FaR Chapter Three- A Glimpse to the Past
-Author's Note-
Hay all! This is important for the next part of my story, so please read this! This chapter is, for the most part, a flashback of when Rainbow and Applejack first met! However, I will actually be continuing from a story written by another writer here on fanfiction, using their story of Applejacks and Rainbow's first encounter as part of my story! (With the Writer's permission, of course) So, if you would please go read 'Crashing Into You' By Nikkel (can be found here http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7549105/1/ ) and then come back here I will be continuing from where that story left off! Thank you all for understanding!
-End Note-
-Insert Crashing Into You by Nikkel here-
The moment Rainbow touched down on the crunchy leafs before Applejack; she began laughing a loud, high pitched laugh. "Bahahaha! Applejack, you should see the look on your face!" Rainbow fell on her back, arms crossed across her chest while she laughed.
Applejack knew what the cyan Pegasus meant. She couldn't help it as her jaw hung open in awe, the orange filly's eyes darting left to right, eyeing all of the baskets in the orchard. Each basket had been filled, the apple trees bare.
After another minute of vigorous laughing, Rainbow finally caught her breath, and slowly stood; still giggling as she did so. "You know, I like you Applejack! You're interesting!"
Applejack simply stared at the other filly, captivated by her deep, bright purple eyes. There was a hidden energy behind those eyes like nothing Applejack had ever seen. A sort of hope? An aspiration for greatness? No. That wasn't it. What Applejack saw was a dream. Rainbow Dash had a dream bigger then anypony else AJ had ever met. It was the kind of dream that landed ponies in the stars, forever remembered by generations to come.
"So?" Rainbow Dash's voice broke Applejack from her trance of thought. Rainbow was staring deeply at Applejack, which at first startled the earth filly.
Applejack answered confusedly. "So what?"
Rainbow coughed lightly, looking around the orchard at the many bare trees, and then returned her stare to Applejack. If this wasn't enough to remind Applejack of their deal the loud rumbling of Rainbow's stomach was.
"Oh, golly gee! Ah s'pose Ah owe you some apple pie, don't I?" Applejack laughed lightly at her own forgetfulness. She wasn't normally like this, in fact she had a splendid, accurate memory; it was Rainbow's eyes that were throwing the filly off. "Well, c'mon then, I'll show you the way to the old apple family house!"
Applejack began turning towards her home, but not before noticing how beautifully Rainbow Dash stood out among the orchard. All of her life Applejack had lived in the orchard, surrounded by green trees, green grass, and the vast blue sky; occasionally the mysterious fall leaves, and white snow. Very rarely she had ventured to Ponyville, but not nearly enough to grow accustomed to the colors.
Rainbow Dash stood out like a cupcake in a batch of muffins, bringing color to the world around her. Before she knew it, Applejack was staring again. There was just something... different about the Rainbow maned, cyan Pegasus.
At long last Rainbow responded. "No."
"No?"
"Look, Applejack... There is something different about you." Applejack's face reddened at Rainbow's words. "You look like..."
"Yes, Rainbow?"
Suddenly a wicked smile crossed Rainbow's face. "You look like you may actually be able to keep up with me!"
In the blink of an eye, and in one powerful beat of her wings, Rainbow Dash was already high above the apple trees.
"Last one to the house loses, and the first one gets the first apple pie!"
It was like a spark suddenly ignited in Applejack, and before she really knew what was happening she was sprinting through the trees. Never before had Applejack felt this competitive, this excited! Never before had Applejack competed like this. Never had she had this much fun.
AJ's heart kept beating faster, the aches in her legs growing stronger, and yet she did not slow. In fact, she ran faster! Faster than she had ever run before! Rainbow Dash's little competition was pushing Applejack father then she'd ever pushed before, and she loved it.
All around her shades of green and yellow flashed by, and above her a streak made of every color of the rainbow. It was beautiful, and then it ended. The house was closing in fastener then Applejack realized, and then she was there! She'd won! Slowly she closed the distance to the front door, spun, and sat, waiting for her new friend.
"So, you coming in?" The voice caught her off guard. It was Rainbow, and it came from behind her. Spinning in place Applejack spotted her, full grin spreading across her face, standing in the doorway.
"Looks like I won." Her voice was cocky, filled with self-respect. "Now, I'm expecting an apple pie."
Applejack tried as hard as she could to be mad at Rainbow, but she couldn't. She could never be mad at her again. Rainbow had become inspiration to try harder. She had become Applejack's rival.
"Alright, sugar cube!" Applejack snickered, entering the kitchen of the home and starting up the oven. "Get in here and sit down! The pies'll be a while."
Young Rainbow Dash did so, quietly. Quietly? Quietly!
"Rainbow...?"
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong?"
"Um... Nothing."
"Liar."
"What?"
"You're lying." AJ slowly turned away from the oven, locking eyes with the Pegasus. Or rather, she tried to. The moment their eyes locked Rainbow looked away.
