//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Apples & Rainbows 
// by Hazama 
//------------------------------//

	"Granny Smith," Applejack announced as she entered the house. "You remember Rainbow Dash, don't ya?"

The elderly green mare swayed gently back and forth in a rocking chair and looked up from her knitting project. She squinted at the earth pony and the pegasus who followed her in. "What's that? My eyes jest ain't what they used ta be. Come closer, would ya?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and walked up to the elder. Granny Smith looked her guest up and down and, satisfied with the appraisal, smiled warmly. "Oh, yes, Ah remember. One of Applejack's friends, ain't ya? Welcome ta our home."

The sound of a throat being cleared drew the two's attention to Applejack. "Ah was hopin' Rainbow could stick around for dinner. If that's all right with ya, Granny?"

Granny Smith's smile continued unabated. "Why, of course she can, dear! It's been a while since we had company. Ain't no problem at all." As she finished speaking, a bell sounded from the next room. Applejack took a few steps toward the kitchen, but was intercepted by her grandmother. "Hold on, dearie. Ah may be gettin' on in years, but Ah can still tend to the cookin'." As she hobbled away, she drawled on. "Jest have a seat here an' wait fer yer brother to get back. He oughta be here any time now."

The two mares did as they were instructed and took a seat on the sofa. Almost on cue, the door opened and a large, red stallion strode through the entrance. Big Macintosh paused to hang his yoke on a rack by the door, then nodded at Dash. "Evenin', miss."

Dash nodded in return, and Applejack said, "Dinner's just about ready, Mac. Ah invited Rainbow ta join us tonight."

"And boy am I glad! I completely forgot about lunch today," the flier exclaimed as her stomach gurgled again. The three ponies shared a quick laugh at that.

Big Macintosh trotted into the kitchen to greet his grandmother. Within a few minutes, the call to eat was sounded and four ponies sat in the dining room. A number of dishes were laid on the table, steam rolling off the food within. Granny Smith had prepared a veritable bounty: diced potatoes, boiled to softness and seasoned with oregano; a medley of carrots, peas, and corn, steamed to perfection and lightly glazed with butter; a basket of freshly-baked rolls. The scent of apples and dough wafted from the oven, betraying the contents within.

Rainbow Dash's eyes, were they capable, would have leapt from their sockets. She smacked her lips as they prepared their plates and was about to dig into hers when a kick under the table stopped her. Looking around the table, she took the hint at the family's lowered heads and bowed her own. Granny Smith led a short thank-you to Celestia and her life-giving sun before telling everyone to dig in. Dash didn't need to be told twice, and she eagerly attacked the plate before her.

"Land sakes, girl," Applejack said, recoiling slightly. "Ya act like ya ain't had a meal in weeks."

"Oh, uh..." Dash started, swallowing before continuing. "Well, I haven't had anything this good in weeks, at least." She returned to her meal, dining more slowly.

Granny Smith laughed. "Why, thank ya, dearie. Make sure ya save some room because I've got apple pie in the oven!"

The remainder of the main course passed without incident, and the bell sounded once more, signaling the oven's task as complete. As Applejack swept everyone's empty plates from the table, Granny Smith doled out generous slices of apple pie to all present, serving herself last. As family and guest ate, the Apple elder turned to peer at her granddaughter.

"Applejack, Ah've been tryin' ta figure out how ya done got home so much sooner than yer brother."

"Well," the orange pony began, "Rainbow was achin' somethin' awful to give me a lift." She rolled her eyes in the pegasus's direction. "Wouldn't quit pesterin' me, an' I gave in so she'd stop."

"Ya sure it's safe for an earth pony ta be flyin' 'round like that?"

Rainbow Dash puffed up at the insinuation. "Nah! The Wonderbolts do it all the time. Though," she sighed, "they really only give rides to the younger ones. But we were fine! All except for the chicken over here." Dash jabbed at Applejack playfully.

Brushing the hoof away, Applejack grumbled, "S'only natural. I ain't no flier." She perked up slightly. "But Ah suppose it was all right in the end. It's like a whole new world up there, ya know?"

Big Macintosh shook his head slowly. "Just be careful, AJ. Applebuckin's just 'round the corner."

The farm mare laughed. It was her turn to do some ribbing. "What's the matter, Mac? Don't want to buck all them trees by yerself like I did last time?" She received a frown in reply. "I'm just pokin' fun, big bro. Ain't nothin' keepin' me from that harvest. You know me."

