The sun dipped closer to the horizon, bathing Equestria in a warm orange glow as the day drew closer to its close. The clouds in the skies took on a pink hue, benign but eerily reminiscent of Discord’s brief reign in Ponyville. These were, however, mere tricks of the light, and were not filled with chocolate rain, a lack which would have greatly saddened a certain pink pony had she been paying attention to them.
Applejack was distracted as she trotted back to her home. She was too busy trying to ignore her aching head to notice the beautiful display in the sky, and she thanked her lucky stars that she had not gotten a concussion, considering how strong the impact had been. As she turned the corner of the path, she sighed, her mind wandering on the events of the past few weeks since the incident. Even now, she still occasionally woke up long before her normal hours, momentarily confused at the weight and presence of the wings, before remembering where they came from.
The harvest also came to mind. Applejack had worried that it would be late this year, the several days of poor performance lowering her normal bucking numbers. Big Macintosh had tried to take up the slack, but as Applejack knew all too well, one pony versus hundreds of trees just did not add up. She felt a small pang of guilt as she recalled how she had, for lack of a better word, tricked Rainbow into helping out. But she quickly dismissed the guilt. Rainbow had been slacking off, spending her days relaxing, sleeping, or being bored while she was unable to perform her weatherpony duties, or her usual practice sessions. Applejack had stepped in and given the pegasus something to do, turning the freeloader into workforce.
It had even been a mixed blessing, as Rainbow was a quick learner, and had performed well beyond any expectations. On the other hoof, things had worked out so ‘well’ that Applejack now found herself in her current situation: no trees to buck left her with far more time on her hooves than she was used to, and she had been at a loss as to what to pass the time with until Rainbow’s had insisted on flying lessons.
Applejack had to admit she enjoyed them; the sensation of even mere gliding was intoxicating. She couldn’t imagine how true, powered flight would feel. But it had taken a herculean effort to get to where she was, nearly as bad as her attempt to harvest all the trees on her own all that time ago. Perhaps not as exhausting, but certainly more stressful. Rainbow’s increasingly despondent attitude only served to exacerbate this, and had turned what should have been enjoyable days and family dinners into headache-inducing hours and silent meals.
One of Applejack’s eyelids twitched at the thought, and she lowered her head as she sighed. It was a wonder, after these past weeks, that the stress hadn’t taken a bigger toll on her. Perhaps she was simply too stubborn to let it get to her—or just to let it show. What she truly wanted to do was talk to somepony. As stubborn as she could be, a good talk with her best friends always helped her immensely, and the weight of these past weeks was driving her to the point where she would do just that.
However, her list of available ponies to talk with did not look promising. Pinkie… was Pinkie. She was a special case, devoting her body and soul to making ponies happy, with a single minded fanaticism that made Applejack’s head spin. Pinkie’s boundless energy and bubbly attitude only served to make it spin faster, and Applejack already felt wound up enough without her mind going in circles. Her fellow earth pony was definitely a last resort.
Rarity, under that surface of grace and poise, was almost as devoted to ponies’ well-being as Pinkie. When she wasn’t being fussy, she was a devoted friend, selflessly giving of herself to help out wherever she could. The unicorn was smart, and even if she was often a bit too dramatic she usually knew what she was talking about. Even after all they’d been through, though, they still didn’t always see eye to eye.
Applejack’s mind wandered to the comments the fashionista had made at the spa, and rolled her eyes. Rarity would probably try to insinuate more of her crazy ideas. She’d probably twist anything Applejack said against her to fit her little romantic fantasies, and in her current state of mind, Applejack didn’t think she’d have a good retort.
No, Rarity definitely was off the list.
Fluttershy… was a sweetheart—and a worrier. The yellow pegasus would hover around Applejack if she even so much mentioned the stress, and the earth pony would probably find herself in a bed, under Fluttershy’s watchful eyes. She’d already felt the effect of that stare not too long ago, and didn’t feel like going for another round.
No, her first choice boiled down to two ponies, whose situations denied Applejack the chance to talk to them. Twilight, last she knew, was still sick and needed her rest, and was still burdened with the task of trying to fix the incident, which was certainly eating up the librarian’s time and energy.
