//------------------------------// // Twisted // Story: Pink Rainbow // by WingsPony //------------------------------// Moose just leaned in the doorway, his eyes were slightly glazed over as he stared into space. Stopping her sewing machine, Rarity looked over at Moose for a response. When she didn’t receive one she didn’t hesitate to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. “ Is everything alright?” Moose snapped out of his thoughts only to see Rarity’s sapphire eyes only inches from his own. The sudden invasion of his personal space made him stumbled back in surprise. Watching Moose’s strange behavior only made Rarity more suspicious by the second. After prying himself from the floor Moose rubbed his sore bottom while he spoke. “Yeah, everything was great. We talked a lot, you know about sports, pranks and family stuff.” “I see, anything else happen while you were out?” Rarity eyed Moose closely as he spoke. Looking for any possible clues to Moose’s jumpy behavior. “Not really, I just walked her home. I said my goodbyes and then I came here.” If not for the fatigue pulling at her Rarity would have questioned Moose further. Moose cooked a simple dinner for the both of them before he washed away his persona. Pinkie Pie was herself once again Rarity crawled in bed beside her. Rarity kissed Pinkie Pie’s forehead before she pulled her sleep mask over her eyes. “Sweet dreams darling.” After the last bell rang Sunset was filled with dread with school over for the day that could only mean one thing. “Howdy Sunset! Ya ready to fulfill your end of the bargain?” Slumped over with a look of defeat on her face Sunset could only sigh “Sure thing…Boss.” Once again Sunset found herself on Sweet Apple Acres, wiping the sweat from her brow. Sunset unloaded a another bushel of apples from one of the many apple baskets. Carefully Sunset placed the last of the of apples into a packaging crate. As the hours ticked by she had lost track of how many buckets of apples she had unloaded. Despite the hard work Sunset was impressed with the Apple family’s effectiveness. Granny Smith was in charge of marketing and bookkeeping. While Applejack and Big Mac harvested apples by hand. Which was an amazing feat within itself. At least in Sunset’s mind it was amazing. Especially since the Apple’s couldn’t afford to hire help not to mention the lack of magic. Apple Bloom was beside Sunset unloading a fresh basket that was overflowing with shiny red apples. They both worked in silence not that Sunset minded, Unloading apples took most of her attention. The quite barn was soon filled with the sounds of a clunky pickup truck. With practiced ease Applejack backed up the small truck into the barn. Sunset’s ear’s perked up when she heard Applejack slam the truck door shut. “I see yall have been working hard in here.” Apple Bloom beamed with pride knowing that she had made her older sister proud. “So since we are nearly finished for the day. Apple Bloom you can go play with yer friends.” “Yay! My favorite time of the day! See you at dinner sis!” Not wasting a second Apple Bloom ran out of the barn as fast as her legs could carry her. The sight of an excited Apple Bloom made Sunset smile, her smile soon faded when she saw Applejack with a smug grin on her face. “Alright what’s next boss man.” sighed Sunset. Applejack rubbed her chin before replying “Well the only thing left ta do is loading up all of these empty baskets. And setting them out in the field next ta the trees we will be harvesting tomorrow!” “ Oh, is that all?” Sunset’s voiced dripped with playful sarcasm. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Are ya tired already? I thought you were the workhorse around here?” “Ha ha very funny, besides I wasn’t a work horse. I was a majestic magical unicorn!” Sunset twirled around in a graceful manner, Applejack couldn’t help snickering. “I’ll believe it when Ah see it.” “Whatever, your just jealous.” “Ha, ya caught me, I always secretly dreamed to be a magic mutant horse.” The two girls stared at each other before they both broke out in laughter. After Applejack wiped a tear from her eye, she tilted her head towards the baskets scattered all of the barn floor. With a chipper air around her Sunset began to stack the baskets inside one another. With a large tower of baskets in her arms Sunset walked over to the back of the truck. Seeing Sunset’s large stack Applejack frowned slightly. “Now careful Sunset, ya don’t want ta walk around with a stack that tall. If yer not careful you could trip.” Peeking around the large stack Sunset just