Rainbow Dash woke up to the sound of thunder that sounded louder than it should have been. She looked over the foot of the bed to see that one of the four windows was in fact open about a hoof wide, letting the smell of fresh mountain rain permeate the room.
‘Huh, AJ must’ve open the window.’ RD thought to herself gently tossing the covers off her, so as to not wake the mare sleeping next to her. She tiphooved over to the window and closed it to half of what it was before.
She stared out the window at the inky blackness of the rainy night, the occasional flash of lightning lighting up its surrounding, if only for a moment. A shiver ran down her spine the fear of unfamiliar lightning still present. Eyes focused, on every bolt striking the ground, studying them, trying to learn what frightened her about it.
‘Is it because it’s not mine. or what?,’ she asked herself, ‘I don’t know but this lighting it feels like it has a lot more power. But all of the weather for all of Equestria comes from Cloudsdale...Right?,’ a hoof touched her shoulder making her jump, and almost yell as she turned to see who it was.
“You alright, sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
Rainbow looked at the silhouette of the farm mare, then back to the window, “ Yeah…,” was all she wanted to say
Applejack, too, looked at the pegasus’s silhouette and shook her head, “ Rainbow, ya don’t have ta lie ta me. Ah can tell when somethin’s wrong… care ta share?” she gave a small smile.
Rainbow continued to stare out the window, “... Well it’s the lightning…,” she said turning to about where AJ was sitting.
AJ looked at her friend slightly confused, “Ya mean ta tell me that you, a pegasus, is scared of a li’l lightnin’?” she asked
“... Well no… But there’s something different about this lightning. I don’t know what, but it feels different, I don’t know what other word to use other than different.” she turned back to the window just in time to see three flashes of lightning and cringe at the claps of thunder that followed.
“Well, sugarcube, Ah don’t know what ta say. Ah’m just an earth pony.” she said pulling her frightened friend into a warm hug.
Rainbow didn’t know what to do, at first, but soon melted into the embrace.
A small barely audible knock on the door interrupted the tender moment. They both let go of one another and Applejack walked over to the door, opening it quietly.
“...Um… Rainbow Dash, could I talk to you?” asked the faint timid voice of Fluttershy
Applejack invited the light yellow pegasus in as Rainbow walked over to her tearing herself away from the window, “Yeah, “ she said upon reaching her friend, “what’s up?”
“Um… well… it’s the-- eep,” she started to say but another clap of thunder interrupted her, she melted into the floor cowering behind her hooves and wings.
Rainbow whent to lay next to her frightened friend, “ You’re scared of the lightning too, huh?” she asked putting a hoof around her.
Fluttershy simply nodded slowly in response as Applejack joined them on the floor, comforting her as well.
“Wow this lightnin’ must be somethin’ fierce for you to be scared of it, Fluttershy.” AJ commented
Fluttershy looked her in the eyes, “Well all pegasi are taught the ins and outs of weather, even if some of us don’t go into a weather career.” she said with a nod of confirmation from Rainbow.
Applejack looked at them both and asked, “Do ya think this strange weather might have somethin’ to do with that missin’ statue?”
Rainbow blinded and stared at her, “ I never thought about that.”
Applejack looked at her and smiled.
“I think the storm has stopped!” said Fluttershy as she stood and walked over to the window, the others followed.
“Yeah, Ah think yer right Fluttershy.” Applejack said not seeing a single flash of lightning, nor the sound of thunder that would accompany it.
“I can still feel the static electricity from the clouds.” the rainbow maned mare said looking off into the darkness.
“Ah wouldn’t worry about it so much, sugarcube. If the storm’s past then it’s past.”
Rainbow sighed tearing her eyes away from the night drenched window making eye contact with the earth mare falling deep into the emeralds nestled within their sockets, a small smile crept across her face.
“WOW!!! AJ has really pretty eyes even in the dark, I never noticed them before.”
A light pink color rose up onto Applejacks orange cheeks as her friend stared into her eyes, “Uh...RD? Are you okay?” she asked, but she continued to received nothing but a blank stare.
