//------------------------------// // Chapter 4~ Officially, an Apple // Story: Twisted Magic // by Wild & Lightning //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was slowly tossing and turning in her ‘dreamless’ sleep. Small beads of sweat ran down her face as she clenched her teeth. She was once again, dreaming about the sky she lived for, the lack of the cool wind running through her mane, and her dreams of being a Wonderbolt down the drain. Rainbow shot up like a rocket, gasping and heaving for air. After about a minute of futile gasping she couldn’t get her breathing back in order. She put her hooves on her face and sighed. She just sat there like that, thinking. Hoof-beats on the wood floor snapped her out of her thoughts but she didn’t move, she couldn’t move. Out of the corner of her left eye she saw Applejack slowly pushing open the door. And there was Dash…Breathing just like she finished a marathon and hooves on her face like they were permanently attached there. “Rainbow?” Applejack yawned and walked closer to the bed “I heard you down the hall, good thing Applebloom and the others are heavy sleepers.” Rainbow Dash didn’t move but her breathing was close to normal. After a long silence Dash finally spoke. “I can’t do it….” Rainbow Dash croaked. “Do… what sugarcube?” Rainbow slowly moved her hooves away from her face and looked at them. Applejack was getting more concerned for her friend by the second. “I feel… I feel like-“.Rainbow stopped, not being able to finish. “Like?” Applejack pressed on. “Like my life has no meaning anymore. My life, devoted to flying… gone. My dream about being in the Wonderbolts…gone, and my cutie mark, it means nothing without my wings.” Rainbow stopped again and raised her head and her anger flowed in. “EVERYTHING I LIVE FOR AND CARE ABOUT IS GONE” Rainbow screeched in anger. Tears were starting to stain her cheeks. When Rainbow Dash had turned around Applejack got a look into Rainbow’s eyes. Although she saw Rainbow’s face for only a second before she moved it back again she was speechless from what she saw. The usually strong and proud Rainbow Dash had tears in her eyes. In all her life Applejack had never seen Rainbow Dash cry. It’s true that there had been moments when Rainbow was sad or couldn’t hide some tears like the time when Applejack had ran away but this time it was different. Applejack had the bad feeling in her gut, and she couldn’t explain it. “Rainbow, Ah’ know you miss your wings… and we both know it wasn’t smart of Twilight to not read the warnings on that spell she had goin' on, but that don’t mean your life is over sugarcube.” A reassuring smile flowed onto Applejack’s face. Rainbow was still looking ahead of her eyes furrowed. “What if you lost Sweet Apple Acers?” Applejack was about to speak but Rainbow cut her off. “What if… a fire burned the whole place down to ashes… and you had to work someplace else, like the Carousel Boutique. Someplace else that didn’t fit you at all. Someplace else… whe-“ Rainbow couldn’t talk anymore, she closed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. Applejack was on the verge of tears seeing Rainbow Dash at this state. But little did the two mares know that there was an audience behind the door. * * * “Granny, what do we do?” Applebloom whispered. “Well, err-“Granny Smith stopped speaking to think. Applebloom looked up at Big Macintosh. “Big Mac?” She looked up at him with huge eyes. “Nope.” Applebloom narrowed her eyes because of his response. “Well we gotta think of somethin’… we just gotta. Rainbow Dash is part of our family now and she needs her family!” Granny Smith looked down at Applebloom. "Now Applebloom, there’s no need to get your tail in a twist, I bet she already has a family.” “Nope” Big Mac interrupted. “AJ told me she doesn’t” Applebloom grabbed onto one of Big Mac’s legs. “Whataya mean she don’t have no family! Everyponys’ gotta have a family!” Applebloom whimpered “That’s all I know.” Big Mac answered truthfully Applejack walked out of the room and sighed “Ah’m sorry Apples, Its late we should get back to bed.” Applebloom bit onto Applejack's tail to keep her from walking to her room. “Applejack, is it true Rainbow has no family?” Applejack turned around “Shh… yes its true.” Applejack whispered “But why?” “She never told me the full story, but rumors say her parents abandoned her and left on the streets.” Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applebloom all looked disgusted. “My next guess is that when she was old enough she enrolled herself into flight school.” There was a long silence. “I’m going to bed”, Applejack broke the silence. “Goodnight” * * * Rainbow Dash cracked open her eyes and sat up. Well I’m depressed….. Rainbow thought. She rolled out of bed then shuffled to the door and walked downstairs to see the Apples eating breakfast. “Morning Rainbow” Applejack Said back turned facing the sink “Yeah… G’morning” Rainbow sat down in the chair she sat in last night and held up her face with her hooves. “Are you hungry?” Asked Applebloom, with a huge smile across her face. “No, not really.” “We’re going to be heading out to the fields soon, about five minutes.” Applejack spoke again “What time is it?” Rainbow pulled her face up. Applejack saw she had huge bags under her eyes and that she had a hallow expression. “Err… Bout’ six thirty” Applejack sat in her chair across from Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, did you get any sleep last night?” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack in the eyes “No, well maybe an hour or two.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “And what were you doin’ after I left your room?” Applejack questioned. Rainbow Dash looked down then back up at AJ “Thinking” Applejack gave Rainbow a sorrowful smile and got up to hug Rainbow Dash. Rainbow weirdly accepted because she knew she needed everything she could get. After what seemed like forever the hug ended and Rainbow was holding her head up with her hooves again. Applejack turned around to see Big Mac trotting down the stairs. “Morning Macintosh” “Eeeyup, Wha’ time is it?” He asked grabbing an apple from one of the small baskets on the counter. “Round six thirty last time ah’ checked” Big Mac turned around and face Applejack, she was in front of the table now. Big Macintosh moved his head to the side quizzically, looking at Rainbow Dash. “What’s her problem?” Applejack turned around. “Oh she’s jus-“, Applejack stopped when she saw Rainbow. Her head was on the table and her front hooves were sprawled out and she was snoring and drooling like a pig. Applejack looked at Big Mac and shrugged; they both smirked and headed out to the fields. * * * Rainbow Dash was awoken from her deep sleep by three fillies yelling, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER BRAIN OPERATORS, YAY!” “AHHHH! NO!” Rainbow jumped out of her chair and started walking to the door. “C’mon’ Please Rainbow Dash? It's just a simple brain operation!” Scootaloo begged waving a knife around. “NO” Rainbow turned around walking backwards to the door pointing a hoof at them. “NO.” and she walked out the door backwards, putting a hoof to her eyes and pointing it back at them, she then started heading to the north fields. She quickly found Applejack and Macintosh lifting huge baskets of apples over to their apple cellar. “Well howdy Rainbow” Applejack grunted, “We could use some help” “Right” Dash nodded and threw two baskets on her back and started effortlessly trotting over to the cellar. She went back to get two more and saw a dumbstruck Applejack looking at her. “….what?” Rainbow put two more baskets on her back. “Those baskets are mighty heavy.” Rainbow glanced at the baskets on her back. “Nothing I’m not used to” she finished and started trotting to the cellar. After working for an hour they barley cut through the pile of baskets. “Hey, AJ?” Applejack was lifting another basket “Yeah Rainbow?” Applejack grunted as she spoke. “Err, what do you guys do after this?” They got to their destination and put the baskets on the ground for Macintosh to carry down. “Well, we usually go down to the marketplace and sell apples at the stand, but that’s closed for the week. So we just go back to the house and… I dunno visit.” Rainbow nodded and got the next two baskets when she felt something tugging at her tail she glanced down and saw an orb on pink magic. Twilight… She thought. She spun around to see Twilight and Spike rushing towards her “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight finally caught up to her gasping for air. “It’s… Pinkie…Can’t… Find her… Need help.