Raining Metal

by thecakeisalie

Horizon

Midnight walked into a clearing. It was clearly unnatral. The trees had been torched by something, and there was no grass in the clearing at all. There was a pond, but it was shallow and dirty. The place seemed farmiliar to Midnight, like he'd been there before. Just then a pratical clone of himself stepped out of the burnt forest to his left. The only difference was that the new pony was a pegasus, instead of a unicorn. "Where are we?" Midnight inquired of the new pony. The pegasus just gave a shrug, easily as confused as Midnight was. A figure stepped out of the tree line opposite. It was another Midnight clone, this one an earth pony. "Welcome," he stated . It was said in the kind of way that made it clear argument was futile, and questions would not be tolerated. "We have a lot to talk about, brothers..."

Midnight woke to the morning sun streaming through the window. "Why aren't the blinds down?" he asked himself grumpily. He slipped out of the guest bed he'd slept in last night. As he went to pull down the blinds, Pinkie jumped out of thin air with confetti, screamed "Suprise!", and disappeared again. "Ok... now I know I'm crazy, without a doubt." Midnight mumbled to himself. He realized that there was no chance of him falling back asleep after his near heart attack. With a sigh, he got up and headed to the kitchen, hoping himself and Applejack could have some alone time.

But he had no such luck. AJ was in the kitchen, making pancakes, but so were Rainbow and Fluttershy, with Rarity coming in just after him. Great, no chances to be with AJ today, he thought. He had already forgotten Rainbow's threats, but he could tell he must be missing something, the way he was getting glared at. Probably nothing, his mind sluggishly concluded, before turning to the more important issues- food, water, a serious need to remember what happened in that dream last night. He felt he'd finally got his answers, and now he couldn't remember them. Oh well, I'll be annoyed by that later, he decided. Right then his stomach decided to let everyone know what his very first concern should be.

"Oh, hey, Sugar," Applejack said, turning to see who's stomach had decided to be so obstentious about it's need for food. "The food'll be done in a sec, Ah reckon."

"Has anyone ever told you your an angel?" Midnight lowred himself into a and put his head in his hoofs. "Cause you are, you know."

Applejack just gave a light chuckle and got back to cooking. Rainbow was shooting daggers at Midnight, apparently thinking if she glared hard enough, she'd actually be able to shoot daggers out of her eyes. Rarity sat herself down and humphed a little, getting comfortable. "Only one for me, Applejack darling, a lady must watch what she eats."

"Rarity, we'll all be goin' to get our new assignments today, Ah don't think they'll let yah be a lady much longer."

Rainbow snickered a little at that, but her heart was more in to trying to claymores to shoot across the room telekinetickly.

"Well, I must be a lady as long as possible then, sgould I not, Applejack?" Raarity responded, sounding very confident of her rightness.

"Ah guess," Applejack conceded, knowing that Rarity would fly off in a huff if she tried to debate the point anymore. "Well, here yah all go," she said as she placed the pancakes on the table. Taking a few herself, she sat down next to Midnight, who was already half way through his first, two more waiting on his plate. True to her word, Rarity took only one, as did Fluttershy, who was, once again, hiding behind her mane. Rainbow decided that this looked like a good opportunity to have a talk with Applejack, and inclined her head out of the room. Applejack finished her pancake and left the room, following Rainbow.

"Why?" Rainbow hissed at Applejack.

"Why what, Sugarcube?" Applejack said, confusion on her features.

"Why would you choose him? He's no good, Applejack! He'll use you, then he'll discard you and move on to someone else!"

"Ah would like it if yah didn't accuse mah coltfriend of bein' a user. Do yah understan'?" Applejack leaned forward, butting heads with Rainbow. "It's mah choice who to date, and Ah know he wouldn't do that to me. He's too good of a colt for that!"

"Applejack! Would you listen to me? I know what I'm talking about! I've seen his type over and over, he fits the bill perfectly!"

"Leave it be, Rainbow! Aint none of your buisness anyway!"

"FIne! But don't come to me when my prediction comes true!" Rainbow's voice had escalated from a hushed
but angry tone, to a full out yell. She opened a window, and rocketed out into the Manehattan sky.

Applejack shook her head, turned and went back to the kitchen.

