//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Promise // Story: Mares on a Moonlit Night // by Sheendough //------------------------------// Chapter 4: The Promise Applejack waited on the roof of her barn. She liked to stargaze every now and then and she thought that it’d relax her senses a little bit after all the work she went through. Today, however, there weren’t any stars and the sky’s darkness seemed a bit brighter with so many clouds —as ironic and nonsensical as that sounded. She saw something move on the corner on her eye and a dark blur appeared before her. It landed on the ground and seemed to wait. “Rainbow?!” —“Applejack?” —“Up here sugarcube!” Rainbow fluttered her wings and flew towards the roof of the barn, landing in front of Applejack. — “What are you doin’ here AJ?” —“Well, ah figured ah’d look at the sky tonight. It calms me and puts mah thoughts in order. Also, ah like to watch Ponyville from the distance.” —“That’s odd.” —“Ah know.” Rainbow trotted up to Applejack and sat on her haunches beside her. —“Anyway, what’s up?” —said Dash as she looked at Applejack. —“A lot.” —“Tell me about it.” —“Well, ah haven’t slept very well lately.” —“You can say that again.” —“Pardon?” —asked a confused Applejack, who met Dash’s eyes for the first time since she sat down. —“I haven’t slept very well lately as well. You first.” —“Well, ah’ve had this weird dream recently.” —“Really? I also had a weird dream!” —“Oh! Well… Did ya have this dream for the past month or so?” —said the farmer pony excitedly. For a split second she had the hope that she and her friend had shared the same dream. —“Nah, it was just a nightmare last night.” —“Oh” —said Applejack with a disappointed tone on her voice. She lowered her gaze towards the floor —or rather, the roof— with a defeated look on her face. —“Hey, don’t be sad. I’m sure that we’ll get over it.” Applejack sighed and closed her eyes, her work and lack of sleep getting the better of her. “Hey! AJ! AJ! ” Applejack perked up wide awake and looked around dizzy. —“Wha— What?” Dash chuckled at the sight of her friend. —“You were falling asleep, you silly pony”. —“Ah’m not silly, ah’m just tired, that’s all.” —“Aw. Who’s a silly pony? You is, Applejack! ” —Rainbow teased her friend. —“Stop it!” Dash laughed again. —“What? Can’t ya handle the truth? Are you a cowardly dog?” Dog. Applejack’s gaze lowered as she remembered her lost companion. “What’s wrong?” —asked Rainbow with a worried tone. For a split second she thought she had inadvertently offended AJ. —“Nothin’” —replied the orange mare in a cutting tone. —“Did I say something wrong?” —“N-no. No! No-no-no-no-no Rainbow, ya didn’t.” —“Then what’s the matter?” —“It’s just…” —“It’s just?” —“Winona’s missing” —said AJ with a sigh and sadness in her voice. —“Really?! For how long?” —“Three days.” —“Is there anything I can do?” —“Ah hardly think so sugarcube. But thanks fer tryin’” —Applejack gave Rainbow a warm smile and stayed silent for a moment before continuing. Her gaze perked up at the sky again. She sighed again and proceeded. “Y’know Dash, it’s just ah’ve had a very rough month. Ah mean, that’s the reason ah haven’t done really anythin’ except fer work what with apple buckin’ season an’ all; then there’s Big McIntosh, who’s been acting strangely coldly towards me lately. Then there’s the dream that keeps me from sleeping at night and… And now this. Ah mean, don’t get me wrong, ah love mah job an’ ev’rythin’. But ah feel like runnin’ away for a couple o’ weeks ta see if anyone missed me. Just do nothin’ an’ relax an’ ferget ev’rythin’.” —“Applejack, don’t say that. If there’s anyone who could really miss you, it’d be us.” —“Us?” —“What, is your work so hard you have forgotten all about Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?” —“Oh. Yeah…” —AJ had not forgotten about her friends, it was the combination of work and lack of sleep that numbed her brain at times. —“Besides, there’s Applebloom, who you need to take care of, and most importantly, me.” —“You?” —“Well, yeah. You’re my best friend aren’t you? If there’s anyone who could really miss you, then that would be me.” —“Really, Rainbow?” —“Yeah, there’d be nopony to hang out if you left. I