Rainbow Dash turned and smiled as her savior had finally revealed herself. While Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how she missed it, she now knew that her hostess was just around the tree. Though she hobbled slightly due to her injuries Rainbow Dash made good time around the tree and... Again there was no one there. Wrinkling her nose as she returned to her previous place, certain she hadn't just imagined the giggle. But there was apparently nothing to do about it at the moment.
As Rainbow Dash picked up the apple though she heard a quiet hum. Looking around, Rainbow Dash couldn't see anyone. But now that she was paying attention to it, it really seemed like she was being watched. After a long moment Rainbow Dash scowled. She felt a little stupid doing this but there wasn't much else she could do. "Is humming good? This apple is for me?" Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if it was her wishful thinking or reality, but she thought the humming got louder. So with a shrug Rainbow Dash dug into the apple.
The apple was crunchier than the Apple family's apples, that was for sure. But she liked it quite a lot. Regretful when she devoured the one she'd been given in just a few bites. She was about to try and talk to her hostess again but then two more apples were dropped in front of her. She quickly ate a second apple and pushed the third to the side. "I'm full thanks. Now would you show yourself?" The silence dragged on for a long moment before she felt the need to add. "Please?"
After a long moment of silence, Rainbow Dash heard that giggle again and she couldn't help herself from grinning. She knew she should be annoyed by the elusive creature that refused to show herself, but the creatures giggle for some reason set her at ease. While Rainbow Dash couldn't know, she'd started thinking of her mysterious hostess as female. The giggle sounded female to her. She had to admit that the giggle was downright cute, and that the fact that the giggler had helped save her certainly made a good first impression. Rainbow Dash couldn't stop herself from snickering at her own ideas. It was like one of Rarity's totally lame romance novels. At least that one that Rarity had made her read after she lost a bet. And totally not the other ones. The ones Rainbow Dash totally didn't sneak out of Rarity's closet every once and a while.
Getting up with a low groan, Rainbow Dash started pacing around the tree. She wasn't Applejack, she wasn't a tree expert. But this had to be a pretty old tree. It was quite wide, though not supremely tall. With a frown, she remembered that Applejack has mentioned that some trees didn't grow tall if they didn't need to. So this might just be one of those kinds of trees. Rainbow Dash frowned as she looked up into the boughs of the tree. She had the weirdest feeling that she was near her hostess, whoever or whatever she was. But that made no sense, and Rainbow Dash knew it!
After a few more moments, Rainbow Dash looked out to the forest line. That had to be where her hostess was. Where she'd gotten apples from had to be somewhere in the forest as this wasn't an apple tree. She had remained hidden so far. Rainbow Dash has examined around the tree, and looked up into its branches. There was no pony hiding there. That giggle though. It sounded like it was coming from just beyond her vision. Hiding behind a branch, or just around the tree. But whenever Rainbow Dash looked it was empty.
Suddenly Rainbow Dash had an idea and ran around the tree as fast as she could, back to the apple. Reaching it she paused, then nodded. Leaning up she reached to pluck a leaf off the tree. She was about to reach it when there was a strange but unmistakable growl. Looking around, Rainbow Dash was unable to locate its source but she hesitantly pulled back from the leaf. "Uh... No?" The growl was replaced by the pleasant humming from earlier and Rainbow Dash nodded. She didn't really need the leaf anyway. The ground was clean enough.
With a bit of work, Rainbow Dash managed to split the apple into approximately half with a stick. She ate half and then set out the other half about three feet in front of her and sat down, waiting. She was hoping that her hostess would not only understand the gesture but not let the apple go to waste. After a few minutes though Rainbow Dash was starting to doubt it, until she heard a soft sound behind her.
Spinning around Rainbow Sash grinned victoriously. "Aha!" Though the empty air did not seem overly impressed by her exaltation. She groaned likely, hearing another soft thump behind her and slowly turning to see that the apple half had been taken. "Wow, you sure are fast aren't ya? Well, I'm pretty fast too ya know." After considering for a moment, Rainbow Dash decided that her hostess had to be around here somehow. To move that like that it had to be up in the branches.
Rainbow Dash grinned as she back away from the tree a few paces. "Ok then, if you don't want to come out I'm coming in!" She lept forward, acting a second before her brain had fully formulated her plan. And the downside of that is that her brain hadn't had enough time to remind her that her wings were still under her bandage. Even as she lept forward to take flight up into the branches of the tree she was actually barreling straight for the tree's trunk. Covering her face with her forelegs, Rainbow Dash readied herself for a collision that never came. Looking down at herself she saw she was surrounded in magic.