//------------------------------// // When You Were Young // Story: Change Your Mind // by FlutterSky1979 //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, doing her best to burn off her nervous energy. She paused every few seconds to look up at the circular clock on the wall. “Twilight, how much longer is this going to take?” Twilight Sparkle was standing at one of the many bookcases that lined the walls of her library home, using her Unicorn Magic to pull down multiple books at a time as she scanned through the titles. “I’m sure it’s here… I mean, how far could it have gotten?” Twilight replied. She shoved the books back onto the shelf, most of them ended up in a completely different spot than they had started out. “Ugh,” Twilight groaned in frustration. “Why is it I can never find what I’m looking for, when I need it?” Rainbow couldn’t help but grin. The irony of an over-organized bookworm like Twilight always losing track of her books wasn’t lost on her. “Here it is!” Rainbow glanced behind her, seeing Spike, Twilight’s baby dragon assistant, waving a large book. He hopped off the stepladder he was using and walked towards Twilight, handing the book off to her. She levitated it over to an already existing pile of three or four similar to it. “Here ya go, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a smile as she pushed the pile to Dash. “There should be more than enough little tips and tricks here to give you an edge during your test, both physical and mental!” Dash looked them over, frowning at the lot. “This is your big idea, Twi, books on flight?” She sighed, shaking her head. “I appreciate the thought, but this really isn’t going to cut it…” Dash pushed the books back towards Twilight, once again checking the clock on the wall; it was a quarter to one. “But, Rainbow,” Twilight interjected. “These have everything you could possibly need in them! They completely break down everything about the way Pegasus Ponies fly and function! Look at this.” Twilight flipped open The Anatomy of a Healthy Adult Pegasus, thumbing to a random page. She began to read out loud. “One common misconception, is that the wings do all the functioning as a whole, when in fact-” Rainbow cut her off, finishing her sentence. "Each individual feather can also play an important part in the flight process, as each feather has the ability to regulate the basic mechanics of flight, such as lift, control, and even thrust; I know.” Twilight stared back at Dash in disbelief, impressed with her knowledge. She picked up one of the other books and flipped it open, not ready to give up just yet. “Okay, how about this… Just as important to flight, is the take-off. Any successful take-off cannot take place without-” Once again, Dash cut her off, finishing the sentence for her. “A running start. The key to any good running start is healthy hooves, so proper hoof care must be maintained at all times in order to perform at maximum efficiency. Some key tips on proper hoof care include, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, I already know!” Twilight frowned, turning her gaze over to one of the other books. “Well, how about-” “Already know it.” “Okay… Well here’s-” “Twilight,” Dash interrupted. “I already know it. What do you think I’ve been doing these past six weeks? They taught me everything I could ever possibly know about flying.” Twilight bit her lip, glancing back down at the books one last time before looking up at Dash. “Even-” “Everything. I'm pretty sure at one point, they had me using muscles that don't even exist.” Twilight sighed, sitting down on her haunches. “Sorry, Twi, it was a good effort and all, but there’s just nothing left I can learn from a book… And besides, I’m not into non-fiction anyway. If I’m gonna read, I’m not gonna waste my time reading something boring!” Twilight put a hoof to her chin, thinking over her options. “Well, my idea was kind of a fail…” “Don’t sweat it, bud, it’s the thought that counts,” Rainbow reassured her. “Well, what do you wanna do now?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know,” Dash shrugged. “You got the new Daring Do in yet?” Twi’s eyes lit up. She shook her head but rushed to her bookcase anyway. “No, but I do have something that I think you’ll enjoy just as much! Have you ever read It?” “Who’s it by?” “Stephen King,” Twilight replied, pulling a weighty book off her shelf. “Stephen King? What kinda lame ass, made-up name is that? Wait a minute... Isn’t that shitty play about the clown based off that book?” Twi nodded, handing the book over to Rainbow Dash. “Yes, but I promise the book is way better!” Rainbow looked back at the clock, weighing her options. She really didn’t want to stay much longer, but it had been awhile since she had seen her bookish friend. “Come