//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 
// Story: The Rainbow Grows 
// by TheRainbowDashShow 
//------------------------------//

Applejack walked over to the spot that they were meant to have impacted upon. An idea came to her; she smacked her front hooves into the ice, shattering it into a pony sized hole. She returned to her giggling Pegasus in the snow, "Just in case that pony isn't satisfied" she said, sliding herself underneath Rainbow Dash's back lifting her up. "How come ah'm always carrying yah everywhere?"

Rainbow Dash continued to laugh, "How come I'm always the one with the broken bones, and all you get is a bump on the head?" 

Applejack chuckled, "Ah guess that's true." 

Rainbow Dash's laughs grew quieter as she ran out of breath, "Next time we can trade places, 'kay AJ?"

"Deal, but ah don't know, ah don't think yah can carry me!" she teased back. 

"What? Huh? Hey!" Rainbow stuttered, at a loss for words. Applejack grinned as the pony silently tried to think of some kind of rebuttal. 

"We should probably get yah to a doctor, don't yah think?" Applejack suggested looking back at the discolored ribcage of the Pegasus resting on her back.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, "No, if that pony thinks he's taken care of us, then we have to lay low." 

Applejack thought for a moment, "Yer right, ah guess Fluttershy would be the next best thing." 

Rainbow Dash found herself laughing again, "I agree but AJ… You're taking us the wrong way." 

Applejack blushed, letting out a quiet chuckle she changed course, "Oops."

As they continued on their expedition, an occasional outburst of chuckles broke the silence. Rainbow Dash constantly found herself wiggling about her wing, straining the muscles, pushing it to grow stronger. An acidic feeling started to build up in the tendon; she took this as a sign to let it rest and recover.

The journey came to a close as Applejack bonked her head on the wooden door, the sound frightening the bunnies. They waited patiently, until a lemon colored Pegasus opened the door, her pink hair tangled wildly, and her eyes drooping with tiredness. "Yes?" she said sleepily, her eyes pointed in their direction, but she wasn't really looking at them.

"Uh, mind if we come in Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, surprised at how disinterested Fluttershy seemed. 

"Sure." Fluttershy yawned again, moving away from the door. 

Rainbow Dash groaned. She knew Fluttershy was far too tired to be useful. She covered Applejack's ears with her hooves as to spare her from the bombardment of noise. "FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

The yellow Pegasus bounced into the air, the exhaustion vanishing from her eyes. "Oh my gosh, Rainbow, are you okay?" she floated over towards Rainbow Dash, lifting her off of Applejack, and then set her onto the couch. "Oh you poor thing, what happened to you?" she cooed.

"I think the less you know the better for everypony." Rainbow Dash groaned back. The adrenaline and euphoria were vanishing from her body, allowing the severe pain in her hooves and chest to submerge into her mind. 

Fluttershy rushed about the house, gathering various supplies from the cabinets. "You really should go to the hospital." Her soft voice filled with concern.

"We can't. Just trust us." Applejack joined in, "We really need a place to stay fer a few days at the very least, if yah don't mind, we'd greatly appreciate yer hospitality." 

Fluttershy glided back over towards her patient, "Of course, you two can stay here as long as you need." giving Applejack a small nod as she spoke.

"Thank yah kindly." Applejack bowed politely as a gesture of appreciation.

Fluttershy finished wrapping bandages tightly around Rainbow Dash's chest, holding the ribs closely together. "I can't do much more for you; the best thing for you now, would be to rest." Rainbow Dash was far ahead of her though, she had fallen asleep almost immediately after the dressings had been set.

The Pegasus laid there, her body in a deep relaxation as it slept happily. Peaceful and sweet fantasies filling her joyful world of dreams, her whole life was ahead of her. The memories of the forest that nearly destroyed her no longer plagued her thoughts; her mind finally saw them for what they were, memories, and nothing more.

"Hey sugarcube" Applejack said grinning over her. 

Rainbow Dash returned the smile. She had a new appreciation for everything and she was excited for the future. Most importantly, she knew just what she wanted, and she wasn't going to let anything pass her by again. "Applejack, I want to go back to the farmhouse, our home, I want to be there for Heart's Warming Eve."