Chapter 1
How we met
The two mares sat in silence. The battering rain caused the hay loft roof to creak, and the wind howled with defeat, unable to penetrate the warmth. The single oil lamp in the middle of the room cast long shadows on the walls. The silence was so thick it felt like butter on a brisk winter morning. Finally, the tangerine mare spoke.
“So, fer how long?” Her southern accent cut through the butter-silence like a warm knife. As the words tumbled from her tongue, her tangerine coat turned a soft scarlet, more like a sunset. To hide it, she pulled her brown hat down on her face, but the color could not be hidden from the other mare.
“Eh, some time,” said the other mare. “It was strongest most recently, but it started a long time ago, I guess.”
“When did it start?” asked the embarrassed mare.
“Start? Well, that’s a long story and I don’t-”
The orange mare lifted her stetson, revealing her brilliant green eyes.
“Ah have time.”
Chills ran down the coat of the other mare, the gaze of the green eyes fueling the fire in her heart. She sat up.
“Alright, you asked for it, Applejack,” she said as she took to her storyteller’s stance.
“Let’s hear it,” replied Applejack.
The blue pegasus stretched her wings and took a deep breath.
“You remember the day we first met?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
“How could Ah ferget, Rainbow?” said Applejack.
It was a late summer day in the sky, and the playful Rainbow Dash was ready to strike. She was sitting on a slightly off-white cloud when she gave it a lick--then a large bite--testing for the texture and moistness. It was scratchy, with lots of water when she bit down. “Perfect!” squeaked her little voice, and with that, she grabbed the cloud and went zooming off with it across the sky.
She soared over what looked like tons of apple trees, though this didn’t mean anything to the filly, for she was searching for any sign of somepony below. However, after several zig-zags and still no luck, the young Dash was about to give up. Suddenly, a tree to her far left shook, along with the sound of a struggling pony. Quickly and quietly, Dash flew up to the tree--a rather young sapling with only a few tiny apples on it--while staying out of sight.
Sure enough, Dash’s hopes were rewarded with the sight of a tiny orange filly, trying defiantly to buck the tiny tree. After exhausting her efforts, she turned around and whined.
“Aw, c’mon, Bloomberg!” shouted the filly.
Dash’s hooves went straight to her mouth to keep from snickering. Was this filly really talking to a tree?
“Listen, Bloomberg,” she reasoned, “Ah have planted ya, and watered ya, and made sure ya got lots of sunshine, and now ya have four shiny apples! See mah basket? It’s plum empty! If you won’t give me yer apples, Big Mac will win again for sure! Give em’ over, or Ah’ll pick ‘em mahself!!” She stuck out her bottom lip at the tree, and then turned around to try and buck again.
Rainbow Dash was doing everything to keep from bursting into a fit of giggles. She watched as the filly retracted her hind legs, balancing wobbly on her front ones, and let them go with all her little might. The tree shook tremendously, and one apple especially began to wiggle. She whirled around, standing on her hind quarters with her hooves upward towards the teetering apple. With her eyes wide, and her mouth an open smile, she waited for the pleasure of her first apple to fall from all her work. She was rewarded in no such manner.
FLOOSH!
Water filled every open crevice, and it gushed into every available space on the tiny filly’s face. She sprang back, coughing and gagging on the liquid, trying to dig it out of her eyes and ears. Once an ear was empty, however, it was soon filled with the sound of a cackling nuisance from above. Sitting back up, she saw a now snow-white cloud hovering just above her tree.
“Hey! That wasn’t very nice!”
The laughing paused as the head of the blue filly, sporting her rainbow hair, emerged from the cloud.
“You should have seen your FACE!” squealed Rainbow Dash.
“Ah coulda choked on that water y’know!” The filly stuck out her lip again.
“Afraid of a little water, are ya?” teased Dash.
“No, Ah ain’t afraid!” shouted the filly. “C’mon down here and Ah’ll give ya rotten vermin what ya deserve!”
“You askin’ for a fight?” asked Rainbow Dash mischievously. She descended from her cloud onto the dirt. “Challenge accepted.”
“The filly’s face took on a worried look, and she hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” asked Dash with a frisky look, “Chicken?”
The filly’s eyes widened at the insult. “Am not!”
“Are too!” taunted Rainbow. To prove her point, she opened her wings and strutted around like the associated bird. “Bok-bok-BOK! Bok-bok-BOK!"
The filly’s face reddened at the taunting, and finally she cried, “That’s it! Nopony treats an Apple that way!”
With all her might, she threw her front hoof at Dash. Dash, however, dodged the gesture and it only hit her ear.
“Well, if that’s how we’re gonna play...” said Dash, and with that she kicked the filly in the cheekbone. The filly rubbed the sore, her eyes narrowing.