on, Dash, hang out for a little bit, it’s been forever! We’ll just relax here and read awhile, just like we did before you went away.” Rainbow looked away apprehensively, knowing her loyal nature wouldn’t allow her to disappoint Twilight. “Eh… What the hell, I’ll stay a little longer.” ***** Twilight and Rainbow Dash both had their noses deep in a book, when a knocking at the library’s door snapped them back to reality. “It’s open,” Twilight called out. She began to skim the paragraphs at breakneck pace, hoping to find a good place to stop so that she could attend to her new company. Dash simply folded the corner of her page and closed the book, not in nearly deep enough to be quite hooked. The door burst open, and in stormed three young fillies: Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell, the self-proclaimed, “Cutie Mark Crusaders". “Hi girls, can I help you?” Twilight asked, getting up to greet the trio. Without a word, they zoomed towards the nearest bookcase, tearing through the books as fast as they could get their hooves on them. “Nah, we’re just lookin,” Sweetie Bell replied with a shake of her head. “Well can you look a little calmer? You guys are ripping through this place like a hurricane!” Twilight followed behind them, doing her best to straighten up as they continued to jump from one book to another. “What are you guys doing anyway?” “We’re lookin’ for books on writin'! Our Cutie Marks will have to come once we’re famous authors,” Applebloom enthusiastically answered back. “Yeah,” Scootaloo chimed in. “It’s gonna be- Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash! You’re back!” Scootaloo rushed from the books to the elder Pegasus Pony, the very pony she looked up to more than anyone else in the world. “Yeah, yeah, I’m back, calm down, dude. It’s not like I was gonna be gone forever,” Dash nonchalantly replied, enjoying the attention. Dash knew that even if she was to completely bomb the upcoming test, she would still be a hero in Scootaloo’s eyes. The thought was surprisingly comforting. “Well, what was it like?” Scootaloo asked. She was looking Rainbow Dash carefully over, spotting the changes that had occurred over the short period of time. “You gotta tell me all about it!” Rainbow shook her head with a smirk. “No can do, kid. What happens in Pegasus Hell, stays in Pegasus Hell.” Scootaloo groaned, her demeanor turning from jittery to pouting. “Whadaya mean no can do? I thought you were my friend!” “Of course I’m your friend, squirt. I’m just not allowed to disclose the details of my training, not to you, not to anypony.” That was the honest truth. The Wonderbolt’s training program was top secret, it always had been, and it would always remain so. Rainbow and all the other Pegasi at the camp had been told in excruciating detail just how serious leaking any of the information was, they had all even had to sign a bunch of paperwork promising to keep quiet! The penalties for talking about the training were stiff indeed. Time in the Canterlot prison was a threat that could and would be carried out without remorse for any brain-dead pony with a big mouth. “Fine then, don’t tell me, see if I care! I’ll just go join myself and find out all about it!” Scootaloo stormed away, rejoining her friends. “There ya go, that’s the spirit,” Dash chuckled back. Applebloom's gaze jumped over to Dash, her eyes shining with a spark of sudden realization. “Oh yeah... Ah remember now! Ah think sis mentioned somethin' bout y'all being back in town before Ah left! Aren’t ya supposed to be hanging out with her or somethin'?” Dash's eyes widened, she brought a hoof up against her brow in frustration. “Oh my God, you're right! Ugh, what time is it?!” Dash glanced once more at the clock, groaning as she read its face; it was nearly 2:30. “Man, at this rate, I'm gonna end up wasting the whole day with you guys!” Twilight frowned, her head drooping towards the floor as she replied back. “You know, you didn't have to come over if you didn't want to...” “What? No! I didn't- I mean-” Rainbow uttered a small sigh before breaking off into a soft chuckling. “It's gonna be one of those days isn't it? Damned if I do, and damned if I don't. Twilight, I had fun, really I did. Thanks for having me over.” Dash smiled and walked over to the unicorn, swinging an arm around her shoulder. Twilight grinned back, unable to keep from laughing herself. “I know you did, Rainbow. Thanks for stopping by.” She slipped out from under Dash's arm and gave her a friendly nudge towards the door. “Now get out of here, you know how impatient Applejack can be. You keep her waiting too much longer and you'll never hear the end of it!” Dash nodded, walking towards the door of the library. “Right, right, I'm going! Take care guys, I'll catch you