“Um Rainbow Dash, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked waving a hoof in front of her face.
She shook her head coming back to Equestria from the depths of Applejacks eyes, “Uh… yeah I’m fine,” she answered quickly looking in another direction that Applejack wasn’t.
“Oh...okay then.” the light yellow pegasus replied then turned to AJ, “Well I’m going to go back to bed, now that the storm had passed. Good night Applejack and,” she turned to RD, “ good night Rainbow.” then she left the room quietly, after receiving a ‘good night’ from the two mares, closing the door behind her.
Applejack continued to give Rainbow Dash an inquisitive look trying to come to a reasonable conclusion as to why she was staring at her.
After a few moments of looking around the room, desperately trying to avoid AJ's eyes, she finally made eye contact once again falling into the emerald abyss.
“RD?” she asked, noticing that the cyan pegasus was staring at her again, “Are you okay?” AJ waved a hoof in front of her face to get her attention and after a minute or so she got what she was after.
“Uh...What?” RD said frantically looking around the room, then realising where she was.
“Are you okay Rainbow?,” she asked, “ Cause ya keep starin’ at me… do Ah have somethin’ on mah face?” Aj put her a hoof to her face to try and feel if in fact there was something on her face.
“What...no there isn’t something your face.” the rainbow maned mare finally speaking
“Well what about in mah mane… or mah teeth?” she asked as she moved her hooves to the respective places.
“No nothing in your mane or teeth either.” she reassured her orange friend.
“... Well then why were y’all staring at me?”
“I don’t-- look, AJ it’s late and I’m still a little scared of that storm. Can we please just go back to bed?” she pleaded.
AJ sighed and looked down at the floor, “ Yeah sure, Ah’m sorry.”
RD smiled, “ It’s okay.” she said as the two mares walked back over to the bed they were sharing, reestablished the borders and fell asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Well that’s not fault I can’t feel changes in the weather I’m not a pegasus.” the annoyed voice of somepony from out in the hall.
“It isn’t mine either Rarity!” came another voice, “ Let’s just wake Applejack and ask her if she knows where Rainbow Dash is.”
Rarity let out a sigh, “Very well, Twilight,” she said as she opened the door to the room that contained said pony, “but I don’t think that-- oh my.”
“What? What is-- Applejack?”
The orange farm mare scrunched up her face at the sound of the lavender mare's voice, then opened her eyes, “What do y’all want? Can’t anypony get…” she stopped herself as she looked down to see a light blue hoof and foreleg wrapped around her. She turned her head to look at the still sleeping pegasus, her face buried in AJs blonde mane.
“Rainbow?” AJ asked ,only to receive a sleepy moan, as RD tightened her grip around her friend, “RAINBOW!” she yelled
She shot up looking around the room, “Uh.. what, who’s, where?”
“Ya mind explainin’ why you were holding onto me?”
Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof as she avoided eye contact with the other ponies in the room, “Um… Well when I’m sleeping, or so I’ve been told by my parents, I hold onto something. Most of the time when I’m at home I hold onto a pillow, I couldn’t tell you why, but my dad thinks it’s a comfort thing.” she looked up to see her friends still staring at her, “ But I didn’t even mean to do it! I just-- ugh never mind, you guys probably don’t even believe me.” she looked back down to her hooves.
AJ blinked, “ No, it’s not that Ah don’t believe ya… it’s just that y’all neglected ta tell me that little tidbit last night.” she smiled
“Heh..sorry.”
“S’fine,” AJ said then turned to Rarity and Twilight, “ Now what do y’all need?”
Rarity spoke first, “ Paperback sent us up here to fetch to two for breakfast.” Twilight nodded in agreement.
RD jumped out of the bed flaring her wings and leapt for the door, “ Why didn’t you say so! Come on AJ” she said and AJ too got out of the be and followed her friends out of the room and down the stairs, Rarity and Twilight leading the way to the dining room where Fluttershy and Pinkie were already seated enjoying waffles and french toast.