All too well, everyone conceded. Their banter turned to conversation about the scheduled weather ahead. Rainbow Dash assured the family that the orchard would remain high and dry for the harvest. After some more idle chat, the pegasus bade her farewells to her hosts.

"Hey, uh..." she hesitated, looking aside momentarily. "Thanks. For the food, that is. It was good."

As the pegasus turned to exit, Granny Smith beamed a warm smile at her. "Any time, dearie. Friends are family, far as Ah'm concerned."

Big Macintosh offered his signature agreement, and Applejack said, "Ah'll see ya later, Rainbow."

Dash gave an exaggerated salute at the door, then took off into the sky. The flight home was short and she was soon landing at the door to her floating home. Tiredness had begun to fall over her on the way, brought on by the massive meal she enjoyed. Ignoring the growing pile of bills and takeout containers on a nearby table, the pegasus made her way to the bedroom and flopped down onto the fluffy cloud bed. Sleep was not far behind.




The sun was nearing the apex of its course as Rainbow Dash flashed through the sky. She checked the large clock in the town square; it read 10:54. Plenty of time for some practice, the pegasus thought to herself as she began a routine of aerial acrobatics. The manuevers were engraved in her memory by now, and she had no difficulty with them.

Dash's vision scanned across the clock in the middle of her performance and she came to a jarring halt. The hands displayed 3:21. Oh, horseapples! I'm late! she mentally shrieked, streaking toward the apple orchard in a rainbow blur. When she finally arrived, she found Applejack walking along one of the field roads.

Rainbow Dash quickly descended and came to a hover before the earth pony. "Ohmygosh, I'm sorry for taking so long!" she exclaimed, apologising profusely for keeping her friend waiting. "I lost track of time and--"

Applejack raised a hoof to cut the pegasus off. "Late? Why, yer just about on time, Rainbow! Ah was just headin' out to the practice field." She grinned mischievously. "Maybe ya wanna give me a lift there?"

The cyan flier didn't need to be asked twice, and the two were soon in the air. Before they arrived at the field in question, however, Applejack leaned forward from her perch on Rainbow's back and said, "Take me up to the clouds." Dash was taken aback by the request, but readily complied. Earth pony and pegasus ascended until they shared the sky with the cloudline.

Dash flew lazily along, enjoying the time shared with her best friend. Suddenly, she felt hot breath and a nuzzling on the back of her neck. A soft drawl met her ear: her name. "Applejack..." Dash replied nervously, stealing a glance behind her.

"Rainbow... Ah..."

An ear-piercing shriek shattered the moment and drew Dash's attention downward to the source. A blonde-maned, orange earth pony was tumbling toward the ground, legs flailing uselessly. The pegasus snapped her gaze over her shoulder once more, but nothing was there. She became dimly aware of the presence of a large crowd around her, but another shriek pulled her attention downward once more.

"Hold on, Applejack! I'm coming!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hurling herself through the open cloudiseum bottom and toward the falling farm pony. Her wings beat as quickly and powerfully as she could manage while she streamlined her body for maximum speed. A dull ache where her wings connected grew into a wildfire of pain, and she attempted to will it into submission. She was slowly gaining on her target, but at her rate she couldn't hope to catch the pony before the ground did.

A vapor cone slowly began to form before the pegasus as she struggled to increase her speed. The burning sensation through her backside was too intense to ignore now, causing Dash to grimace, grunts of pain escaping her. The vapor cone grew thicker as she neared the sound barrier. Just before crossing it, however, a sharp, blinding pain coursed through her wings. She lost speed as her burning, overworked muscles refused to cooperate any longer, and the vapor cone dissipated.

The distance between Rainbow Dash and Applejack began to increase as the pegasus's wings failed her. Tears streamed down her face and blew away in the wind as she watched her best friend approach the earth. Just before impact...

... Rainbow Dash bolted upright in her bed, soaked in sweat and panting heavily. Her gaze darted around for a few seconds until she caught her bearings and realized where she was. The pegasus flopped back down onto the bed and took a number of deep breaths, recalling with vivid detail every moment of the dream... the nightmare. Once she had calmed herself, she moved to the kitchen for a cup of water.

Taking a deep gulp of the cooling liquid, Dash swirled the cup and stared at the remainder. She ran the dream through her mind. The falling scene was easily explained, as she had had a few nightmares about the incident at the Best Young Flyer competition after saving Rarity. What she lingered on, however, was the intimacy Applejack showed toward her before everything went south.