all later!” ***** Rainbow Dash collapsed to the ground, trying to recover her breath through short, gasping gulps. Looking over to her side, she observed Applejack lying a few feet away from her. Seeing that she was just as breathless as she was brought a smirk to Dash's lips. Even being out of breath wasn't enough to keep Rainbow from rubbing her victory in AJ's face. "That... brings us to... eleven to nine... Suck it, bitch!" Applejack groaned, spitting back her growl of a reply. "C'mon, best out of thirty!" Dash shook her head, coughing out in broken laughter. "Yeaaaaah, I'm gonna have to pass. I've had more than enough of your games for one day, AJ... Do you even have ten more things we can compete in?" Applejack was back on her hooves, grinning in her devil may care way as she walked over to help Dash up. "Oh, Rainbow," she began, extending a hoof down to Dash. "If it can be done, Ah can make it into a competition!" Dash took her hoof, unashamed of needing the help. "Yeah, I bet you can," she added as she shook the dirt off her coat. "I gotta say, I'm impressed, Applejack. We were pretty much equal before I left. Considering how much training I've been through since then, there's absolutely no reason for you to be able to keep up with me... What the hell have you been up to?!" "Oh c'mon, Dash, ya didn't really think A'd let y'all go and leave me in the dust now didja?" Rainbow shook her head, taking a moment to look around at her surroundings. The little race they had just finished had been the last in a series of games they'd been having since Rainbow had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres a couple hours ago. It was kind of like a sequel to the Iron Pony competition they had put on a few years back. Dash had lost track of how long they had been running, all she knew now was that the area they were in was somewhere that she didn't recognize. In all her years of being friends with Applejack, she had never explored this far out onto her friend's land. "Still though," Dash started, looking back over to the orange coated Earth Pony. "I got better because I had to. I can't imagine why anyone would train themselves to death by choice!" AJ shrugged, wiping a few stray beads of sweat from the side of her face. "Eh, that's one of those things that's always made us different, Arr Dee. Unlike you, Ah know that a little hard work ain't gonna kill me," Applejack joked. She took another moment to look around, finally spotting whatever it was she was looking for. "Alright, follow me, the house is back this way." Dash grinned, beginning to follow behind AJ. "Pfft, hard work, that's cute. You're just lucky you caught me off guard. If I'd been on my A game, I would have beaten you like a retarded puppy!" Applejack stopped and turned around so suddenly that Dash almost ran into her, Applejack's expression was as grave as Dash had ever seen it. Her eyes gazed unflinchingly into Dash's own. "You're joking," she finally declared, her eyes never leaving Rainbow's. "Am I?" Dash asked, adding a smirk to her cocky attitude. Finally, AJ's poker face broke, a soft chuckling taking its place. "God I've missed you, Dash." They continued to walk back in silence, too content with the quiet to break it. Applejack does have a point though, Dash thought to herself. We're similar in a lot of ways, but our work ethic is about as different as can be! If it wasn't for that, I bet we'd be the exact same pony! Well, maybe not exactly the same. After all, she's not quite as cocky as I am... Hmph, tells me I'm too much of a show off, yeah right! When you're as amazing as I am, how can you not show off?! Dash grinned as she walked on, taking a few moments to feed off her ego. I suppose that's not the only thing separating us though. I mean, she's way more into family then I could ever be! Ughhhh family, who needs it? My old man and I were never that close and I turned out just fine! Didn't I? Speaking of old man, how come I ain't ever heard anything about AJ's parents? Maybe I should ask Big Mac about them sometime... Hey, come to think of it, don't I have a brother or something? Hmmm... I remember dad mentioning a previous marriage... I think this mysterious brother of mine's got like ten or fifteen years on me though. Hell, I never even seen him growing up... Did I? If I did I don't remember... Does it still count then? He wasn't my mom's so he'd only be a half brother anyway... Naw, it don't count; he may as well not exist, which I guess kinda works out seeing as how I'm not even sure if he does anyway! I bet if I look through mom's old diary I could find out for sure... I wonder what mom would say if she were still around? Joining the Wonderbolts is a pretty big deal... I bet she'd be proud! I wonder what dad would think... On second