As for Rainbow… Applejack’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. The pegasus probably wouldn’t be very receptive to Applejack’s problem of having too many wings. The grin faded as she thought of her friend. If the past few days were any indication, she was more in need of help than in any condition to give it.
Hopefully, Rainbow would take her up on that offer to talk. If not, Applejack might have to take the first step.
She sighed as she came to the end of her list. She didn’t feel right talking to any of her friends about this problem. But maybe she could talk to her family. Big Macintosh always had an ear open for her.
She was drawn out of her reflection as her stomach growled, causing a slight blush at the sheer volume of it. She was always famished after the flight sessions. It explained why Rainbow always ate so much.
Applejack smiled in relief as she reached the edge of the farm, angling straight towards the farmhouse and its promise of food. She headed for the kitchen, her mind focused on a crucial debate: what to eat. Fritters? Pie? Or a bushel of plain ol’ apples?
Any further thoughts on the subject fled her mind as she crossed the kitchen’s threshold. She had not expected anypony to be present, least of all the cyan pegasus sitting at the table with what looked like a bottle of Applejack’s home brewed apple cider. Normally hidden away from Apple Bloom’s prying hooves, the elder sister had shared her hiding place with her friend a few days after Rainbow’s arrival, hoping it would serve to raise her spirits. The resulting bawdy songs had certainly shown the success of Applejack’s idea, even considering the ensuing hangover. The pegasus had since refrained from touching the drink, preferring to avoid a repeat ‘performance’.
Rainbow took another swig of the bottle, then let out a loud sigh, her entire body seeming to droop. Applejack frowned at the sight, her worry for her friend reaching new heights, prompting her to step forward.
“Dash, are you alright?”
Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed as she levitated a checklist in front of her eyes. She had to make absolutely sure to track every step of the experiment, and was attempting to map them out in advance. She was proud of her ability to break things down into checklists, and gave this one a third check. Everything looked to be in order.
The same couldn’t be said of the rest of the library. Books lay strewn all over, sure to result in grumbling from the one who would have to clean everything up. But Spike was not in at the moment, as Twilight had sent him on an errand in order to keep him out of the area. She didn’t imagine the experiments to be in any way dangerous, but she wanted to minimize any possibility of distraction. The largest pile of books stood behind her, every single one on the subject of teleportation. She had perused them one more time, eager to glean any further hint on her new insight, the result of which she was about to test. The list was checked. The experiment was set. Calm reigned in the library.
She could now begin.
Twilight stared at the table set before her, containing the object of her first experiment. A simple, hoof-sized rock sat on a small block of wood, with another, bare block sitting a few feet away. Giving her checklist one final glance, she closed her eyes and focused her magic at the tip of her horn. A glow appeared, brightening as she applied the necessary amounts of magic, forming the familiar teleportation bubble around the rock. It matched the shape and color of the one that had put them in this mess, if not the size. She opened her eyes as she reached the necessary levels of power, keen on observing every detail of the spell.
The edges of the bubble reached the wood, completely enclosing the rock in its cocoon. In the next instant, it disappeared in a flash, clattering on the second block as it reappeared a moment later. Twilight let the magic dissipate, then approached the table to investigate the results. The rock sat on the second block, a small layer of wood dust lying underneath it. She glanced at the first block, noting the slight discoloration where the teleportation spell had included part of the wood beneath the rock. But this was expected. This had been her control experiment, giving her the baseline information she needed, and had gone off without a hitch… unlike her dramatic first attempt which had resulted in the situation Applejack and Rainbow Dash found themselves in.
She levitated the rock back to its initial position, mentally adding a new line to her checklist: a further test, when possible, to alter how much of the space beneath the teleported object was included in the spell. However, that could come later. For now, she had to focus on her current experiment: alteration of the transported object.
