Date: Thirteen years prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return.
Two days before the Sonic Rainboom Incident.
Location: Orange Family Residence, Manehattan.
Point of View: Applejack
“Aunt Orange… are y’all sure ‘bout this?” the orange filly asked.
“Most certainly my dear Applejack, a soirée is the best way to test your sophistication lessons,” the pale, yellow mare replied. The filly could notice a certain spark in her eyes when she added, “And I will make you look absolutely stunning, so you give a good impression to our friends. Who knows, one may even find you fitting to present you to his son.”
Applejack was not sure how to feel, she did want to live a good life, and she knew Manehattan had lots of possibilities, but it would be hard to get to the top, and if she couldn’t perform well at a little soirée held by her aunt and uncle, she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere.
“But is it really what Ah want?” She re-played what her aunt just said in her head. “Ah don’t wanna look good so they present me their sons, Ah wanna look like a good girl so Ah can make some friends! That’s the second reason of why Ah came here, nopony in Ponyville wanted to be mah friend.”
“A-Auntie… Ah really don’t wanna ‘meet a colt that’s the son of some important pony.’ Ah wanna make friends! N’ if Ah fall for somepony, Ah want it to be somethin’ special, after years of knowin’ each other…”
“Non-sense my dear, your uncle and I met each other that way, and we live happily together. But never mind that, our biggest problem right now is to make you talk like how a true Manehattanite should.”
“But Ah-”
“I, my dear. I,” the orange-maned mare corrected.
Date: Thirteen years prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return.
The day of the Sonic Rainboom Incident.
Location: Meadow below Summer Flight Camp, Cloudsdale’s surroundings.
Point of View: Rainbow Dash
“Hey, are you out there?” the cyan filly asked.
“R-Rainbow Dash?” the daredevil pegasus heard, somewhere near her.
Rainbow Dash looked around, but found no pony nearby. Just colours, many colours. Dash always loved looking at that part of the world; it was probably because she was one of the most colourful ponies around. She didn’t pay that much attention to the things ponies said, or the objects around her, but their colours.
She was in a meadow full of blue lagoons, very green trees, pink and yellow flowers … but no clue of the pony she was looking for. The smell that invaded her nostrils was also breathtaking; the flower perfume lingered in the air and the breeze carried the scent of what seemed to be a nearby river. She loved feeling the scent of everything too, she always said that everypony had their unique smell, and that it described the pony.
That’s when she realized, that smell was in the air.
“You’re close, aren’t you? Come out, I won’t hurt you!”
From below her, a pink-maned and pale yellow-coated filly with a large but slim body emerged.
“Wow! H-how? Y-you… I couldn’t see you!” the rainbow-maned pony asked, dumbfounded.
“Oh… I-I’m sorry, I’m just… good at hiding,” she heard other pony say, and she notice she was avoiding her gaze.
“But that goes beyond hiding! You’re right here, lying between the flowers! It’s like camouflage, so awesome!”
“I guess I was just lucky these flowers were here and have my same colours?” the weak-flyer pegasus replied blushing.
“Still, pretty awesome…Uh…”
“F-Fluttershy,” the shy pegasus replied in an almost inaudible voice.
“I’m sorry, didn’t quite catch that.”
“Flutter…shy,” she repeated, a bit louder this time.
“Fluttershy huh? I like that name.” Rainbow Dash got closer to the filly and took a deep breath. “And you smell like flowers, I like that.”
Rainbow Dash realized the little pony that she saved from the bullies, was staring at her with a confused face, so she exclaimed.
“Oops, sorry, shouldn’t have said that aloud, forget about it. My name is-”
“Rainbow Dash.”
“H-how did you…?” asked the rose-eyed pegasus.
“I… I’ve seen you several times and you seemed to be… nice… so I asked you your name a week ago. I guess you don’t remember that… i-it’s okay. Ponies never pay me any attention.”
Rainbow Dash cringed and she felt her heart hurt a little “I-I’m sorry okay? I was never good at remembering ponies, heh,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. “But you seem like a nice pony too! We should hang out more often. Is that cool with you?”
“Yeah… I’d like that.”
“Hey! You got your cutie mark!”
“Yeah, it seems I’m good with animals.”
“And I’m the most awesome flyer ever!” the cyan pegasus said, showing her new-found friend her cutie mark.
“I’m happy for you and me. In fact, I’m so happy I could just scream for joy.” She took in air, and then, a barely listenable “Yay!” exited her mouth.
“That… was your ‘scream for joy’?” Rainbow Dash said while holding a snicker.
“I’m sorry, was it too loud?”
Rainbow Dash grinned and answered, “Nah, it’s cool. But I really think we should go back to the camp, they’re probably looking for us.”
Date: Nightmare Moon’s Return.
Moments after Luna and Celestia re-unite.
