chapter 1: why?
"Amazing" sighed Rainbow Dash as she gazed at the Wonderbolts poster that adorned her wall, her biggest dream of all time had been to join the greatest aerial team in equestria, the Wonderbolts. Rainbow sat up brushing her untidy mane out of her face as her flight instructor walked into the room.
“Hi Coach" said rainbow, her smile fading as she saw her instructor looking constantly at the floor. "What’s wrong Coach" said Rainbow in as comforting voice as she could.
Her instructor had always been like a mother to rainbow and she was the only pony rainbow had ever told about her past.
"I’m afraid I have some bad news Dashie".
"What is it" said Rainbow staring at her teacher; it must be serious if her coach were upset.
"Dashie..." she began before looking into those quivering magenta eyes of the young filly, she cringed, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it so she just set a newspaper down onto the bed next to rainbow. The young filly looked down and tears began to well up in her eyes as she stared down at the main article on the front page as she somehow summoned the strength to let those horrible words seep through her lips.
"pegasus couple die in house fire" she kept reading, "a pegasus couple involving one Storm Dancer and one Cloud Sweeper sadly died last night as a terrible house fire burned their beloved home to the ground and..." rainbow stopped, she couldn’t read anymore she felt a sudden surge of anger bubble up inside her as she looked at the date: the 22nd, that was three days ago.
Rainbow looked up at her trainer and merely said, “how long".
"Dashie please I...”
"HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THIS!" screamed Rainbow as she saw her trainer start to cry.
"I was trying to think of the right time" the trainer began, but Rainbow Dash intervened again.
“HAVE YOU HAD THIS SINCE THE 22nd!!" shouted rainbow even louder than she had before.
"I-I”she paused for a moment “yes I have and I’m so sorry dashie” she said reaching out a hoof to lay on Rainbows shoulder only to have it knocked away.
"YOU HAVE HAD THIS FOR THREE WHOLE DAYS AND DIDNT TELL ME" said Rainbow but before the trainer could answer the scruffy maned cyan filly had already run out of the room in tears.
for the rest of the day at flight camp all rainbow did was sit up on a cloud and cry, this was the first time rainbow had ever let her feelings out.
She had always prided herself on being a daredevil pony with no emotions, or, at least no sappy ones. Rainbow lay there sobbing for a painful two hours and not one pony asked if poor rainbow was alrite, except one.
Rainbow looked up through her mane that was in more of a state than usual and saw a bright yellow filly with a beautiful flowing pink mane and shining turquoise eyes peering down at her.
"um are you..." the yellow filly started, rainbow had seen this pony before but never spoke to her and this pony had certainly not spoken to her, or anypony else for that matter.
“Um are you ok, what’s wrong" she said in a voice so quiet that Rainbow struggled to even hear.
“Nothing" said Rainbow trying to ignore the small puddle that had formed around her in one of the few liquids that could stay on clouds...Pegasus tears.
"come now" said the yellow filly in the most soothing voice that rainbow had ever heard. nopony can get away with saying 'nothing' with a puddle of tears that big around them, now come on, what’s wrong".
"its-it’s my parents" stuttered Rainbow dash as she barely managed to speak. They-the-they gone".
"Gone where" asked the shy yellow filly.
"They are-are" Rainbow bit her lip and cringed she could hardly speak and barely spoke the words "they are dead".
The yellow filly's eyes widened as she ran over and hugged the cyan pony.
"Oh you poor thing, I’m so sorry".
After a long talk and allot of crying the yellow filly got up and after one final hug walked away.
"Wait" rainbow shouted after the yellow pegasus, "what’s your name", the yellow filly turned her head and simply said.
"I’m Fluttershy" before walking off, rainbow smiled and for a brief second forgot about her troubles, but then a small squeal caught reached her causing her eyes to stand up it seems that fluttershy had misplaced a hoof and fallen off the cloud onto one below and landing in front of two colts.
“Ha! Nice going Cluttershy" sneered one as the other one just laughed at her. Rainbow saw Fluttershy's head sink into her hooves. Rainbow forgot there and then about her parents as she felt an immense tide of anger sweep over her. She flew straight down in front of the pony that had been so sweet and caring to her and stared at the colts.
"Leave her alone!" she shouted.
"Ooooh whatta you gonna do rainbow crash" said the one on the left.
"Keep making fun of her and find out" said rainbow threateningly. The other turned and said.
"You think you’re such a big shot, why don’t you prove it."
"What did you have in mind" said Rainbow.
