One Stormy Afternoon

2
"Coming Back"

Clip-clop-flap! Clip-clop-flap! Clip-clop-flap!

Dash tore across the outskirts of Ponyville at a phenomenal rate of speed. Her wings fluttered, her hooves hardly touched the ground. She was starting to rise upwards... faster and faster she went. She was almost there, almost in the air.

She passed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo was at the head of the gang on her scooter. Like three lucky pins at a bowling alley, Dash had almost knocked them all over. They only saw a rainbow blur:

"W- was that Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, propping her helmet up while looking back at the other two.

"I think we were just attacked by a Rainbow," Sweetie Belle guessed, her eyes spinning in circles.

Apple Bloom shrugged, shaking away the stars. None of the Crusaders knew for sure what that was.

Dash passed Fluttershy's cottage next, now a few feet off the ground. The yellow mare, who was outside conducting her birds, spun out after she was hit by the wall of energy generated by Dash's wing power.

In less than half a mile Rainbow Dash would be there.

She saw the farmhouse coming up and slowed down... way down. The adrenaline and extra blood pumping made her feel better, ready to deal with Apple Jack and her whole family. She wasn't scared, but it was fear that made her come here as quick as she had. She didn't know whether that was just her imagination or Luna was actually giving her some type of warning... but it was enough to make her come all the way here, mostly by hoof, in less than ten minutes. No easy task, even for her.

Slowly she walked towards the farm house, Apple trees to the left and right shading her from the hot sun. There was no evidence of the cider sales, except a few pieces of broken barrel that she passed... possibly the same barrel she'd broken earlier. She was within a fifteen feet of the farm house when she stopped.

You can do this, Rainbow... just see how she's doing. That's all!

She swallowed, still nervous. The Apple family had been irritated with her earlier, even Apple Jack herself. She didn't feel bad about what she'd done with Pinkie, but she knew her heart wasn't there... it was here. Not all of it had been real, and she wasn't even sure how much of it had, so it really didn't matter... did it?

She cantered up the stairs slowly, looking at the door. The rainbow-maned Pegasus froze again.

"She's upstairs." Said a shaky voice to the right.

She looked over and saw Granny Smith sitting in a rocking chair. The elderly mare smiled warmly at her.

"Go on in!"

"Um... thanks."

Granny Smith just continued rocking and smiling as Dash turned the knob and looked inside. It was dark, almost too dark for the Pegasus to discern the insides of their home.

"Careful now," said Granny Smith. "Power's out and the generator's on the fritz, but AJ's got a candle or two in her room. Once you get to the stairs just follow the light and you'll be fine!"

Dash swallowed hard.

"... okay."

* * *

The door shut tightly behind Rainbow Dash. The house was dark, but her keen eyes could make out what was a few feet in front of her. She knew the layout well enough to find the stairs, and began climbing them... slowly, the floor creaking beneath each step. She stopped near the last stair when she heard the sound of heavy hooves approaching the top steps. She could barely make out the silhouette of a pony.

"Apple Jack?" She asked.

"Eey-nope." Replied a deep, southern voice.

She knew who it was and stepped aside. The red farm pony above her saw her brightly colored body a lot better than she saw his, well enough to pass without a problem. Down the stairs he went. When he got to the bottom step the front door opened wide. He and Granny Smith exchanged words, lighting the aging farm house for one brief moment. He then stepped outside, the door closed and it was dark again.

Up on the top step, now that her view was unobscured by large stallions, she saw a light down the hall.

Apple Jack.

She walked down the hall, up to the door and knocked lightly.

"Come on in," said the husky voice of Apple Jack.

The door creaked open as Rainbow Dash stepped inside.

"Apple Jack," she said, facing in the direction of the farm pony's queen-sized bed.

Apple Jack stirred. She was atop her bed, facing away, folding either a set of sheets, some blankets or some clothes... even with the two candles on her dresser, it was too dark to tell.

"Rainbow?" Said the farm pony, turning around. "Rainbow! Oh, am I glad to see you."

Dash smiled, approaching:

"Likewise, Apple Jack."

Before Dash could get another word in, Apple Jack got up, ran to her and hugged her tightly. Surprisingly tightly... she was about to make a crack about being unable to breath when she felt a wet sensation against her flank... where Apple Jack's face was.

Tears?

She then heard a sniffle. That's exactly what it was... she was feeling her tears.

"Apple Jack! What's gotten into you?"

Apple Jack chuckled weakly, sighing.

"You wouldn't believe me if Ah told ya. Let's just say I'm glad you're here. Very glad."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"What? Did you think I got stranded out there or something?"

Apple Jack shook her head.

"It was a might difficult to clean everything up in a hurry... Big Mac was none too pleased about it. Ah knew you were off with Pinkie." Apple Jack pulled away, now face-to-face with Rainbow Dash. "It's kinda silly, Rainbow, but Ah didn't sleep too well last night on account of my nerves! After everything was away and Big Mac was out yellin' at the pony in charge of the weather I took a bit of a well-deserved nap."

This was strangely deja vu, for the second, no third time that day... at least third. Rainbow's pupils were pin pricks as she spoke:

"You drempt I left you for Pinkie, didn't you?"

Apple Jack froze. Dash patted her back as she took a breath.

"Well, not exactly... but, well close. You didn't really? ... did you?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

Apple Jack sighed heavily.

"Oh... that's a relief. In ma dream when Ah found out... let's just say it was all messed up. Ah joined y'all and played along... a bit too rough to punish ya for it. Ah had you do some degradin' stuff Rainbow... 'It's all good fun,' Ah said... but Ah was mad. And Ah wanted to hurt you. Even in ma dreams Ah can't seem to do some things right."

"You do everything fine, Apple Jack," Rainbow Dash said, giving her best partner an affectionate kiss. "You'd be understandably mad if you found me in the forelegs of another pony, especially a mare, but we've talked about this... I'll take what you give me and I'll always be there for you. I'm the Element of Loyality for Pete's Sake!"

Apple Jack giggled, snuzzling into Rainbow Dash's mane in the same way Pinkie had snuggled into both of theirs in the dream. The Pegasus's eyes were wide open as they hugged. They went wider as she realized something:

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if she had really been with Pinkie or not... in that way. It did matter actually, it really did... but she would never know for sure.