thought, never mind, I don't care. I'm sure I wouldn't hear anything about it from him unless I failed to make the team. Screwing up always seemed to be the only way I could get his attention... Bastard... "You alright back there, Arr Dee?" Dash blinked, snapped out of her daydream. "Huh?" AJ looked over her shoulder as she walked, calling back in her jolly tone. "Ah said, are ya alright back there? You ain't said a word since we started walking; you okay?" "Oh... Yeah, I'm fine." Rainbow blushed, picking up her pace until she was right next to Applejack. AJ still wasn't quite convinced. "Are y'all sure you're okay? Whatcha thinking bout that's got ya zonin' so hard?" Dash looked down towards the grass, not wanting to meet AJ's gaze. "Oh, you know... This and that... Never mind what I was thinking about, don't worry about it! Er, I mean, I was just thinking about the test. It's still got my thoughts all... Uh, bleh." Applejack nodded, accepting Rainbow's answer. "Ah bet, A'm sure this has got your mind all kinds of fucked up!" Rainbow groaned, quickly realizing that this was probably the worst direction she could have taken the conversation. "You've got that right, dude! I've never been this miserable in my life... I kinda wish I knew one of the ponies from camp better, that way at least I wouldn't be the only one around who knows how freakin stressful this is!" Applejack smiled, jumping on the chance to comfort her friend. "Hey, yer a terrific athlete, Rainbow. As much as Ah hate ta admit it, the best one Ah know." Dash stumbled, surprised to hear the words coming out of AJ's mouth. "No way... Better than you?" Rainbow asked in disbelief. "Better'n me," Applejack added with a wink. Rainbow smiled, feeling her spirits rise again. "I just may have to quote you on that, Applejack!" AJ rolled her eyes. "If you ever tell anyone Ah said that, A'll deny it with every fiber of my being." "Well, that's not very honest of you, now is it?" Applejack kicked a stray pebble over at Rainbow, happy to have brightened up her friend's mood a bit. "C'mon, Dash, now who they gonna believe? You, or me?" ***** The sun was high in the sky by the time they were close to Sweet Apple Acres. The remainder of their walk had been a good deal more lighthearted, but now that it was coming to an end, AJ had one final question she wanted to ask Dash. "So... What happens if ya do make it?" Rainbow pondered this a moment, looking up towards the skies as she thought it over. "If I make it... Why, I enjoy life as a celebrity of course!" Applejack tilted her head, not sure if she knew just what 'life as a celebrity' meant. "Well, that sounds all fine and dandy in theory, but doncha think yer forgetting something?" Rainbow was puzzled, not sure what AJ could mean. Applejack sighed, seeing that what she was about to bring up was obviously something that Rainbow hadn't spent much time thinking about, if any at all. "Ah mean, what about us? If ya make it, if ya become a Wonderbolt, y'all will have to spend all yer time making appearances, and doing shows... Interviews, junk like that... So yeah, what about the rest of us? You won't really have time to hang out with us anymore... Doesn't that bother you?" Rainbow bit her lip, taking some time to think over AJ's concerns. "Well... I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with." Applejack frowned, not happy with Dash's response. "No... It ain't just something you have ta deal with. It effects all of us, Arr Dee. If yer gone, then our group isn't gonna be the same anymore. Ah don't know if you noticed or not, but we missed you while you were gone, a lot. That was six weeks you spent away from us, but what if the next time it's three months, or six, or even a year!" Applejack sighed, she hadn't intended on getting so emotional when this conversation had started. She wanted to stop, but at this point she was past the point of return. "Ah don't mean to push all of this on you, and Ah apologize if Ah sound selfish, but... Well, Ah guess that's all A've got... Ah guess I'm just not ready to lose you is all... Ah guess A'm just not ready for our group to go our separate ways..." Applejack stopped, not ready to take another step, not yet anyway. She stared down at the ground, the front of her mane falling over the center of her face. "Hey," Dash began, walking in front of Applejack. "AJ... You know I love you guys, but it's not like we can remain this tight forever... I know it sucks, but no group can stay super close forever. Time, like it or not, eventually wears on things... The older you get, the less time you have to enjoy the things you did in your youth... We're all getting older, AJ, we're all starting to get busy with our own things. Twilight's studies are more serious these days, Pinkies working on