Location: Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, Everfree Forest.
Point of View: Applejack
“YOU KNOW WHAT THIS CALLS FOR?” Pinkie Pie said.
Applejack, along with the other six ponies, looked at her with expectation, but the answer never came, in fact no sound was made by the pink party pony.
Rainbow Dash walked towards the blond cowpony and whispered close into her ear, “Do you think Pinkie’s gonna snap out of it anytime soon?”
“Don’t think so Sugarcube…” Applejack answered, trying not to look at Rainbow Dash in the eyes. Having her so close made her heart flutter and her cheeks flush. “C’mon not now, don’t get this close with everypony here lookin’ at us, even the princesses are here!”
Rainbow Dash noticed the orange pony was avoiding her, so she started moving in order to make her look straight in the eyes “Applejack, is there something wrong? Why won’t you look at me?” Applejack noticed the cyan pegasus was gulping “D-did I do anything wrong?”
“Not at all Sweetheart… Ah… Uh…”
“Why are you blushing? Are you feeling okay AJ?” asked the cyan filly
“Dang it Rainbow, stop it!” “Umm Ah… No, Ah can’t say Ah’m feelin’ completely okay.” “‘Cause y’all aren’t mine… yet.” “B-but it’s nuthin’ to worry about Dash.”
She wasn’t lying… so she hoped Rainbow Dash to shrug it off and stop checking her out like a fox trying to figure which chicken is the most suitable for his hunger.
She watched the cyan pegasus sigh and walk towards Fluttershy. Applejack let out a breath she didn’t know was holding and walked in the opposite direction, towards Rarity. She wasn’t actually the apple she would usually prefer biting, but still she was a good friend, she needed advice, and she had to get away from Rainbow for a spell.
“I must say dear, that collar really brings out your beauty,” Applejack heard while she was getting close.
“Huh? Thanks, Rare, yers looks uh… mighty fine on y’all too.”
“Now I do not want to sound rude, but darling, we both know you did not come here just to chat. What is worrying you?”
“Well… y’all see…”
Date: King Sombra’s Attack to the Crystal Empire
The Mane Six and Shining Armour enter the city.
Location: Outside the Crystal Castle, Crystal Empire.
Point of View: Rainbow Dash
“Y’all remember yer line?” Applejack whispered.
“Of course I do, I’m the prank master here, remember?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Now who came up with this here idea we’re ‘bout to pull?”
Rainbow Dash had to admit defeat and flatly told her, “You, Applejack.”
“Now, Ah think she reached critical state, watch this,” the element of Honesty stated as she walked away from Rainbow and next to Rarity, who was having a breakdown just by looking at a whole city made of crystal.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t quite hear what she said, but she knew that when Applejack walked away from Rarity, it was her turn to say, “Ugh, I don’t see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me…”
Applejack winked at her from her place and they both prepared to hear the fruit of their labour.
Rarity started mumbling and then she said, exasperated, “Pff… Another old? Have you LOST your mind!? Look at all the magni-”
And Rainbow Dash couldn’t hold the laughter anymore, and she started snickering soon followed by Applejack, who held a hoof in the air, waiting for her to bump it. She did just that and walked up the stairs, smiling at the orange mare. The same orange mare who became her very best friend in the past years.
But she was also the mare that made her knees go weak, the mare that put her up when she was feeling down. “Dang… there’s nopony like her in the whole wide world… And that’s why I’m sure she wouldn’t love me back…” her smile suddenly faded. Luckily Applejack wasn’t looking her way by then, or she would have worried and asked a question Rainbow wouldn’t be able to answer.
The speedster pegasus saw Applejack leave her side to go and talk to Rarity. She couldn’t hear what they were saying since they were whispering, but she looked at Rarity’s expressions.
First were feigned indignity and a weak giggle, her expression then went to surprise, then her smile turned sympathetic and her eyes looked worried. Her smile started turning into a frown and she ended up looking at the floor, looking really sorry about something. Lastly, she put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder and whispered into her ear.
Applejack nodded and looked forward, finally revealing her face to Rainbow, her eyes were teary and she looked sad, really sad. The whole atmosphere around her seemed to reflect her feelings. Rainbow could notice everything seemed to look bathed under a blue light.
“N-no… Tell me what just happened is not what I think just happened,” she thought, shaking her head, trying to shake the images off her head. “Please tell me Applejack didn’t just… TO RARITY!? Of all ponies, I had to lose my mare to Rarity!?”
Date: The year of Nightmare Moon’s Return.
The second run, after the Running of the Leaves.
Location: White Tail Woods, Ponyville’s Outskirts.
Point of View: Applejack
“What did you say, AJ?”
Applejack’s eyes went wide. She shouldn’t have said that aloud. “W-what did y’all hear?”
“I… seriously didn’t catch anything you said,” said Rainbow Dash, trying to look both at Applejack and at the path she was trying to follow.
