Rainbow Dash flew high above Sweet Apple Acres, hoping to see Applejack as she scouted the fields. To her dismay, she had no such luck. She gave up the search and landed by the house's front door giving it a light knock and received no answer. She knocked again louder this time, and still no one answered.
"Guess no pony is home, must have gone to town." Rainbow Dash thought, turning around a flash of light reflected into her eyes from a golden tail that soon vanished into dark forest just outside the farm.
Rainbow Dash, almost certain that it had been Applejack running into the woods, decided she would go to investigate. Taking off back into the sky, she peered down into the forest from above, but the thick leaves were clumped to close together for her to see anything. Unable to locate the pony from the skies, she landed and cautiously entered inside the forest.
"How am I supposed to find any pony in here?" she wondered aloud as she stumbled through the fallen branches and roots that jabbed at her hooves from the ground.
After wandering around aimlessly, Rainbow Dash finally spotted a clue as to where Applejack may have gone. A small dirt trail bearing fresh hoofprints weaved between the mossy trees. She ventured forth on the trail carefully, keeping a close eye on the tracks in case they trailed off of the course. The winding path continued on for hundreds of yards until merging into a small field of grass.
Rainbow Dash looked around she was hoping to find Applejack nearby, but she was still alone. She flew up to get a better view and began to circle the area, looking for any other hints as to where to go now, locating yet another set of muddy prints leading back into the forest.
"Ah-ha!" she cheered triumphantly. She landed again, and followed the newly discovered trail, expecting that she would soon be caught up. Rainbow Dash grinned excitedly, enjoying the after pursuit of Applejack that continued to elude her. As she galloped down the trail, the light in the forest slowly dwindled away, making it difficult for her to follow the path.
Rainbow Dash squinted to see the dirt as her eyes tried to adjust to the constantly changing lighting of the forest. The pathway felt like it was never going to end. A few minutes drifted by with no indication that she was nearing the end of the trail. Another few minutes passed still with no sign, becoming more frustrated. Just as she was ready to give up the search and fly out of the forest, the end of the trail showed itself to her.
"About time…" She muttered to herself quietly. The sound of rushing water filling her ears as she approached the opening. The air started to cool and dampen as she walked. The last of the trees parted, allowing more of the moonlight to permit her to see the new surroundings which caused the changes to the atmosphere around her.
A nearby waterfall crashed down into a rapidly flowing river which connected itself to a small round lake. The rays of moonlight shining through the small opening in the leaves, reflecting through the entirety of the lake making the silver water sparkle.
Rainbow Dash let out an excited gasp as she observed the beauty that surrounded her. Finding this spot had made the trip worthwhile, even if Applejack hadn't been here afterall. She flew up near the leaves of the trees to get a new perspective of the sight, the new vantage point made the place seem even more gorgeous than before.
Her eyes caught view of a pony that lay down on the grass below her, "Applejack!" Rainbow Dash called out, covering her mouth with a hoof when she realized her friend was most likely asleep. Never having seen Applejack seem so peaceful, she flew closer and watched silently. Nor had she ever seen her mane free from the red ribbon that had always bound it. She gazed at the sleeping pony, blushing slightly when she decided Applejack was more beautiful than the recently discovered lake.
Rainbow Dash, not wanting to disturb Applejack, suppressed a yawn, "I'll talk to her tomorrow" she thought. She took one last mental picture of the pony she adored that slept ever so peacefully below her. She flew back above the trees and looked around for familiar landmarks to help memorize the location. She spotted her cloud home hovering off in the distance, not nearly as far from the forest as she had originally anticipated.
Flying back towards her home, she focused on the mental image of Applejack sleeping next to silver lake. Her cheeks bright red with a large smile spread across her face as she relished in the scene she had been able to witness. Reaching her cloud, Rainbow Dash landed softly and headed inside, walking into her room clumsily, not paying any attention as she continuously blundered into the furniture, her mind too focused on Applejack.
She entered her bedroom wondering what sweet dreams Applejack was dreaming of at that moment. Rainbow Dash's thoughts however, were soon shrouded by her own need for sleep. Climbed into bed, she looked outside of her window into the twinkling yellow stars whispering softly as she fell asleep, "Goodnight Applejack… I love you."