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “I’m not helping you” “Rainbow! This is serious! Twilight gasped. Rainbow Dash’s expression hardened. “You know what else is serious?” She lifted her back up higher. “Dash, Pinkie could be hurt!” “Well it’s not like I can go look for her.” Rainbow replied sharply, and walked over to get another basket. “She’s really mad at you Twilight” Spike whispered in her ear, “I think you should give her another day to cool off” Twilight looked back at him and replied. “No Spike, I need to talk to her.” Spike put his claws up in surrender and Twilight walked to Rainbow. “Rainbow I’m going to talk to you whether you like it or not.” Twilight gave an affirmative nod, but Rainbow Dash just kept her gaze forward “Knock yourself out Twilight; I’m not going to listen.” Twilight was taken aback by the comment. “Well… I um.” “Exactly, kay bye.” Rainbow Dash turned around and gave Twilight a sarcastic salute and got another set of baskets. “Bye?... BYE?!” Twilight was getting nowhere with Dash. “Yup.” “Okay Twilight I think we should-“Spike was cut off by Twilight. “Rainbow Dash I see you’re mad, but as a good friend I will-“Twilight was also cut off by a raging Rainbow Dash walking up to her. “MAD? OH NO, IM FURIOUS!” she screamed. “Well Rainbow calm down and we can work this out.” Rainbow looked like she got bucked in the face. “WORK THIS OUT?! Tell me Twilight, how do I work this out, huh?” Twilight didn’t speak and Spike looked like he wanted popcorn. “Exactly you can’t, you’ve really blown it this time Twilight, and I don’t forgive easy.” Dash’s last words faced into a menacing whisper. “My dreams are DESTROYED Twilight, My house? I have to sell it. Being a Wonderbolt? HA! Fat chance now! And don’t get me started on how I am now officially useless.” Rainbow Dash started walking away when she turned her head around a tad “I think I’ve made my point, go find a ditch someplace. Maybe another pegasus is down there waiting for you to rip their wings off too. ” Rainbow Dash got the two baskets back onto her back and started walking towards Applejack and Macintosh who were staring at her, shocked. Just as Twilight and Spike. The rest of the day went surprisingly as planned. * * * Luna’s moon was now high in the dark sky and Pinkie was still no place to be found. Twilight walked into the library with Spike and closed the door forceful buck. “Twilight… You okay?” Twilight flopped herself on the ground and sat on her haunches. “No Spike, I am not alright. Rainbow Dash hates me and it’s my fault.” Twilight replied rubbing her face with her spare hoof. Spike sighed “C’mon Twilight! This will all light up a bit soon! She’s the element of loyalty of Celestia’s sake!” Twilight looked up at Spike. “I don’t know Spike. I mean did you SEE her?! She was so angry! She’s never going to forgive me!” Twilight was now pacing around the library when she heard a light knock on the door. She walked over and opened it. “Hello Twilight darling.” Rarity welcomed herself into the library with a flip of her mane. “Um, come in?” Rarity looked at Twilight. “Well I’m just here for the new shipping’s of those fashion magazines.” Twilight was halfway up the stairs by now and groaned. “Ask Spike, goodnight Rarity” * * * Rainbow Dash was on one of the couches in the Apple’s living room with Everypony else. Big Macintosh was telling them the entire story about the time an apple tree fell on him… again. She now realized he’s quite the talker when he’s around family, not as much as the ordinary pony but he talks more than one would expect. They were all telling random stories and laughing as they did so. After Big Macintosh finished Applebloom piped up. “Rainbow Dash can you tell a story next?” She squealed with a hyperactive nod. “Aw shoot, I don’t have anything to tell.” She replied with a smirk. Applejack shook her head. “There’s gotta be at somethin’ in that little noggin of yers.” Granny Smith cackled to herself. “You’re such a liar Dash” Applejack laughed to herself. “Eeeyup” Big Macintosh agreed. “Well what do I tell?” Rainbow replied with a slight chuckle. “Can you tell us about your parents Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash’s face looked just like it did that morning in an instant. “Well…I…um…” “To be honest Dash, Ahm’ kinda curious mah'self.” Big Mac half shrugged. “Ah’ think we all are Rainbow” Granny Smith shakily nodded her head. “Right… okay.” Rainbow sighed and sat up more. “It all started when I was a filly, younger than Applebloom here.” Rainbow looked down at Applebloom and ruffled her mane. “I