//------------------------------//
// a broken leg and heart 
// Story: The Wonderbolt of her eye 
// by TGAP Trixie 
//------------------------------//

Applejack groaned as she opened her eyes sleepily. She blinked to get her eyes adjusted to the light, which seemed a lot brighter this morning.. Had she left her window open?

Than she shrieked as she saw that she was lying on a cloud bed, with a concerned Dash eyeing her.

"What in tarnation!? How in the hay did ah get up here?" Applejack said, glaring at her friend. The farm pony had feelings for her, but sometimes even she had to question the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Relax, AJ.. I was coming to see you earlier and you were bucking apples, and well, you must've been angry or something because you kicked to hard and your leg barely slipped and.. you kinda broke it and passed out when a bunch of apples hit your head.."

Applejack held back a chuckle seeing her friend was trying not to smile at the last part. She looked away realizing why she had been so angry and bucked the tree. It wasn't unusual for thoughts of the rainbow maned pony to come to her mind while she worked. It suddenly came back..

Why in tarnation do yah have to love her!? Applejack thought, bucking a tree angrily without aiming like normal. Her leg slipped, roughly scraping the bark and landing on a large rock. Her leg was already injured from where she had sprained it, but she didn't feel like resting like her family had suggested before leaving. "Damn it!" She cried out, noticing it was broken. Suddenly a few apples came down, and than it all went fuzzy and black.

"...and your family is gone on business, so I kinda just took you to the doctor and than you were just starting to stir when I was on my way up to Cloudsdale." Rainbow Dash finished her run on sentence.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Yes, because anypony can sleep perfectly when bein' carried on the back of a pegasus straight intah Cloudsdale!" But despite the aggravated tone she smiled, and couldn't help the urge to reach over and wrap her orange arms around the cyan pony's neck, hugging her tightly. "Thank ya, though."

Rainbow Dash smiled and hugged her back. "You don't have to thank me."

Applejack sighed and lied her head back down. So this was what a cloud bed felt like. It was very soft and comfortable. The orange mare let her green eyes gaze around the room, at all the various wonderbolt items. She smiled and than looked over as Rainbow Dash sat down next to her.

"You must sleep well at night." Applejack chuckled a bit.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and let her eyes wander to the side. "Well, um, yeah. Most of the time. Lately I'm just really stressed with a lot of thoughts."

Applejack frowned. "So ah'm not the only one. If ya ever need me sugarcube, ah'm right here."

Rainbow Dash looked down at her. "And the same goes for you." 

AJ looked up and smiled softly. "Ah will when ah'm ready."

You will, won't you?

They sat a moment in silence, and than Rainbow Dash woke up. "Say, we've been to a couple of Wonderbolt shows, right?"

"Why of course.. we've had fun and all."

"What do you think of Soarin? I mean.. just out of curiousity.." Rainbow Dash looked to the side, many emotions Applejack couldn't read in her eyes. She sighed and bit back her dissapointment about the pegasus asking about the stallion. She was the element of honesty, and she wouldn't tell a lie to her best friend to start with.

"Ah think he's nice, from what we've seen an' heard about 'em." She paused, and than spoke once more, "Why do ya ask, sugarcube?"

Rainbow Dash sighed and laid back next to her friend, resting her head on the pillow beside her's.

"We met at Shining and Cadance's wedding, and he even told me he really liked me.. and, I got accepted to the Wonderbolts academy, and we've been talking a lot.. but.. even though he's great and all.. I kinda have feelings for somepony else. I just don't think they feel the same way." Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and Applejack felt her throat closing and her eyes stinging with the threat of a few tears at seeing the one she loved so sad and stressed.

"Ah think you should tell him how you feel, sugarcube." Applejack let the words come out of her mouth, although she felt as if she were committing suicide, slowly suffocating as each word came out.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and shifted over to look over at her. "I dunno Applejack.."

Applejack thought for a moment, racking her brain for an answer through the sea of doubts. 

"When do they choose who becomes a wonderbolt?"

"Soon.." The pegasus paused. "Why?"

"If you get in, which ah'm sure you will, sugarcube.. maybe you should tell him than."

And maybe ah should be as close to you as ah can get until than. What's goin' ta happen ta us?

Rainbow sighed. "For you, yes. I promise."

Applejack looked at her, hiding the sadness in her green eyes. "Good, sugarcube.."

The farm pony looked at her closely, noticing her struggling to keep her puffy eyes open. 

"Ah can tell you haven't slept in ah while.. go to sleep, sugarcube."

"But -"

"Ah'll be fine, Rainbow. Just go to sleep.. for me."

Rainbow Dash sighed and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for sleep to overcome her, the pegasus breathing in and out softly. Applejack carefully shifted closer on her leg and brushed her rainbow colored mane away from her face.

"Ah love you, sugarcube.. ah always will.."

She felt a single tear trickle down her strong, straight face as she pressed herself against Dash's back when she shifted over to her other side, and found herself falling asleep as well feeling the fluffy cyan warmth, and the steady beat of her heart.