mean, sure, there’s Fluttershy, but she’s a scaredy pony. Then there’s Pinkie Pie, but she and I just hang out for pranks and stuff; I don’t really have that much in common with her, not that I don’t like her company, I do, but I just don’t seem to enjoy myself at times. Then there’s Rarity, who’s a haughty preppy who only rambles on and on about fashion and stuff. I like her and everything and she’s a great friend, but I can’t get close to her without her having a rant about my hair and how dirty I am and her new dress that’ll make me look like one of those mannequins she has. And finally there’s Twilight, who can’t unglue her eyes out of a book and bore me to death. I like every single one of them, but only with you can I truly be myself. Y’know, fast, athletic… Without you near, I’d bore myself until my wings fall out. I need mud my mane, wind in my wings and a bruise every now and then. And none of our friends enjoy doing that.” With those words, Applejack had something to think now as she shifted her sight between the sky and Ponyville. How can she have forgotten about her friends that easily? And doubted her best friend’s loyalty? Loyalty ! Out of all her friends she doubted the embodiment of that Element itself. Now AJ looked at herself with pity and felt like a fool. “’sides…” —continued Rainbow. “Now that the Summer Sun’s Celebration is approaching, if I don’t find something to entertain myself other than stunts for the Wonderbolts, then Cloudkicker will drive me crazy. A loony far into whacko territory, so much into insanity I’ll break our standards. More than when Twilight wanted to make an exact replica of Ponyville in less than a minute. Or when we betrayed each other because of Discord’s spells. Or when Pinkie Pie and Twi—” Rainbow cut herself at that sentence. She had vowed herself to not to speak of those little incidents again. Applejack didn’t seem to pick on that last part and just gazed to the little town deep in thought. —“Thanks Rainbow” —Applejack smiled and briefly focused on the cyan mare’s magenta eyes before returning her gaze to the cloudy landscape before her. They both stayed silent until an idea popped up in Rainbow Dash’s mind. —“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” —“ Really ?” —replied Applejack with a heavy tone of sarcasm in her voice, returning the pegasus’s teases she had thrown at her before. Rainbow just punched Applejack on her hoof playfully. “Ow! OK, OK. Ah’m listenin’” —replied the orange mare rubbing her leg. —“Both of our lives and jobs pretty much suck, don’t they?” —“Hey, watch it Dash. That’s the Apple Family yer talkin’ ‘bout.” —“No, no. You’ve misunderstood me. What I mean to say is that pretty much everything’s not cool now, right?” —“Eeyup” —said the orange mare with a small tone of annoyance in her voice and her eyes returning to the sky. —“Well, how about every time one of us is in trouble or in the middle of a setback, the other will come to help?” —“Ya mean like if ah was about ta be eaten’ alive by a monster you’ll be my knight in shining helmet coming ta mah rescue?” –asked again a sarcastic Applejack. —“Well, if the situation demands it, then yes. But I was talking more about normal problems, y’know? Like somepony spreading slander about you, or some dumb colt that broke my heart, or even if too much work and almost no rest is keeping any of us down. I’d come down to help you buck your apples, but there’s Cloud-cuckoo-kicker up there nagging at me. Or even if it’s just you wanting to talk to somepony, I’d come and listen.” —“Well, ah think it’s a great idea.” —“So, is this a promise?” —“Yeah, Dash. It is” —said finally a weary Applejack with a warm smile in her face. —“Then it’s on.” Rainbow spat on her hoof and waited. Applejack did the same and then they bumped their hooves together as they closed their pact. They continued to watch the bright sky as hints of a storm were seen all across Ponyville. Blue jets and sprite reds bursting every now and then in an awesome spectacle of colors, blue and red combining. Sometimes a purple would flash out, or even a pink one. Both mares just stayed in the roof until past midnight admiring the spectacle. Their friendship stronger than ever.