shrugged as she placed the large stack in the back of the truck. “Don’t worry Applejack, I’m not that clumsy.” Now the two of them loaded up the rest of the baskets, Applejack jumped into the driver’s seat while Sunset hopped into the passenger seat. It didn’t take them long to reach their destination. Sunset spotted Big Mac waiting for them to arrive with the emptied baskets. In no time, Big Mac unloaded a large stack of baskets and carefully set them down around a large tree. The cycle of unloading and arranging baskets continued for the next hour. At last the last batch of baskets were being unloaded. Applejack waited in the truck while Sunset and Big Mac made the trek to the last apple tree of the day. With the setting sun on the horizon it was getting harder for Sunset to see the ground past the large stack of baskets she was carrying. Big Mac was already setting his baskets around the tree. Feeling anxious Sunset picked up the pace to the tree next to Big Mac. In her haste Sunset’s foot caught on one of the roots of a neighboring tree. Not having a chance to react Sunset tumbled to the ground as baskets flew to the ground. After the shock of tripping wore off; Sunset gasped when she felt a sharp pain in her left ankle. Pained tears quietly ran down her cheeks as she laid in the dirt. Feeling a little daring Sunset tried to stand up. As soon as she put weight on her hands to push herself up. An alarming amount of pain announced itself as she crumpled to the ground in heap of pain and embarrassment. Within moments of her crash landing Big Mac rushed to her side. “Are ya alright Miss. Sunset?” Big Mac’s voice was filled with concern. Swallowing her pride Sunset shook her head. “ I twisted my ankle and I think injured my wrist.” Big Mac didn’t ask for permission when he carefully scooped up Sunset in his arms. Lifting the injured girl, he started to walk to the truck. Feeling completely helpless Sunset just rested her head against Big Mac’s chest. The warmth coming from Big Mac with the calm beat of his heart brought comfort to Sunset. Climbing up to the top of the hill Big Mac spotted the truck in the shallow valley. “Once I take ya to the truck, I’m gonna have AJ take ya to the hospital.” Sunset started to panic at the mention of a hospital she nearly got deported the last time she visited a doctor. She had to use the last of her stock pile of gems to bribe the last doctor she visited. “No doctors! I just can’t go through that again!” shrieked Sunset. Sunset began to try to wiggle free from Mac’s arms, despite the pain Sunset was determined to escape. Big Mac wasn’t blind he knew that he had to act fast to stop Sunset from hurting herself. “ I won’t force ya to go the hospital if you don’t want to. Besides, it’s nothin’ life threatening.” He noticed instantly that his words calmed down the frightened girl in his arms. Seeing that Sunset stopped thrashing about caused a slight grin spread across his face. It didn’t take Applejack long to see Sunset in her brother’s arms. Applejack bolted from the truck running to her brother‘s side. “What happened?” huffed Applejack as she gulped down fresh air from her quick sprint. Sunset couldn’t look Applejack in the eye a deep blush flooded her face. Not even an hour before they went out to the fields Applejack warned her about tripping. “ I’m afraid that Miss. Sunset twisted her ankle and probably sprained her wrist in the process.” “Ah see, well lets get her some ice back at the house.” Wordlessly Applejack jogged back to the truck taking the driver’s seat. She waited for Big Mac to place Sunset in the passenger seat. Once Sunset was buckled in Big Mac jumped into the truck bed. Feeling her brother jump into the back Applejack sped to the farm house. Upon arriving back at the house Big Mac scooped up Sunset and carried her inside. After he placed Sunset on the couch, Applejack held two small bags of ice. Gingerly Applejack placed them on Sunset’s injuries, the bitter cold did feel good on Sunset’s throbbing ailments. Silence filled the room Sunset’s eyes met Applejack’s for a brief moment. Once Sunset locked eyes with Applejack she quickly looked away. The small action hurt Applejack, crossing her arms Applejack leaned into the couch right beside Sunset. “I’m really-” Applejack’s voice was barely above a whisper, feeling frustrated Applejack sucked in a deep breath. “Listen Sunset, I’m really sorry!” shouted Applejack. Sunset was taken aback, she didn’t understand why Applejack would apologize when if was her fault for tripping in the first place. “It’s okay AJ, it’s not like you pushed me down a hill or anything. What happened to me was just an accident.” Grinding her teeth in outright frustration a rouge tear dripped down Applejack’s cheek. “Don’t ya understand! It was my fault, I made the bet! If I just picked a less dangerous punishment then…you wouldn’t have gottin’ hurt!” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “ I get that you are upset that I got hurt but you can’t protect me from every little thing Applejack!” Applejack slammed her fist on the arm of the couch. “ I can try!” “What’s got into you Applejack? Why are you acting crazy?” “I’m not actin’ crazy!” said Applejack through clenched teeth. “ I just…Just don’t like seein’ my love ones hurt.” Applejack held herself while she spoke. The anger in Applejack’s eyes it was replaced with remorse and sorrow. Sunset didn’t understand what was happening, she had never seen Applejack in this state. The Applejack she knew was confident and her borderline cockiness was nowhere in sight. Applejack felt the dam of her bottled emotions starting to crack through. “ AJ are you alright?” asked Sunset. Applejack’s heart couldn’t hold out much longer, large tears dripped down her face. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes only to have a pair of fresh set of tears to replace them. Applejack knew she couldn’t lie to Sunset, Applejack realized that she couldn’t just explain away her actions. “ Ah, couldn’t do anything…” “AJ it‘s okay, I will heal and I will back to my old clumsy self. ” Sunset’s voice was quiet while she stroked Applejack’s head with her good hand. “ You’ll heal…” Applejack whispered to herself. Sunset wasn’t sure if she heard Applejack’s words they were so quiet she couldn’t be sure. Doing the only thing she could think of Sunset gently took off Applejack’s hat. Once the hat was removed Sunset began to softly nuzzle Applejack; just like when she was a small filly in Equestria. It had been over a decade since she last nuzzled anyone. As Sunset rubbed her cheek against Applejack’s the sudden display of affection caught Applejack off guard. Sunset’s silkily red hair felt amazing soft to Applejack. Clearing his throat, the two girls on the couch froze in place before glancing over at Big Mac. His arms was full of medical supplies, he set his load on the coffee table. With a smug smile he carefully plucked Sunset off his sister. Sunset’s blushed when she was in Big Mac’s arms once again. She felt like a little kid every time he held her close to his muscular chest. Setting the girl in his arms on the far end of the couch, he went straight to work. He gingerly wrapped Sunset’s ankle in medical tape, he did the same for her wrist. With great care Big Mac slid a large black medical boot on Sunset’s injured foot. He eyed the wrist brace for a moment before deciding that it wasn’t necessary at the moment. After handing Sunset a pair of crutches he turned to face her. “You should stay here fer the night Miss. Sunset on the account that yer injured.” Sunset nodded meekly that was all the confirmation he needed before he lifted her off the couch. Feeling a blush coming Sunset protested. “I can walk you know!” A deep chuckle from his chest shook Sunset to her core. “It’s a lot quicker and safer if Ah just carry ya up to AJ’s room.” Sunset couldn’t find a flaw in his argument so she just leaned her head against his shoulder. Shortly after being set on AJ’s bed Big Mac tucked Sunset under the covers. Before leaving he ruffled Sunset’s hair a bit as he closed the door. Sunset could have sworn she caught a glimpse of a smile on his lips. The warm from the blankets made Sunset drowsy it didn’t take long for her to dream. When Applejack entered her room she could hear the faint snores coming from the lump in her bed. While Applejack watched Sunset sleep she felt a pang of sadness deep in her heart. Soundlessly clutched her heart she stood there as the soft snores washed over her. Closing her eyes Applejack leaned against the door frame. * Calm down Applejack, Sunset said it herself she is fine! She is alive…Alive. Why do I do this? Why do I panic when others get hurt?* Darkness over took her vision, the only sound she could hear was the sound of screeching tires. The unearthly sound of twisting of metal rang in her ears. Snapping her eyes open Applejack felt herself break out into a cold sweat as the cold pit in her stomach slowly started to fade. Taking in a few gulps of air; her hands slowly stopped shaking. A loud snort from Sunset pulled Applejack out of her near panic attack. Her racing heart started to slow to a normal pace as she watched the shallow breaths that Sunset produced. “Get it together Applejack! Everyone is safe, everyone is alive!