack began chuckling. "I'm not so sure she even knew she had it there. Can't imagine innocent little Twi' gettin' into that sorta thing, much less tryin' anythin' from it at a slumber party." She frowned. "D'you remember who ran the library before she moved t'Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Me neither." Another moment of silence. "So Applejack, a-about all that. How are we going to let the others know? You know, about us?" Her partner clucked her tongue from within her mane. "Well, I don't imagine it'd be somethin' we'd just blurt out on the spot. An' tellin' em' one by one would make a mess o' things. Maybe we should wait fer a while, until all of this has blown over and Twilight has her party. Then I say we tell 'em all and be done with it." "That's a pretty good idea." Rainbow Dash said, snuggling further into the embrace. "So, what about you?" "What about me?" "We didn't… I didn't get to… aren't you feeling-" "Hey." she interrupted, kissing Rainbow Dash on the nose, causing her to blush. "Don' worry about it too much, this was your night." "But-" "Nope, you just relax. I'm fine." she assured her, nuzzling the side of her face. "Besides, between the nasty fall you took, resettin' your wing an' all the trouble we caused each other today, y'all needed the… ah, stress relief, from what I gandered." she teased, causing her friend's blush to intensify. "But if ya really want, y'all can make it up t'me later." She said, nipping her shoulder. Rainbow Dash felt her face further heat up in surprise. "You really don't have a problem telling me these things, do you?" "Only with you, Rainbow. Honesty, an' nothin' but." Rainbow Dash smiled, the last of the night's tears falling freely into her best friend's mane. "Thank you, Applejack." she whispered. "Anythin' fer you, love. Anythin' at all…" Rainbow Dash awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, and a light breeze that smelled of rain, chilling the parts of her back not covered by her feathered wings. She yawned, shivering and creaking an eye open to gaze at the source that was keeping her front warm, finding herself wrapped around an orange pony. A gorgeous, hatless orange pony. She snuggled closer to the sleeping mare in an attempt to ward off the morning cold. Opening an eye once more, she looked around. The cavern was colored in a dim, deep blue from the dawning light outside. The fire pit had gone out, and the embers beneath all but vanished with the night She tried to sit up, but quickly found herself bound to the pony before her, her limbs unwilling to let go of the pleasant warmth. "Hey Applejack… you awake? Applejack?" "C-Caramel…? Thassa red gala, you…*yawn*… silly pony." Rainbow Dash uncharastically giggled into her partner's mane, heaving a hearty sigh. Burying her face into the sleeping pony's hair, she could not help but imagine herself lying atop a cloud, weightless and free. And so she felt, after all that had been said and done the previous night, the weight in her heart and the ache in her wings fading into a new tomorrow. She felt like a true pegasus again. A new tomorrow… Rainbow Dash sat up in an instant, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Oh my gosh, Twilight's birthday is today! Applejack! Applejack, wake up!" Applejack stirred from underneath her arm, and sat up with a yawn, looking around the dim cavern. *Yawn* Whassa matter, Rainbow?" "It's Twilight's birthday today! We gotta get back to Ponyville and finish the barn for the party!" Applejack blinked. "…oh, is that all?" she mumbled, nestling back against her warm spot on the ground. Rainbow Dash jumped up. "What?! Applejack, we don't have time to sleep! It's already morning, look! There's so much work to be done, and the others won't be able to handle it all on their own! Twilight's going to be so di-" Her rant caught in her throat as Applejack leaned up, and tenderly kissed the panic-stricken pony on the neck. "Rainbow… party's not 'till tonight." She froze, slouching in place. "I-It's not?" " Nope. Rarity's givin' her presentation t'Hoity-Toity today, so we were plannin' on holdin' it after sundown. We jus' wanted to have it all finished a day early, so we wouldn't have s'much to be worried 'bout." Rainbow Dash looked down at the lethargic mare, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "I… guess I missed that part." Applejack nudged her friend in the ribs, smiling. "I figured you might've." she chuckled, stretching out and standing up on all fours, shaking her unbound mane in fatigue. "Well, might as well get up now, seein' as I'm awake. What say we head on back t'Ponyville, partner?" Rainbow Dash yawned, and stretched out her wings, itching to feel the breeze between them once more. "I say that sounds like a great idea!" "Well good. Up an' at em'." Rainbow Dash smiled back at the mare, who returned it in silence. Her cheeks tingling, the pegasus began a slow walk in the other direction, listening to the mirroring