“Fahne. You asked for it.”
Dash was expecting another lash, but the filly instead turned her back. Only realizing what was happening when it was too late, she couldn’t brace for the impact as the filly bucked her right in the stomach. Dash flew and hit a tree, her head throbbing and her lungs out of air. Her eyes stung, but she bit back the tears and gritted her teeth.
“Told ya you’d get what ya deserved!” The filly puffed triumphantly.
Dash’s eyes narrowed, fire blazing in their centers. There was no way she was going to be humiliated by this stranger.
“Un. Cool.”
Propelling herself forward with her wings, Rainbow Dash threw herself at the filly at full force. The two balls of fur clashed and began to tumble down the orchard path, fighting, kicking and biting each other ferociously. Every time they hit a root or a rock, the victim was incited into more violent prospects, and the war continued. Finally, Dash pinned the filly against one of the many apple trees and thrust her hoof straight at her face. A satisfying ‘crunch’ came from the muzzle of the filly, quickly followed by a cry.
“OW!” The pinned filly, filled with rage, threw herself against the nearest limb of her attacker--Dash’s wing. She grabbed it and jumped, flipping over it twisting the flesh and feathers around in a circle. As the filly crashed to the ground, a sickening ‘SNAP’ filled the air. The filly jumped back in horror, to see the wing outstretched, and bending in an awkward angle. Rainbow Dash gasped loudly, extending the rest of her limbs in shock. A small silence followed. It was soon broken by the loudest, scariest, high-pitched scream.
The filly just sat there, unsure what to do, covering her flattened ears. She almost reached forward to shut the mouth where the scream was coming from, but it was too late. An aged green mare being pulled by a young, strong red colt came thundering through the orchard to the scene.
“What in tarnation is going on here?!” shouted the mare.
“She started it!” shouted the filly, pointing to Rainbow.
Rainbow stopped screaming to take another shaky intake of breathe. The mare dismounted from the apple cart she had been riding in, apples falling and bouncing along the hardened path. The screaming continued just as the mare approached her.
“Miss, we can’t help ya with all yer hollerin’!” shouted the mare. Rainbow Dash ignored the comment, too frightened and in pain to listen. This had never happened before. Suddenly, a drop of something warm and sticky dripped on Dash’s forehoof. Stopping the screaming, Dash opened her eyes to see a red circle of liquid. She began to tremble.
“SWEET CELESTIA! NOW I’M BLEEDING!!”
“No, Ah’m bleeding, stupid.”
Dash looked up to see the broken muzzle she had induced finally taking its toll on the filly’s face, swelling and bleeding.
Unsure how to react, Dash simply said, “Ew.”
The green mare, now having a chance to speak without having to worry about Dash screaming, spoke. “Applejack, were ya participatin’ in a fight with this young filly?”
Unable to lie, Applejack lowered her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Ah told ya not to do such a thing!” scolded the mare. “See? Now somepony has gotten hurt!” The mare then turned to Rainbow. “What’s yer name, Miss?”
Realizing not only that she was surrounded by strangers, but that if her father found out about this incident she would certainly be grounded, Rainbow Dash sealed her lips.
“Miss, we need to know yer name and where yer from if we’re gonna be able to help you.” Dash still refused to speak. She turned her head and tried to move away, only to be met with more pain. She cried out.
“Young Missy,” said the mare with softer tone, “If ya just tell us yer name, we’ll make that there wing of yers stop hurtin’. Alright?”
Dash opened her eyes, eyes filled with fear and confusion--and now faith. Taking another shaky breath, she said as calmly as she could,
“Rainbow Dash. My name is Rainbow Dash.”
“More like Rainbow Splash.” murmured the orange Applejack beside her.
“Applejack! Don’t speak to our guest that way!” scolded the green mare. “Sorry, Miss Dash. Where do you live?”
“Guest?! She’s more like an intruder!! That’s what she is!”
“Cloudsdale.”
“Applejack! Mind yer manners! Cloudsdale? Aren’t ya a little ways from home young missy?”
“Well, flight camp ended so Dad lets me play on my own. As long as I get home by sundown, I stay out of trouble.”
“Ah’m sorry to say that ya won’t be able to get home by sundown t’night. Yer in Ponyville now, and now we gotta take ya to the Ponyville hospital.”
“P-Ponyville?” Rainbow’s face wrinkled with worry. She was far from home. And now she was going to have to go even farther so nurses and doctors could poke and prod her with tubes and needles. But that all seemed worth it if it meant the pain would stop. So with a shaky nod and a tiny “okay”. Applejack and the unnamed placed her in the applecart. Then they proceeded in taking Rainbow Dash to the barn to get a more suitable traveling cart.