As Fluttershy stood on a cloud in front of the start line that the two colts and Rainbow were standing.
“You’re going down” said one colt
“in history maybe" said rainbow as they got ready to start, Fluttershy waved the flag and the racers set of at an incredible speed but they went to fast and knocked Fluttershy off the cloud rainbow stopped for a brief second and looked down ready to try and catch her but was relieved to see that fluttershy had been caught by a huge group of butterflies. Rainbow smiled and then she sped off after the two colts, one was closer than she had expected and so flew past him easily but the second one was almost too fast but the one thing that almost everyone in cloudsdale had learned overtime was that as young as she was no pony was a faster flyer than Rainbow Dash, she caught up quickly but still struggled to overtake him. Then without warning the colt butted rainbow out of the way sending her spiraling off course, she paused to look down as she gathered her breath and dive bombed towards the cloud ring near the ground smashing into the colt and sending him off course, but then as she was going down her speed was still going up and she saw a small cone form around her outstretched hooves and then all around her it slowly changed colour and then there was a massive explosion louder than anything she had ever heard as she hit that cloud ring and in its place was a shockwave of rainbow colours flowing out all over equestria.
“a soni-sonic rainboom” she gasped. The sonic rainboom also seemed to double her speed instantaneously as she shot towards the finish. When she got there it was full of ponies both full grown and filly with their jaws hanging open. as they started to cheer shortly after Rainbow felt a joy she had never felt before, the sonic Rainboom was just an old mares tale, nopony had ever pulled it off before. Suddenly rainbow felt a small hoof poke her in the ribs, it was her friend Rainy Days, Rainy Days pointed to Rainbow’s flank and when she looked Rainbow’s day just got better and better.
“MY CUTIE MARK!” shouted Rainbow dash as she looked at the stunning symbol on her flank, it was an image of a pure white cloud with a blue, red, and yellow striped bolt of lightning protruding from it.
“That was eight years ago” remarked rainbow to herself as she glared down to her flank at her cutie mark as she stared at that same newspaper clipping with the article about her parents. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry” she said weakly to the photo. She shook herself to clear her head and suddenly remembered.
“Applejack, oh horseapples I’m supposed to be helping out at the farm today” she gasped as she darted out the window towards sweet apple acres.
“Yer late Rainbow” said Applejack as Rainbow landed next to her.
“ aww I love that cute little accent of hers…” she thought to herself, shaking herself out of her thoughts turning her attention back to her friend “sorry AJ I got caught up in something now what was it you needed me to do?” she asked.
“Ah need ya’ll to help me with the applebuckin’ we need tah get them apples outta’ them there trees before nightfall.”
Applejack stated blankly. Rainbow let loose a small giggled at the sound of applejacks accent.
“Huh, and jus’ what is so darn funny” asked Applejack with a small grin.
“oh nothing” Rainbow answered still sniggering to herself as they got started but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of the orange earth pony for the entire day she just watched her work. She always admired a certain, gracefulness in the way her friend bucked the trunks of the trees with one swift kick and the way every single apple fell into the pre-placed baskets below not missing a single one.
“Aw come on now Rainbow I need ya’ll tah actually help and not just watch the work” said a rather frustrated Applejack.
“Alright alright I’ll help” said Rainbow
“Aint no point now” said Applejack as she looked up at the sky,Rainbow also looked up to the growing grayness above them. Rainbow felt so embarrassed about the fact that she had forgotten that the pegasi had organized a thunderstorm for tonight, they had been causing very little rainfall this month and seeing as thunderstorms included more rain than a normal shower it seemed like a good choice for the fields of the farm.
“Well now ah can’t be sending ya’ll on yer way back now can ah, it’d be too darn dangerous” said Applejack worriedly as she looked at her best friend. “so ya’ll are gonna haft to sleep in the farmhouse tonight and go back tah yours in tha mornin’” she said. As they walked into the house Applejack said briefly “ya’ll are gonna be sleepin’ in mah room tonight as we aint got no spare rooms”. Rainbow started to smile wildly at this suggestion as she looked to her orange coated friend.
As they entered Applejacks room rainbow wondered where she would sleep seeing that there was only one bed and nowhere else she assumed the floor until that cute accent breached her ears once again.