Her horn lit once more, focusing the magic required on the rock. She kept her eyes open the entire time, watching as the bubble descended, waiting for the key moment. As the edge approached the wooden block, Twilight added a surge of magic in an attempt to halt the process, which would make everything infinitely easier. Immediately, the bubble’s progress stopped. Twilight allowed herself a smile, pleased at the results. This looked promising.
Suddenly, the bubble of magic burst, sending a spray of dust in all directions. Twilight closed her eyes, coughing as she breathed in some of the dust before she could hold her breath. She waved a hoof in an attempt to clear the air, and carefully opened an eye to check her surroundings. Past the grey dust, she could see the table and wooden blocks, no worse for wear. But of the rock, there was no sign.
Unless… she thought, glancing at the dust surrounding her. She coughed once more, frowning in disappointment. A couple days might have been a somewhat optimistic estimate…
Sighing, she levitated a duster and set about cleaning the testing table. She wanted the best conditions for the next attempt.
Big Macintosh glanced upwards, his eyes settling on the sun’s position. While the farmhouse did have a clock or two, he’d always had a knack at telling the time from where the Sun stood in the sky. Or, as the case may be, by the lengthening shadows. Chores still needed doing, even without any applebucking scheduled for a while, and he had shouldered not only his own chores, but Applejack’s as well. He had needed to argue with her before she’d relented, helped in part by Rainbow Dash’s at the time vocal and enthusiastic support. With their combined assault, his sister had finally given in, allowing her more time to practice flying.
He knew she enjoyed these sessions more than she let on, but his reasons for helping weren’t entirely unselfish either. With so much time on his hooves, he truly would not have known what to do with himself. One could only venture into town so often, and the path back and forth did take a fair amount of time to cover. No sense doing that when there were many things left to do at the farm.
As he wandered the farm grounds, his thoughts wandered to his family. The past few weeks had been… good to them. Very good, in fact. The arrival and stay of his sister’s friend had brought much joy and laughter to the farm, which had been quite a surprise. He knew that Rainbow Dash was one of Applejack’s best friends, but he had not truly known her past those few times they had crossed paths. In fact, those few times had shown her to be a loud, brash, self-confident mare. Applejack had often commented on the pegasus's personality, and not always in the best of lights.
But now that he had spent a longer period of time with the weatherpony, he could see hints of why Applejack spent so much time with her. In fact, the entire family seemed to react well to her stay. Apple Bloom saw her as another big sister she could talk to and play with, Granny Smith often gave Rainbow Dash a smile she normally reserved only for the three younger Apples, and he himself was glad to see the effect she had on the family. Plus, she had proven herself to be a hard worker, bringing them to their current state of relaxation.
As for Applejack… Big Macintosh grinned and wryly shook his head. As bizarre as the situation was, what with his sister having sprouted her friends’ wings… he had never seen Applejack as happy as she had been since the pegasus's arrival. When she wasn’t worried about the situation itself, she seemed to have an extra spring in her step, her smile wider as she laughed with her friend. He had seen the looks the two gave each other, almost-unconscious gestures that seemed to linger for longer than either realized.
However, he was unsure that his suspicions about the two would end up being on the mark, now. In the recent week, the atmosphere between the two had taken turn for the worse. Rainbow Dash had seemed to close in on herself, not responding with the same strength she had in the previous weeks. In fact, she seemed almost… depressed, if he had to put a word on it. He couldn’t imagine why, as neither she nor Applejack seemed to be willing to talk. He sighed, hoping that Rainbow Dash would break out of her funk. Keeping his sisters smiling and happy was one of his constant goals in life, and he was failing that job. Perhaps he needed to talk with the pegasus.
He broke out of his reverie as he approached the barnyard, his ears twitching as he picked up a pair of voices. They were loud, and only getting louder. He thought he recognized their owners. A worried frown on his face, he approached his home, the words becoming clearer as their volume reached new heights.
“Dash, you all right?”
Rainbow jumped, not having heard the other pony’s approach. She turned to face Applejack, sizing up the pony who had interrupted her drinking. “I’m fine,” she replied, a slight slur marring her speech. She then noticed the bump on Applejack’s head. “Wha’ happened?” Rainbow asked, as she waved a hoof at the farm pony.
