//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Be Strong 
// by fluttershylover357 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash looked around, still somewhat confused. Apple Jack was laying on the ground next to her, breathing softly. She must be dreaming.... Rainbow Dash thought, looking at the orange mare. But... how can she be dreaming if we're both inside a dream right now? She looked around the small field, then her eyes landed on a small cemetery entrance. Suddenly, the entire dream came back to her, and she was reliving it.... All of it ending when she passed out. She now understood what she was doing before.... But she didn't know why Apple Jack was asleep. Suddenly, Apple Jack opened her eyes. 

"Urgh... Hey sugar cube." She said, her eyes landing on Rainbow. Rainbow Dash sighed. 

"Hey, AJ." She eyed the mare with a curious look. "Why were you... asleep?" She tilted her head and waited for an answer. 

"Sugar cube... have you forgotten we're in some sort of dream?" Apple Jack sighed, looking at Rainbow. Rainbow Dash stared back at her. 

"Well... yeah... I knew that..." She shook her head hard. "But... that's not what I meant... I just... oh, never mind." She got to her hooves. 

"So... what now?" Apple Jack got to her hooves. Why are we both here? Is something wrong with us? She thought to herself. She sighed, then walked over to the entrance of the cemetery. 

After a moment, Rainbow Dash followed. Gee, I wonder why AJ and I are in the same dream, Rainbow Dash thought. I mean, it's kind of cool, but also kind of strange. Is this... supposed to happen? She walked over to a random grave stone, reading it slowly and carefully. It read: Here lay Firefly and Spectral Dasher, loving parents of Rainbow Dash.1976-2013 The moment she finished reading the tomb stone, her entire heart shattered. She remembered finding the pink mare and indigo stallion on the ground dead near Cloudsdale, remembered going to AJ and telling her about finding them, she remembered AJ collapsing and having to carry her to the Ponyville Hospital, and she remembered waking up in a hospital bed. All of those memories, plus everything else that led up to this moment in her own dream. She couldn't take it. She just.... couldn't. She fell over, her eyes wide with fear, denial, sadness, and regret. 

Apple Jack had seen Rainbow fall over, and she came over, looking at her worriedly. 

"Are you okay, sugar cube?" Rainbow Dash twitched, but didn't respond. 
"Rainbow.... c'mon now, sugar cube. 'Ah know how you feel, but ya gotta get up." 

Rainbow Dash didn't move. She looked up at AJ, but still didn't say anything. Her eyes began to water. 

"Aww, sugar cube..." Apple Jack's eyes also began to water, so she grabbed Rainbow and hugged her. Rainbow Dash cried really hard. But... Apple Jack held in her tears the best she could. 

"I remember losing mah parents..." She looked up at the sky, then began to describe the entire event to Rainbow. "It was a bright summer's day, and 'Ah was with both of my parents at a festival. 'Ah was just a filly at the time, so I was carried around on my mother Sweet Apple's head." 

Rainbow Dash nodded, listening intently. 

"The festival was great, and it was sunny for four hours 'er so... but eventually, it started rainin'. My parents then saw a small filly hanging off the edge of a tent." Her eyes watered, but she still continued. "A bolt of lightnin' hit the tent, and it lit on fire, the filly screamin' all the while. My parents put me, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom with Granny Smith, and told her to lead us to shelter. So... Granny smith carried Apple Bloom on her back and led me and Big Mac to a small building with clear windows... where we watched 'mah parents." Tears began to stream down her face, but still she continued. "The filly was losing her grip on the tent, but 'mah mother jumped up and grabbed her with her teeth, jumping down from the tent. Little did she know...." The orange mare was crying now, her eyes dark red and puffy, tears streaming down her face, and small breaths making her pause between words. "A bolt... of lightnin'.... was comin'... And.... she and 'mah father.... were struck.... and fell dead..... near the tent.... the filly was still alive..... she was lucky... but..... but....." She couldn't finish. She was sobbing uncontrollably, sitting on the ground and holding her face in her hooves. 

Rainbow Dash came over, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "You're lucky... in a way.... at least you know how your parents died.... I am completely clueless as to how mine died.... They.... They...." She couldn't finish her sentence either, she also was sobbing, hugging AJ again. Both of the mares hugged each other tightly and cried until they both had no tears left and were exhausted. 

Soon, Apple Jack felt the same sensation as before, her head and body aching this time. 

"Ugh.... Urgh... Unh..." The dream world rippled, and her dream self fell over as she exited the dream, leaving Rainbow Dash alone.