“well as much as ah’d prefer ya’ll to sleep on the floor Applebloom took the only sleeping bag to Rarity’s for a sleepover with her friends so ah guess ya’ll are gonna haft to sleep in mah bed.” As those very words hit Rainbow Applejack could swear she saw a twinkle in the cyan pegasus’ eyes as she began to smile at the orange earth pony, Applejack payed no attention to the loving smile Rainbow was giving her, she thought that Rainbow was just happy she didn’t have to sleep on the floor
The next morning arrived as Celestia’s sun rose over the mountains and breached the eyelids of Rainbow she woke up and tried to piece together a reason why she saw no clouds and then she remembered that she had spent the night at Applejack’s, Rainbow had always been quite a lazy pony and always tried to nap when possible, so she closed her eyes and rolled her head over and smiled as the scent of apples wafted up her nose “wait, apples” she thought as she opened her eyes to find her face in Applejack’s straw coloured mane and two of her hooves were stuck under applejack, she jerked her head back she tried to free her legs from her friend. Not that she didn’t love this image but she hadn’t told applejack about her feelings yet and didn’t want to lose her as a friend and wasn’t even sure if her friends in ponyville would even approve. As she continued to pull her hooves slowly to freedom Applejack slowly turned over smiling and rainbows heart melted as their lips touched, the kiss went on for what felt like an eternity until Applejack awoke and saw the position they were both in.
“Whaaa!” shouted applejack in surprise as she fell off the bed; rainbow stood up and stared at the orange mare.
“Rainbow what in the hay was that all about” asked applejack both shocked and stunned at what had just happened.
“AJ I-I please I…” started Rainbow but her nerves got the better of her and she flew away out of Applejack’s window.
Applejack went downstairs to the scent of pancakes. She sat down at the table and silently ate her food as her brother stared. When she had finished applejack went and sat in the barn trying to think of a logical reason for why what happened happened. “Uh AJ” came a voice from behind her. She turned to see her big brother standing in the door.
“Oh er hi Big Macintosh can ah help you” she said trying to make it sound like there’s nothing wrong.
“Uh actually AJ i came to help you, what’s wrong”
“Nothing’s wrong” snapped Applejack
Big Macintosh grinned, “AJ do you remember what element of harmony you represent”
“Yes” she said confused
“And that is”
“Well the element of honesty” she said
“Exactly, which makes you a terrible liar, now come on what’s wrong”. Applejack knew that there was no point in arguing with
him she sighed and began to speak.
“well ah woke up this morning to find Rainbow Rash in the middle of kissing me, ah think she loves me Big Mac”
“And”
“Didn’t you hear, she loves me”
“And”
“Well what do you think ah should do”
“I think you should give her a chance”
“And the fact that she is a mare means nothing at all”.
“Nope”
“Ok then, say a stallion uh Caramel for example said he loved ya’ll would ya’ll date him”
“Well I think that if he was sincere and true to what he had said I think I’d give him a chance.” Applejack sighed and looked at her big brother and she knew he meant every word he said.
“Ok ah’ll talk to her today” she said.
Rainbow was sitting up on a dark grey cloud next to her house and crying her eyes out. “why rainbow why did you run, you could have told her right then and there how you felt about her and you chickened out” she was still crying when suddenly a large orange apple landed on Rainbow’s head. She picked it up and studied it for a bit before realizing that it was a honeycrisp apple, but these were so rare and expensive in equestria and... “Wait a minute” she said to herself “were the hay did this even come from”. But then she heard a voice with a familiar cute accent calling her.
“Hey Rainbow are ya’ll coming down or do ah need to get mah rope and pull you down mahself” applejack shouted with a noticeable chuckle in her voice. Rainbow soon dashed down from the cloud.
“Applejack I am so sorry i didn’t mean to but you rolled over and your lips touched mine but I loved you so much and always have ever since I first met you your smart beautiful and athletic just like me and I really don’t want to lose you as a friend please please don’t hate me". Rainbow paused and felt like she might pass out had she not stopped when she did. She glanced up at Applejack.
“did ya’ll mean that” said Applejack
“which part” asked Rainbow
“yah feelings for me” replied Applejack”
“every Single letter” said Rainbow
Applejack stared then asked “tell me ‘bout that kiss this mornin’. Rainbow Dash sighed and said
"i woke up and turned over to find my legs trapped underneath you. But as i tried to free them you turned over and our lips met, that was the happiest moment of my life, but then you woke up and i didn’t want you to be angry or worse yet hate me for it so i flew away.”
“well Rainbow, if ya’ll mean that with all yah heart and that really is how much you care about me then i couldn’t live with mahself unless ah at least gave you a chance gave ya’ll a chance”.