“What, this?” Applejack asked, glancing upwards in a vain attempt to see the top of her own head. “Glidin’ troubles. Some wind caught me and sent me into a tree.” She gave a slight chuckle as she shook her head. “Man, you make this flyin’ stuff look too easy, Sugarcube.”
She knew flattery worked quite well on the pegasus, and had hoped it would raise her spirits, but the resulting snort threw that idea out of the window. “Yeah?” Rainbow asked, her voiced laced with annoyance. “At least some of us can fly…" Her voice dropped to a mumble, but still loud enough for Applejack to hear. “I can’t even remember what it feels like…"
Applejack frowned, not liking the tone she was hearing from her friend. She trotted to the table, and put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “What the hay is the matter with you?”
To her shock, Rainbow lashed out, knocking Applejack’s foreleg away. Her bottle tumbled across the table, spilling its contents all over. “Oh, nothing!” Rainbow started as she wheeled about to face the farm pony. “I just need to fly, Applejack! Need to! Or I’ll go nuts!” She stared into Applejack’s eyes, anger burning brightly in the pegasus's magenta irises. “And Twilight refused to give me magic wings!” Rainbow spat, slamming her hoof on the table for emphasis.
Applejack stood rooted to the floor, shocked at what she was hearing as well as Rainbow’s actions. “Now hold on there!” she retorted. “Why are you blaming her? What’s this about giving you wings?”
“I’ve gotta fly, A.J.…" Rainbow stared at the earth pony, her eyes wide. “I asked her if she could magic me Rarity’s wings.” She shook her head angrily. “But she said no… something about not mixing up that magic and the one that stole my wings…" Rainbow frowned as she tried to remember past the alcoholic haze. “I don’t know! Some stupid reason! So I’m stuck because somepony has my real wings!”
Applejack’s voice rose to match the pegasus's own rising volume. “That sounds like a plenty good reason to me! Twilight’s just looking out for you!” She paused, having noted the emphasis in Rainbow’s speech. “That’s what’s been eating at you? Ah don’t even want these wings!”
Rainbow Dash stumbled off the chair, catching herself before she landed in a pile of hooves. She glared daggers at Applejack as she regained her balanced. “Oh what, you don’t like them? You’re too good for them, are you?” Rainbow hissed with narrowed eyes.
Applejack sighed as she put a hoof to her face. Rainbow was making no sense at all. “Ah don’t know where you’re getting these stupid ideas. Ah never said that!”
“But that’s wha’ happened!” Rainbow slurred, approaching Applejack. “You’re just a thief!”
“Thief?!” Applejack thundered, her front hooves slamming the floor as she lashed out in anger. “Takes one to know one! When am Ah getting my tail back?!” She could take a lot, but being called a thief… to an honest pony like herself, it was the gravest of insults. “Ah ain’t no thief! Take that back, you lazy ass!”
“Lazy?” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Get that bit out of your teeth! Being this awesome takes work!”
“Awesome?” Applejack yelled into Dash’s face as the two ponies stood so close that their foreheads were touching. The twinge of pain from her bump only fueled her anger. “You jealous nag, Ah can do whatever Ah want! But you can’t do anything without your wings! You’re worthless without them!”
Rainbow Dash stared back into Applejack’s eyes, her muzzle twisted in fury. After a few seconds, she turned away, breaking eye contact. “I’m leaving before somepony gets hurt,” she said, still not facing Applejack. “If I didn’t hold the Element of Loyalty, I’d buck you in the face right now.”
“Fine with me!” Applejack spat, glaring daggers. “Don’t let the door hit your rump on the way out!”
Still shaking in anger, Rainbow Dash stormed out of the kitchen and the barnhouse, slamming the front door in her wake. She failed to notice Big Macintosh, who had stood outside a kitchen window, hearing every word. As Rainbow made her way out of the farmlands, the large earth pony trotted back inside. He made his way to the kitchen, where he found his sister cleaning up the mess Rainbow Dash had left behind.
“Sis?” he asked, causing her to look up. “What the hay just happened?”