“That was really the first time you broke a wing?”
“Yep.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t the last!”
“Hey! I’m not done...”
“Oh! Sorry...”
The four of them were on the road now. Dash had shoved herself into the farthest back corner, faced away from everypony else with her hooves thrown over the side, like a hopeless kitten. The old mare tried to break the silence with a little conversation.
“So, a little quarrel with mah granddaughter, huh? Oh, Ah bet you two are close to the same age! How old are ya, sugarcube?”
Rainbow Dash pushed herself farther into the corner. “Not tellin’.”
Applejack, who was sitting on the opposite side of the cart, flipped her head around towards Dash.
“‘Not tellin’?! Ooh ya should have more respect towards Granny Smith, ya ungrateful vermin!”
“AppleJACK. No more insults, please!” Granny Smith pleaded with her granddaughter.
Rainbow Dash pushed herself even farther until it began to hurt. Her lip stuck out over the edge.
“You stick that lip out any farther and a bird may come and lay an egg on it!” giggled Granny Smith.
Rainbow turned and gave Granny Smith a disdainful look, then continued to stare at the brown road. Brown. Such a boring color compared to the streets of Cloudsdale, where there is blue and periwinkle and lavender roads, houses, and factories. Here there were only cottages and trees. Lots of trees. Never before had she seen so many trees. No trees in Cloudsdale. And there were rocks here, and roots, and splinters. Too many hard things to scratch you up. Dash looked down at her coat. She looked horrendous. There were grass stains, bruises, splinters, cuts, bite marks, and scrapes all along her body. She then looked over at Applejack. And snickered.
And she thought her coat was bad! The green grass stains and the blue bruises stood out on the orange filly’s coat. Applejack turned her head to see what was to snicker about, her face looking a little upset to see it was her.
“What??” she squeaked.
“You look terrible!” Rainbow Dash finally laughed.
“Well,” said Applejack huffily, realizing that she did look terrible, “You...You look like something the cat dragged in!”
Satisfied with her insult, Applejack turned away. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, had no idea what it meant, so she sat forward just in time for Granny Smith to announce,
“There it is! There’s the Ponyville hospital!”
The sudden shout made Dash jump, which in result jostled her wing. The action caused her to moan in frustration at her stupidity. She then looked up to see the white building, probably the only structure that looked similar to a Cloudsdale one. The cart came to a stop.
“Alrighty, Big Mac, you pull the cart over there; Ah’m gonna take the girls inside.”
Granny Smith got up and out of the cart, and then helped the two fillies to the ground. As they walked towards the doors, Applejack stopped.
“Ya comin’, sugarcube?”
“Ah don’t need to go in the hospital. Ah’m fine. There’s no reason to.”
“Ah’d say that a broken muzzle is a plenty good reason!” Granny Smith grabbed the filly since she refused to follow.
So, the three of them walked in the doors of the hospital. A fair-sized white mare with pink hair approached them.
“What happened here?” asked the white mare.
“Aw, mah granddaughter picked a fight with this young filly, Rainbow Dash, and now we’ve got a broken muzzle and a broken wing. Can ya help us, Nurse Roseheart?”
The mare nodded. “Over this way, Miss Dash.”
Rainbow was glad she was finally getting away from the orange filly and her crazy grandma, so she gratefully followed.
The hospital smelled as if it were too clean, but the sounds of coughs and moans coming from the rooms argued otherwise. everything felt gross and sterile at the same time, which didn’t make much sense.
The nurse led her down the faded green halls until they reached a room with a white bed in the center. Around it were many strange lamps and screens, which the nurse described as x-rays. She then invited Dash to lay on the bed.
After several x-rays (which consisted of loud noises and beeping sounds) and then the beginning of a cast, the nurses inquired of her the contact information to her father, which she utterly refused to give. As the sun began to set, and the thoughts of a worried and frightened Dad became more frequent in Dash’s mind, she began to weaken her resistance.
Finally, for a trade to get some colorful fruit snacks and toys, Rainbow Dash gave in. Her dad showed up soon after the phone call, and gave her a stern scolding. That, plus the news that she would have to stay in bed for a few days, and not fly for at least a week afterwards, Dash finally let everything go and tears streaked down her face. Her compassionate father, deflated at the sight of his only daughter so frightened about being in a new place, and so disappointed in a simple adventure’s outcome, decided the doctor’s orders were punishment enough, and that on the way home they’d stop at her favorite place for ice cream.
“It’s an amusing story, Rainbow, but what does it have to do with this?”
“Hang on, you wanted me to start at the beginning, right?
“Well, yes, but-”
“Just let me tell the story, okay?”
“Fahne. What’s next?”
“Well, we didn’t see each other again until I moved to Ponyville...”