That's when Applejack really started to notice something was off about the Pegasus. Her breathing was raspy. Not the kind of heavy breathing some pony has after they run, or fly fast. No, it was the kind of raspy, shallow breathing of some pony who had not stopped pushing for days. Some pony who had not closed her eyes for more than a minute in countless days. Some pony who had not eaten either.
That bought Applejack to the next startling realization. Rainbow's body was thin, malnourished. Her mane was scraped here and there, her mane knotted and unclean.
"Rainbow." Applejack moved closer, only a hoof away from the cyan, mess of a pony. "Where did you say you lived?"
"I didn't"
"So where do you live." It was not a question. Applejack demanded an answer, but she already knew it. Rainbow didn't have a home.
"In the clouds, my own place. Made it myself!" Rainbow was angry now, she couldn't stand Applejack's questions. "Why does it matter."
Applejack snickered at the response. "Let me rephrase my question." AJ's voice had grown softer. She had already won, and she knew it. "Where is your home? The place you can go at the end of the day, the place where you can fall asleep in peace, in the arms of those who love you?"
Rainbow didn't answer.
"Why, Rainbow?"
"Why, what!" Tears pinched at Rainbow's eyes, but with an unknown strength she held them in.
"Why did you run away, Rainbow!" Rainbow Dash might have been able to hold in tears, but Applejack could not. She cried, heavily. Her arms wrapped around her new friends neck, and Rainbow gave up.
"I'm sorry!" Rainbow pushed Applejack away, and stood. "I'll leave you alone."
She began to make her way for the exit, but found herself held back by the tail.
"No! You are not allowed to leave!" Applejack spoke through gasps, and tears. "Stay here, with me!"
Rainbow stopped. Never. Never had she ever been asked to stay before, only to leave. "You... want me to stay?"
"Yes!" Applejack pulled Rainbow back, getting between the Pegasus and the door. "Please!"
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
Rainbow sat, and already the sweet smell of baked apples was filling the air. Then she spoke. "But why?"
"Because, Rainbow." Applejack calmed herself. Grabbing an apple off the counter she threw it to her friend, who immediately dug in. "You inspire me."
"Hmm?" Rainbow greedily ate the food.
"Why are you so strong! How can you keep pushin' every day, and never give up?"
Rainbow swallowed, and then laughed. "Isn't it obvious? It's because I have a dream! I have a dream, and I will never give up on it!"
It all made sense. It made perfect sense.
"One day." Rainbow began. A new light had kindled in her eyes. "I will be the fastest flier in Ponyville- no- Equestria! I will join the wonder bolts, and then- then-" she stopped for a moment. "and then I make a new dream, and peruse it till the day I die."
Ding ding! The pies were done.
In that moment, however, Applejack didn't care. She didn't care about the sweet smell assaulting her nose, or her tired muscles, or anything else. She had found her dream.
"Rainbow, listen closely, because Ah'm only gunna say this once. Ever." Rainbow did not answer, she just watched. "Ah idolize you. You are my hero, right now, in this moment. The way you never give up, the way you push me to go farther! My dream, Rainbow, is t' help you reach yours."
"What?" Rainbow was stunned. "Are you crazy?"
"No. You are a spark in a dark world where dreams die out every night, disappearing into the night sky! Ah will never stop pushing you, and in return you have to never stop pushing me!"
Silence.
They stared into each other's eyes, confident in each other.
"Deal. From this moment we are not friends, we are rivals?"
"Nope! One of the things you need to know, Rainbow," Applejack once again wrapped her arms around the other filly. "Is that a rival is so much better than a friend. A rival is some pony who forces you to reach your goals, and one day I will beat you."
"Applejack?"
"Yeah?"
"The day that I make the wonder bolts, and the day you beat me. Until that day I'll never stop pushing you harder and farther."
"I'll be disappointed if you do, sugar cube."
Applejack was sitting in the library, all of her friends but Rainbow Dash present. Over the years her feelings for the cyan Pegasus had changed. Rainbow was Applejack's reason to push herself. Rivalry turned to love, but she wouldn't admit it.
Even though she had asked the question, AJ already knew the answer. It was obvious. The only possibility. Rainbow Dash did it! She became a Wonder Bolt, and last night, at the windowsill of Applejack's room, Rainbow was saying good bye.
Happily orange earth pony explained her thoughts to the others, and was met with silence.
"Right?" Silence. "Oh, c'mon, some pony tell me that Dash reached her dream!"
"Umm, Applejack? I understand that this might be hard for you to understand, but..." Fluttershy spoke softly, quietly, and slowly. "You see..."
Applejack could sense the tension in the air. She felt the first tear roll slowly down her cheek. Where Fluttershy could not find the words to continue, Twilight did.
"Rainbow Dash... got turned down by the Wonder Bolts. Then... she gave up"