After reassuring Fluttershy multiple times that everything was just fine, the ponies got back to what they had been doing. There was an unspoken consent that no one spoke of what they had heard. Even Icescape picked up on it when he entered the room, sitting next to Midnight and shooting him a questioning glance. Midnight just shook his head, trying to convey that he didn't know anything. He turned back to the conversation going at the table, now missing only Rainbow.

"Listen, darling," Rarity was saying to Applejack, "Tonight, let me make you over, then we can go out on the town and maybe find some good stallions? It would be so fun!"

Applejack gave a little snort. "If you'll leave me alone, fine. But you'll be the only one that's lookin' for a stallion, Rarity."

"Oh! I didn't realize you went that way, Applejack."

"What're yah talkin' 'bout? Course I don't!"

"Then you're just not interested in Stallions right now?"

"Ah've already got one, sugarcube." Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity gave out a beautifully coreographed breath.

"WhoisitcanwemeethimwheredoeshelivewhatdoeshedoWHOISITCAN-" Twilights hoof cut off Pinkie's rapid fire questions, but Pinkie was still bouncing all around the room.

Completely ignoring her pink friends excitement, Rarity went ahead and asked the same questions, albeit a little more calmly. "Yes, who is it, darling? Is it someone we know? Or is this a stallion you met out in Coltifornia?"

Before Applejack answered, Fluttershy squeaked out her only question, then hid behind her mane again. "Is he nice?"

"Everypony calm down!" Twilight commanded. "Now, AJ, do you want to answer their questions?"

"Alright, here goes. Course you've met him, I wouldn't do that to yah girls. Of course he's nice, Fluttershy, you know Ah wouldn't date a cruel stallion. He's a soldier, just like all of us, just like about everyone else, I reckon."

"Yes, but who is he, darling?" Rarity leaned forward on the table, excitement in her eyes. "I can't wait to get started on the wedding dress! And I'll make his tuxedo, too!"

"Don't yah think that's a bit in the future, sugarcube? I mean, we've only been datin' a month."

"Never too early to plan! But you're avoiding the question, dear. And if you won't tell me who he is, I bet Twilight will!" Rarity gave an expectant look at Twilight. For her part, Twilight felt incredibly pressured, and felt like she was heade for a break down unless someone did-

"Go ahead, Twi'." Applejack waved her hoof a little as she said it, granting further permission. Instead of speaking, Twilight just pointed at Midnight, who had been doing his best to dissapear from existence entirely. He really wasn't prepared for this. He sent a pleading glance at Icescape, just to discover his best friend was quietly laughing at him.

"OH! I should've guessed!" Rarity exclaimed. "It was so obvious! The way you stayed by each others sides like that! I feel so silly now!"

"It's ok, Rarity. Ah didn't expect any of ah to guess it."

Pinkie popped back up out of nowhere. "You guys haven't done it yet, have you?" She asked, perfectly innocently. Seeing everyone's expressions, she said, "What? You guys didn't sleep together last night, so I figured that-"

Twilight's hoof, just a little late, had finally stopped her questions. Twilight was red in the face, though wether from emberassment or anger was hard to tell. "Pinkie, you're just as bad as Rainbow!" she scolded. "Try to show some restraint!"

The group finally relaxed with a laugh.

A lone rainbow zoomed across the horizon, stooping at the top of the Equestria State Building. Rainbow rested on the top of the building, cooling down, arguing with herself. On one hoof, she knew she was in the wrong. Applejack could date anyone she wanted, and Rainbow knew her current coltfriend was probably not a bad pony. But on the other hoof, she wanted to protect her friends, and even though she'd realized long ago that it was impossible, it still hurt that Applejack would take a partner. Not that Rainbow had ever made any actual advances, but still. Trying to think logically wasn't Rainbows strong suit, she knew that, but who could she ask? Immeadiatly the answer popped into her head. Her favorite eggheaded friend. So a second rainbow formed in the sky, just above the other, treating Manehattinites to a sight they'd never seen before, and probably never would again.

Comments

[thecakeisalie]

This chapter was supposed to be less about relationships and more about preparing for a coming storm, but when I thought about what the characters would do naturally, it just kept getting longer... and longer. I swear, some excitement is coming!