sounds of hoofsteps behind hers. The two trotted to the entrance of the cave, and looked out at the world. The smell of meadow rain filled their senses as the morning sunrise dawned across the sky from behind a distant mountain. Rainbow Dash walked out into the open, when she heard Applejack call out to her. "Hold on, I almost forgot somethin'." Rainbow Dash turned back to the cave as Applejack's tail quickly disappeared from view. Facing forward, she stretched out her wings, and flapped them a few times, hovering just above the dewy grass. The sounds of her wings beating filled her ears, as the morning light dancing across the tiny dot of Cloudsdale in the distance filled her eyes. And close below, Ponyville was waiting for them. She had a destination again, and a pony who would travel there with her. *Whoosh!* *Fft!* "Yee-haw, I'll beat Big Macintosh at horseshoes jus' yet!" Rainbow Dash took the Stetson from off of her head, blowing her colored bangs from off of her face, and holding it back toward the owner with a smile, who shook her head. "Nope, y'all get to wear it on the way back." "What? Why?" The apple-flanked pony sported a grin. "I'll tell you a little story 'bout my youth on the way back. You'll understand then, Rainbow love." Rainbow Dash felt her heart swell as she grinned, "Deal." she exclaimed, putting the hat back on, nestling itself perfectly between her ears. "Well I'll be, it looks like it fits good." "Yeah, I dunno… it's not really my color." Applejack snorted. "Like that's hardly an issue. I think y'all look jus' dandy with it on." she stated, winking. "Besides, I don' look so good in it without a ponytail, anyway." The hat-clad pegasus smirked, "You don't look so bad with your hair down." Applejack looked away with a blush, "Yeah, well don' get too used to it, it ain't practical in my line o' work. An' speakin' o' colors." She walked up to the pegasus, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "I say we make blue n' orange look pretty good." "I thought I made any color look good." her partner pointed out. "Well then," she kissed the pegasus on the cheek. "I s'pose I'll have to hang around you often as I can." The blue pony thew a wide grin in her direction, pulling away and starting towards the horizon, her hatless lover close behind. "Rarity'd be green with envy." The pegasus groaned, not looking back. "That was a terrible pun, Applejack." "Oh hush up an' get goin'." *Shff shff, shff shff, shff shff…* *Fwf, fwf, fwf, fwf…* … "So you dream about guy ponies in your sleep, huh?" Applejack tripped over her hooves, and whipped around to face Rainbow Dash. "Say what now?" The hovering pegasus burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm just teasing. I heard you mumbling something about Caramel in your sleep." "Oh yeah, I remember now." Applejack mumbled under her breath. "That pony, I swear…" She looked up. "Well, it might be a few hours' walk, but we should make it in plenty of time to help out. I wager we'll be back in Ponyville by high-noon." "Hey, doesn't matter to me how long it takes." Rainbow Dash said, hovering close. "As long as you're here with me." Applejack giggled, elbowing the pegasus pony. "That was real sappy, Rainbow. But thanks." "Don't mention it." Rainbow Dash turned to her friend. "Seriously, don't." Rainbow Dash looked away with a frown as she heard her friend chuckling, in a tone lower that she would have liked. "Oh don' spit yer bit, I'm only messin' with ya." … "By the way, I'm startin' t'notice a pattern in our relationship. Must you always twist or break somethin' fer us t'have a tender moment?" "Oh shut up, Applejack." She heard more chuckling. "Well come an' make me, sugarcube." Rainbow Dash felt a hoof tip the hat over her face, obscuring her vision as she dazedly hovered forward. Right into a tree. *Thud!* "Ow!" Applejack burst out laughing. "Well I guess breakin' yer nose counts too! So ya wanna cuddle in the grass, or would you prefer a piggy-back ride?" "Alright Applejack, it's on!" Applejack closed her eyes mid-laugh, pointing at the unfortunate pony when a big clump of mud smacked into her face, filling her nose and open mouth with slimy, gritty muck. "Eeugh! Bleck! Rainbow!" "Haha, I'll take the piggy-back ride! You're muddy enough to be one!" The pegasus pony went into a cackling fit at the sight of the gagging pony, laughing even harder when she found herself dodging similar clumps of dirt and mud. "Y'all *cough!* like me bein' honest so much? Well I'm gonna kick yer hind *bleck!* up n' over your wings! You'll be wearin' yer rear as a party hat to *cough!* to Twilight's party, *bleck!* an' that's the honest truth! Now get back here!" Rainbow Dash flew up and across the hill with her apple-flanked pursuer close behind, joyful laughter and throaty curses echoing in harmony across the meadow as they chased one another under the blazing morning sun, peaking over the horizon and heralding the dawn of a brand new day… The End