Applejack was seriously hoping there were no trees in front of her, because she could just look at her companion. “Great, she didn’t hear me say Ah loved her.” “Well… Ah’m sorry Sugarcube, but Ah ain’t repeating it now.”
“Aww c’mon, AJ! You know I hate being left out! And it was actually kind of your fault, I couldn’t stop looking at your colours. Did I ever tell you your hair looks awesome under the sunset’s light?”
“D-do I really look that good under the… Focus AJ! S-she didn’t mean it that way…” “N-no… Ah think y’all never told me that… thanks sweetheart, that’s really sweet of y’all…”
“Hey AJ… you don’t mind me asking you something a bit personal, do you?”
Applejack tried to notice malice in her face, but finding nothing, she decided to answer, “Nah, shoot out, RD.”
“How come you never had a coltfriend?”
“C-come again?”
“Yeah, I mean, how is it possible that you never had a coltfriend? What’s not to like about you? You’re honest, hard-working, very smart, you have seriously kicking curves… pun not intended, and, if you swear not to tell a soul, I’ll let you know you’re the most awesome pony ever… besides me of course.”
Applejack’s eyes went wide and she lost focus of everything around her. “Ah…” She looked away from the cyan pegasus, just in time to notice a tree an inch from her snout.
Date: Two years after King Sombra’s Failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
Midnight, right after Rainbow Dash and Applejack finish “The Games.”
Location: Rainbow Dash’s Cloudhouse, Above Ponyville.
Point of View: Rainbow Dash
Rainbow Dash was laying on her bed, head over the pillow, front part of her body facing up, and a cute orange earth pony on top of her, breathing heavily. The bruises and reddened areas showed the activities the two lovers just shared.
“We… We did it… We actually did it! My awesome Apple marefriend and I just did it! And it was amazing!” Rainbow Dash said squeaking with joy.
“A-amazin’? AMAZIN’!? Dashie we could’ve died jes now n’ y’all say it was amzin’!?” the blond mare growled while her green emerald eyes showed the despair and shock she was feeling a minute ago.
Date: A year prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return
Rainbow Dash’s first visit to Ghastly Gorge
Location: Ghastly Gorge, Ponyville’s Outskirts.
Point of View: Applejack
“Wow…” the daredevil pegasus exclaimed.
“Breathtakin’ huh?”
“Yeah… How did you find a place as cool as this?”
“Ah used to come here to play when Ah was a filly,” Applejack explained looking at her friend, who she had invited to spend a day in ‘a place she would probably love’.
And here they were, walking next to the cliff, enthralled by the jaw-dropping and, at the same time, bloodcurdling scenery. The orange mare continued her explanation.
“Imagine to be here, alone, being jes a kid n’ listen a wolf’s howl… it was spine-chillin’ but Ah loved it!”
“Aww, how I would have loved to spend my foalhood here.”
“Well RD, y’all still have the mind of one,” said Applejack, grinning.
Rainbow Dash didn’t get angry, and she just pushed her friend affectionately.
“Now don’t take this here place easy, Ah’ve learned to respect it… the hard way,” Applejack said sternly.
“Oh yeah? What happened to you?”
“The rocks near this cliff are not stable y’all know? So Ah was walking, next to the cliff n’ one of’em, the one Ah was walkin’ on, fell. Luckily Ah could jump jes in time to get to safety. After that one fell, others followed and a rockslide started. Y’all don’t wanna be under a rock in the bottom o’ this gorge…”
“Yeah, doesn’t seem so pleasant, gotta remember that,” she said, cringing, but then she smiled and continued, “Though a flight here must be amazing!”
“Don’t go around testin’ yer luck RD… at least not with me here to worry fer y’all. If y’all wanna go ‘round playin’ daredevil, do it alone.”
“You’re such a scaredy cat, Apples.”
Applejack looked at her, trying to deduce if she was being serious or not. “Are y’all kiddin’ me? If Ah’m a scaredy cat, what’ do y’all call Fluttershy?”
“There are no words to describe her.”
“Ah’m not a ‘scaredy cat’ missy, it’s jes y’all are my best friend, n’ Ah worry ‘bout yer safety, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m the best flyer ever, so don’t worry your pretty, little head about me.” She walked towards the edge of the cliff and with a cocky expression she added, “Besides, I’m luckier than you.”
As if by a jinx, a crack was heard and the ground under Dash’s hooves began trembling. Her wings stuck to her body and she froze in fear.
Applejack never saw Rainbow Dash react this way and knew something was wrong.
“Rainbow? Get yer rump outta there!”
But the cyan pony didn’t move an inch. Applejack knew there was one thing to do, it was a long shot but it was the only way, seeing her friend wasn’t moving, so she prepared to do it.
