Fluttershy followed Rainbow's trail all the way to the mare's stylish Cloudsdale-esque house. She hovered in front of the floating home for a moment, nervous being around Rainbow at all after the outburst at Sugarcube Corner. She nervously hovered nearer and nearer to the door, trying to lift a hoof and knock on the door. Each time, however, she merely whimpered and cowered away a little. The sound of sobbing reached her ears, slightly muffled. Fluttershy quickly flew through the house, following the noise until reaching Rainbow's bedroom door. At the feel of something wet under her hoof, she instinctively flinched backwards, looking down to realise the floor was wet from the cyan pegasus' tears. With a courageous stride, she opened the door, a small gasp escaping her as she took in the room's features for the first time.
The bedroom was a wreck. Pictures were smashed, various furniture and pillows were flung about the room. Fluttershy followed the trail of tears to the bathroom, leaning her head round the corner to take a peek in. Rainbow lay in a heap on the floor, her whole body limp. Fluttershy edged her way over before finally announcing her presence. "Um, Rainbow Dash" The mare looked up at her with red eyes before returning to her sobbing. "Look, maybe now might not be the best time for a talk, but I think you owe us...owe me an explanation."
Rainbow kept her eyes shut. Ugh, can't she see I'm too busy wallowing in self pity? She groaned. "Just go away, Fluttershy. I wanna be alone right now." She sniffled, another barrage of tears on its way.
"Rainbow, what you need right now is a friend to talk to. That's why I'm here." Fluttershy gently lifted Rainbow's head up towards her, containing the urge to cry with her at the sight in front of her. Rainbow's usually vibrant mane was dull and lifeless, her eyes crimson red. In truth, for all the years they'd known each other, Fluttershy had never seen her friend so broken. Just the sight made her distraught. "Now." Fluttershy asserted her authority. "You're going to dry your eyes, calm yourself down and then tell me everything. Okay?" Rainbow gave the faintest of nods and began to slowly walk away. Fluttershy nudged her slightly. "Everything" She repeated herself.
It was a good ten minutes before Rainbow re-appeared, taking a seat next to Fluttershy on the bed. Taking slow and drawn-out breaths, she revealed everything. Starting right from when she first starting to like Applejack, right up until the drastic turn of events at Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy often nodded, allowing herself to be an outlet for Rainbow. By the end, Rainbow had her head resting against Fluttershy's chest, the timid mare gently stroking her mane with her hoof. Somehow, she felt much better letting it all out and telling somepony. Her heart rate slowed and her body relaxed, her earlier outbreak concerning her much less than before.
"But what do I do now?" She asked, staring up at Fluttershy. "I don't know how I'll ever face Applejack again."
Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling her mane. "Oh, Rainbow. Applejack is our friend. We all know you've been a bit distant recently and I'm sure Applejack will understand. You love her, Rainbow. You can't just give up hope now, you have to get out there and sort things out." Her kind words comforted Rainbow. "Life throws challenges like this our way to test us. To see how far we'd go for somepony. You need to prove, to yourself, that your love for Applejack is worth fighting for."
Rainbow brightened up, jumping to her hooves with a grin on her face. "You're right, Flutters" She dashed across the room, sticking her head out the window. "If I go right now, I can fix things. I know I can!" She bounded over to Fluttershy, giving the mare a warm hug. "Thank you so much Fluttershy. Thank you." Fluttershy managed to squeak a small 'you're welcome' out as Rainbow squeezed her ferociously. Soon enough, Rainbow was gliding through the skies, intent on arriving at Sweet Apple Acres as quickly as she could.
She touched down in front of the farmhouse, eyes darting from left to right. She noticed Cloudjumper resting up against the wall of the barn and galloped over. While she may not like the Wonderbolt, this was no time to be picky. As she approached, Cloudjumper raised his head, his expression instantly becoming angrier. Rainbow nervously continued towards him. His brow furrowed, snarling. "What are you doing here?" He asked, annoyance in his voice.
"You wouldn't have happened to see Applejack anywhere have you?" She rubbed a hoof against a leg, trying to look innocent. The stallion's face didn't change.
"Yeah, I happened to see her. Frankly, she doesn't want to see you right now and I don't want you seeing her either." He stamped a hoof down, putting himself between Rainbow and the barn.
"Please, Cloudjumper, it's not what you think..."
"Oh yeah, well what I think is that I just saw the mare I love barricade herself in the barn with tears in her eyes and the pony responsible is standing right here." He gnashed his teeth, steaming. "So why don't you just go, huh? Instead of causing a problem!"
A small sniffle could be heard from the barn. "Cloudjumper, is that Rainbow outside?" The mare's voice was different to usual. Her voice cracking and she spoke very quietly. Cloudjumper quickly turned, slightly opening the barn door.
"Yeah it is." He sneaked another look at Rainbow, giving her a menacing glare.
"Let her in, Sweetie. If she wants to talk, let her in." Cloudjumper sighed, walking past Rainbow and trotting into the farmhouse. He turned his head to look at the pegasus one more time before continuing into the building. Rainbow gradually mustered up the confidence to open the door. The door creaked, as Rainbow silently stepped in. She could see Applejack on the far side of the barn, sitting on a bale of hay. "If you came to apologize Rainbow, it's okay. I should've realised you weren't yerself and left ya alone."
"No, Applejack, I'm sorry." Rainbow took another step towards Applejack, her breath becoming more ragged. "Not just for Sugarcube Corner but for everything." She gulped.
"What do you mean?" Applejack raised her head, looking directly at the pegasus, the grief from earlier still visible on her face.
It's now or never, girl. "I haven't been completely honest with you at all recently." Rainbow laughed slightly, a smile creeping onto her face. "And I know everything might seem crazy, but I'm just gonna throw it out there!" She could see the worry in Applejack's eyes. "I'm just so scared." She began pacing the barn, trying to focus her thoughts. "I don't want to lose you as a friend, but I'm driving myself mad here. So I'm just going to put it out there." Rainbow was blushing a deep crimson, her heart beating hard, seemingly trying to jump out of her chest. She walked towards Applejack. The mare she adored and loved. The most beautiful mare Rainbow had ever come across. Before Applejack could react, Rainbow locked her lips firmly against hers. Rainbow's heart fluttered, a hundred and one emotions all acting at once. It was a moment of pure bliss, the slight hint of apples and cider on Applejack's lips. She wished the kiss would last for eternity.
Applejack had other ideas, quickly jumping back from Rainbow. Oh no. Applejack looked at Rainbow in shock and horror, taking even more steps back from the mare. No, this isn't how it's meant to happen! As Rainbow hovered there helplessly, she couldn't help but see the look of betrayal on AJ's face. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"You kissed me?!" Applejack shouted in disbelief. "First off, Sugarcube Corner and now this?! Are you TRYIN' to mess me up in the head? Is this some kind of big game to you? I finally find a special somepony, a stallion of my dreams and you just can't accept that can you?" She sighed. "And there you were, pretendin' to care when I confessed my problems to ya that day! You know what, maybe you should go."
"AJ, I-"
"I said leave!" Applejack started crying again, slumping against a hay bale. Rainbow paused a moment before making a hasty retreat, taking her broken heart with her.
She didn't know long she flew for. All she knew was she was going somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest where she wouldn't be able to mess up anything else in her life. If Applejack wants to be with Cloudjumper, She thought Then it'll be better for everypony if I leave before I ruin everything. Feeling defeated, she eyed a small cave and flew down to it. She entered the darkness, unaware of the impending danger ahead of her. All she cared about was the fact that she loved Applejack...
...But Applejack didn't love her back.