…It wasn’t yer fault!” whispered Applejack. “It wasn’t my fault…” Applejack repeated those words over and over as she got dressed for bed. Crawling in bed next to Sunset, Applejack instantly felt warm. As she stared at the ceiling her thoughts were interrupted when Sunset snuggled close. Applejack almost yelped when Sunset hugged her arm while she slept. In the faint moonlight Applejack could have sworn that she saw the tiniest smile on Sunset’s face. Even though Applejack couldn’t confirm Sunset’s smile the thought brought her comfort as she drifted into sleep’s embrace. “What the heck happened to you?” Rainbow Dash eyed Sunset’s large black boot. “ Oh, my goodness, are you alright? Does it still hurt?” stammered Fluttershy. “You poor dear! Hobbling around in a large boot of all things!” gasped Rarity. “Wowee, that looks like one doozy of an ouchy!” shouted Pinkie Pie. Bashfully Sunset shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal, it was just a run of the mill farming accident. Just a twisted ankle and sprained wrist.” As if to interrupt their conversation the first bell of the school day rang throughout the halls. “I will see you guys later then.” Sunset waved good bye as everyone went their separate ways. Only Applejack remained by Sunset’s side with a slight frown on her face as she held Sunset’s books. On account of Sunset’s injured wrist Applejack offered to carry her books for her until she was fully healed. At first Sunset protested but Applejack’s renowned stubbornness showed itself. After half an hour of protesting Sunset caved in and let Applejack carry her things for her. As Applejack walked Sunset to first class Sunset couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. All of the stares she got from the rest of the student body didn’t help. Once Applejack reached Sunset’s first class of the day, she set Sunset’s books on her desk before leaving the room. When Applejack was out of sight she ran as fast as she could to her own class started. After first period ended Applejack ran back to Sunset’s class room to carry her things. An annoyed groan escaped Sunset when Applejack grabbed her books. “Ugh Applejack, I’m not a foal! I can carry my own books!” huffed Sunset. “ Then stop actin’ like one and just let me help ya!” retorted Applejack as she held the door open for Sunset. Feeling bested by Applejack, Sunset just grumbled as they walk to her next class. As they walked down the halls Applejack kept a careful watch, always looking for danger. Both girls let out a sigh of relief when they reached Sunset’s second class. Applejack dropped off Sunset’s books and sprinted to her own class. The rest of the day Applejack repeated the process, carry Sunset’s books escort her to class. Lunch was very uneventful for Applejack, Pinkie just stared at Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Fluttershy just talked about clothes. While Sunset grumpily picked at her food and Rainbow Dash was off in her own little word ignoring Applejack’s existence. The following day was nearly identical to the day before. A slightly less grumpy Sunset was a lot more pleasant. At one point Applejack caught a quick glimpse of Pixel Pizzaz. Before Applejack could even blink Pixel disappeared into the crowd of students. After spotting Pixel Applejack was on high alert. Applejack wouldn’t forget her last encounter with Pixel anytime soon. Once Sunset was safely in the lunch room surrounded by their friends. Applejack allowed herself to relax a bit; this didn’t go unnoticed by Rarity. Before Sunset’s injury she never realized how close Applejack and Sunset had gotten. Seeing Applejack being so protective over Sunset peaked her interest. “Applejack may I speak with you for a moment?” said Rarity with a coy smirk on her lips. Broken out of her stupor Applejack just shrugged. “Sure, Ah guess.” Now that they were alone Rarity caught a glimpse of Applejack looking over at Sunset from the corner of her eye. “So when did you and Sunset get so close?” “What do ya mean? we’re friends of course we’re close.” “I see, then pray tell why have you been practically stalking her the last couple days?” retorted Rarity. Alarmed Applejack huffed “I ain’t stalkin’ her! I’m just protecting her!” Rarity’s left eyebrow shot up. “What do you mean exactly?” Applejack calmed herself as she chose her next words carefully. “ I’m watching over Sunset until she heals. There are some people that would see this as the