helping the Cakes expand their business, Fluttershys gonna be getting her veterinary degree soon, Rarity's Boutique is more popular than ever, hell, even you've got more duties here now that Granny Smiths gone..." Dash swallowed, letting the painful memories of Granny Smith's passing wash over her a moment. It had almost been a year, yet it still felt so fresh in her mind... "My point is, that we're all going to have to move on sooner or later... I mean, I'm almost twenty five, AJ... Twenty five! That's like, five years away from thirty..." Dash shuddered at the thought; if there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was the idea of getting older. Dash sighed, shaking her head as she continued to search for the right words. "We're getting older. As much as it sucks, it can't be helped. Now, I'm not saying that our friendship is gonna just completely dissolve, but we are going to have to accept that we don't have as much time as we used to. All we can do is make the most out of the time we've got now, while we still can..." For a long time, Applejack didn't say a word, letting the moments slide by as she stared downwards in silence. Finally, Applejack lifted her head. Dash couldn't tell for sure, but her eyes looked glossy, like she had been on the verge of tears. However, instead of a frown, she wore a smile. "Make the most out of the time we've got, eh? Ain't that the truth!" Dash smiled, a sense of relief washing over her. "Are you really that worried about aging?" AJ asked, resuming her slow walk towards the farmhouse. Dash nodded. "Honestly... More than anything else in the world! Thirties bad enough, but could you imagine hitting forty?" Dash shuddered, giving her body a quick shake, as if she were trying to banish the fate away from her. "Forty ain't that bad, Arr Dee. Granny Smith was almost eighty when she went, and she cherished every minute of her life! You never know, when the time comes, you may enjoy getting older" Dash gave her head a hard shake, she was already back shoulder-to-shoulder with Applejack. "Don't even say that! Eighty is simply something that I will NOT let happen! I hope I die before I get old." They were past the main fields now, closing in on the backyard of AJ's home. Big Mac waved at them from his spot under the plow, the girls nodded back to him. "That's stupid, Dash. Ya better be careful whatcha wish for, it just might come true!" "Stupid nothing, I'm serious! If I ever hit that big four zero, I'm just gonna start flying straight up in the air, as high as I can, not stopin for nothing! And once I can't fly no more, I'm gonna close my eyes, fold my wings, and let whatever happens, happen. Not a bad plan eh?" Applejack rolled her eyes, stopping to unlatch the gate that separated her yard from the fields. "That plan sounds damn foolish, Arr Dee." Rainbow Dash scoffed, walking through the open gate. "Yeah, if by foolish, you mean awesome!" Applejack re-latched the gate and the two began walking again. "Ah don't." It only took a few more steps for the conversation to change towards something less serious. Rainbow, for one, was glad to leave the intense topics behind in the apple orchards. "So how are things going between you and this Lavender guy? You guys getting serious yet?" Applejack took her time to reply, fumbling over the best answer. "Eh, Ah don't know... He's nice and all, but Ah just don't know if A'm ready to move to the next level... Things feel like they're movin' too fast as it is-" Applejack was interrupted by a hollering in the distance. "Applejack!" Rarity galloped towards them, reaching them a few seconds later. "What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other a moment before turning back towards Rarity. "Uh... Beg yer pardon?" AJ asked, clueless as to what Rarity could be talking about. "Me and Dash were just taking a little walk is all." "Exactly! Do you know how late it's getting?! You're going over our agreed time and you know it! Honestly, how am I supposed to ease her mind if I don't have enough time? Now, you've gotten your chance at cheering up Rainbow Dash, and now it's my turn!" Rarity had begun to walk backwards in front of them, keeping her pace a few steps before them as they walked. "Oh yeah, well Ah guess she's all yers now, Rarity; good luck showing her as good a time as Ah did," she added with a playful wink. Rarity smirked, pausing a moment so they could pass in front of her, before taking the spot on Rainbow's Applejackless left side. "Oh, I don't need luck! Big Mac told me what you guys have been up to and I've got the perfect thing to follow that senseless rough housing!" Rainbow swallowed, hoping that Rarity didn't mean what she thought she meant. "You don't mean-" "Oh yes," Rarity said with a smirk. "To the spa with you!"