started off as a really young flier, but I was only allowed to go flying with my mom. So we went out one night and a thunderstorm came in. we got separated by the winds, but once it was over I couldn’t find her anywhere. The only thing I found has the hat she always wore. And that’s when I knew she was gone.” Everybody just looked at Dash with disbelief as she continued. “When I went back home my Dad was wondering what happened and I told him. He had a mental breakdown and left looking for her.” Rainbow Dash stopped and looked down. The Apples realizing it was too hard for Rainbow to tell. “You don’t have to finish if you don’t want to sugarcube…” Applejack cracked a small smile and Big Mac ‘Eeeyuped’ for the one hundredth time that day. “No, I already started. It wouldn’t be fair.” She rose her head up once again to continue. “After days my Dad never came back, and when he finally did it wasn't the same, so I ran away. I was homeless and lived on the streets of Cloudsdale… and don’t ask how I got food…” Rainbow and everybody else made nasty belching noises. “Let’s just say I’ve never liked being around a street garbage cans ever since. Anyway, I just sat on the streets and waited, and waited, and waited until I was finally old enough to enroll into flight school. So enrolled myself and forged my parent’s signatures.” Everypony started lightly laughing at this but stopped as she continued. “I was one of the best fliers in the class and because of that a lot of fillies and colts got jealous and picked on me A LOT, they also picked on the weakest flier there, Fluttershy. We stuck together ever since that race where I got my cutie mark.” “Didn’t she fall off that cloud?” Applebloom interrupted “Well, yeah. But I went down after to see if she was okay.” “Oh gotcha.” “So after seven years in flight school I finally dropped out and moved to Ponyville, built my cloud house with the help of Fluttershy, Yadda, yadda.” Rainbow Dash finished with a wave of her hoof. “So, about a month or two after I settled in, my Dad came and he didn’t look good… at all” Rainbow Dash sighed. “My Dad asked if I would fly with him one last time, I didn’t know what he meant but I agreed and we flew for a couple hours until he crash landed on a ledge at Foal Mountains. He told me he loved me and that he wanted me to be the best I could be, and… he died in my hooves. That’s when I caught on with what he meant ‘Fly with him one last time’. The whole room was silent. “What?!” Rainbow asked throwing her hooves up in the air and leaning back on the couch the way she was before “You guys wanted to hear about my parents, that’s the story.” Applebloom’s face looked like she just saw somepony being murdered, Applejack’s looked like she ate too many apples and she was about the throw up, Granny Smith looked like she got a blow to the gut, And Big Macintosh looked like somebody hit him on the side of the head with a frying pan. “Man Rainbow, Ah’ didn’t know any of that happened.” Applejack snapped out of her daze and so did everypony else after she spoke. “Yeah! We thought you had a family like us.” Applebloom added in. "Eeeyup.” “Ha… Well I wish, but I’m kind of being used to being alone. So it doesn’t really affect me as much as it used too.” Applebloom scooted over and hugged Rainbow Dash. And then came Applejack, then Big Mac, and Granny Smith. “You have us as your family whenever you need us Rainbow” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash wasn’t used to this, at all. But it made her feel warm inside. Not like she would ever admit it. “R-really?” “Really, because family always comes first.” Big Macintosh choked through the tight hug. Because family always comes first… The words played in Rainbow’s head like a symphony. “Ah’ think we should hit the hay. Goodnight everypony” Applejack neighed ending the hug. “Goooooodnaht!” Applebloom sang. “Night’” Big Macintosh added “Ehm, that’s what ah’ said.” Granny Smith rambled. “Yeah….Goodnight.” Rainbow finished. They all walked up the stairs in a line and went their separate ways. Rainbow got to her room and sat on the bed looking back at the photos. Thanks Holly. Rainbow Dash thought to herself. She clunked herself on the bed and closed her eyes. I finally have a family. And as it happened by magic, Everypony in that house fell asleep in a blissful state. If only, but soon that magic is about to get Twisted. ~Lightning Chaser~