perfect opportunity to get revenge on Sunset.” “Are you sure you’re not overreacting a little?” “No, I know for a fact that Sunset has been bullied behind our backs! We’re her friends we should’ve noticed sooner!” “Is that so? I shall keep an eye out as well…I don’t know about you but I am quite famished.” Rarity walked past Applejack, back to their table of friends Applejack just sighed before heading back to her lunch. Moose’s mind drifted back to early that afternoon as he approached the soccer field just outside Canterlot High. As soon as the school day ended Rainbow Dash sent him a message. “ Moose man! I was just wondering if you wanted to watch me play at soccer practice today. But only if you want too, if not then maybe we could just hang out afterwards? “ Even though the practice really improved his makeup skills. Unfortunately Moose’s makeup skills weren’t that great by the time he received the message. He was in the middle of getting ready for the day, everyday this week he practiced getting ready. Rarity would give him a daily critique on his progress. Occasionally Rarity would have to take over and fix his mistakes. By the time he made it on the field Rainbow Dash was the only player left. Rainbow was practicing her foot control when Moose grabbed her from behind. “Guess who?” breathed a deep voiced in her ear. In a split second decision Rainbow Dash elbowed her assailant in the ribs as hard as she could. On impact Moose crumbled to the ground, clutching his sides; trying his hardest to get air back in his lungs. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Moose! I thought you were some weirdo! You really shouldn’t sneak up on people.” “I will-” Wheezed Moose “Try to remember that….in the future.” Feeling bad for attacking her crush Rainbow Dash pulled Moose’s head on her lap while he recovered. She stroked his curly pink hair with a tender touch. The contact made Moose’s heart flutter slightly after a few minutes Moose recovered yet he didn’t stir, he didn’t want to move from his new favorite pillow. The thought of Rainbow being his pillow made him blush. “Are you alright Moose? Your face is turning all red.” “Yeah, I’m okay. I just never realized how comfortable your lap is.” “I’m glad you are comfortable, it is the least I could do after I decked ya.” “ Maybe I could get a kiss to make it feel better?” asked Moose in a playful tone. “WHAT?” squeaked Rainbow Moose broke out in laughter as he stared at her flushed cheeks. His teasing didn’t come without consequence. Feeling duped Rainbow yanked away from Moose causing his head to crash onto the grass below. Moose smiled sheepishly as he stared up at Rainbow. “ Forget I said anything, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I only laughed because your expression was so…cute.” “I’m not cute, I’m awesome!” huffed Rainbow. “You saying that just makes you even more adorable!” After Moose picked himself off of the grass he stole the soccer ball that was next to Rainbow. Chuckling to himself Moose ran towards the nearest goal and kicked the ball as hard as he could. Looking over at the goal she saw Moose score. A competitive smirk craved it’s self on her lips. “ Don’t think I’m gonna let you win that easily!” shouted Rainbow Dash. Moose sprinted down the field with unrealistic speed, Rainbow tried to catch up to him. But it wasn’t enough he was just to quick for her, after a dozen points later. Rainbow clasped on the green grass panting with all of her might. “I can’t believe you beat me! And I thought that Pinkie was the only person that could outrun me. You two are definitely related, speaking of Pinkie we should hang out with her sometime.” Moose froze in place “ Oh I don’t know, Pinkie has been very busy lately. You know party planning and stuff.” Said Moose as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “If you say so, I really have fun spending time with you Moose.” “I really like you too Rainbow.” Smiled Moose Rainbow could feel her chest tighten up with excitement and tension. Moose grabbed the soccer ball from the net and sprinted to Rainbow’s side. Smiling with a goofy grin on his face; Moose stuffed Rainbow’s soccer ball in her bag. Taking her arm in his own Moose dragged Rainbow Dash off of the field. “Let's go out and do something!” cheered Moose. Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow. “Like what?” “I don’t know? Come on let's go!” Moose pulled Rainbow along he didn’t have any plans, he just felt like moving around. Rainbow Dash didn’t question him in the slightest, she felt safe whenever he was around.