A loud rumble was heard and Dash, along with part of the ground beneath her, fell off the cliff.
As Applejack saw her friend beginning to fall, she jumped towards her “Here goes nuthin’!” Tackling the startled pegasus mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, she threw her lasso around a thick and hard tree root that protruded from the other face of the gorge. Using the momentum to swing, she was able to make it to a stable rock on the other side big enough to support both ponies. Her body took the blow of both her and Rainbow Dash’s hit and it did hurt quite a lot.
“Darn it, Sugarcube, Ah gotta stop bakin’ y’all those apple pies everytime y’all ask me to.”
After noticing her friend was not answering Applejack pushed Rainbow Dash off her and shook her. “Rainbow, are y’all ok? Answer me!”
But it was useless, the daredevil mare was unconscious. “Guess it was too much fer the ‘great’ Rainbow Dash to handle,” the orange farm pony mockingly said.
“Who said I couldn’t handle what?” the rainbow maned pegasus grumbled still unconscious.
“Heh. Looks like her pride is greater than her instincts.” Applejack chuckled but soon became serious. “But what if Ah didn’t catch’er on time. Or if Ah wasn’t here at all... what if Ah lost her forever?” She looked down to the mare laying on the rock. “Can Ah live mah life without y’all Dashie? Jes how much Ah care fer y’all?”
She tried to think exactly how important the pegasus was. “Y’all are jes an airhead, daredevil, lazy, good-fer-nuthin’, sweet, funny, loyal, beautiful pony… Is it... is this L-lo...”
The words couldn’t leave her throat. She wasn’t ready to say them... not yet.
Date: Ten years prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return
Rainbow’s first visit to Fluttershy’s house.
Location: Town centre, Ponyville
Point of View: Rainbow Dash
“Gosh, Fluttershy, you’re terrible at giving instructions! I’ll never make it to your house this way… And I don’t know anypony from here, I don’t even know who to ask.”
Rainbow Dash was trying to deduce where her friend’s house was. She re-read the instructions aloud. “‘When you get to the town hall,’ which I suppose is this big building I the middle of the town centre… ‘you have to turn left, towards the Everfree Forest. It’s the only cottage nearby so you won’t get lost’… Well that would be nice if I knew which left is the left you chose when you wrote this letter!”
The cyan pony groaned and inspected the place a little better.
“Well… There are six streets… like the colours of my mane. Today, I feel like orange, so let’s go that way!” So she sped through one of the routes. “Why don’t make this an obstacle training session?” The daredevil pegasus flew and dodged the ponies passing by with grace and ease that is, until she tried to evade a cart full of apples.
She succeeded to evade the cart, but she failed to dodge the filly carrying it.
“Look out!”
“What in Tarnation?”
The fillies collided and the apples flew in every direction.
“Ouch! That hurts a lot! What are you, made of stone?” asked Rainbow Dash while she shook her head, trying to regain focus.
“Ah’m sorry fer being a hard-workin’ filly! Now what’s yer excuse fer crashin’ and making all mah apples fly awa-”
For the first time the two fillies looked at each other.
“Wow… uhm… hi,” Rainbow said. The filly was like nopony she had ever seen before. A certain aura surrounded her, and Dash liked it very much. But the most important thing for the pegasus were the colours of the earth pony. “She looks very pretty with that orange coat, the golden mane, those white freckles… and those emerald eyes. Whoa… maybe today I felt like orange because I was going to meet her! That would be very cool, like destiny’s meddling or something.”
The farmfilly was looking at her without saying a word.
“Oops, guess I should apologize. Sorry for crashing and… destroying your property?”
“I-it’s not a problem, Sugarcube.”
“Whoa. She has a very sweet voice.” “N-no, I feel bad, shouldn’t be dashing around knowing there are ponies walking by, is there anything I can do to help?”
“Well... if y’all wanna, Ah need to gather the apples that aren’t ruined. Ah came here to sell’em to earn sum money fer the family,” she said rubbing her hoof.
“Oh, no! I just ruined the batch you were about to sell? Ponyfeathers. Let me make it up to you. But first... I’m sorry for asking something after what I did but... do you have any idea where the Everfree Forest is? Fluttershy to-”
“Y’all lookin’ fer Fluttershy?” the pony said smiling.
“You know her?” Rainbow Dash asked surprised.
“She buys apples almost everyday, Ah’ve been to her cottage sum times, helpin’ her when she needed a hoof to carry sumthin.” The orange cowfilly seemed to be thinking something and she then continued. “Tell y’all what. Help me gather the good apples left n’ Ah’ll escort y’all to Fluttershy’s house.”
“That sounds like a deal to me.”
Date: Seven years prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return
Applejack and Rainbow Dash decide to tell their friends that they Are ɐʇpbıu.
Location: Town Centre, Ponyville.
Point of View: Applejack
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