XII (FS/RD)- It's not like the last time...
End of March, 1005 A.D. (After Discord)
It was yet another average day in the little town of Ponyville; the sun shone brightly as the clouds lazily crawled across the sky. The local animals were patiently waiting for their breakfast as their friend and care-taker made her way towards them. With a gentle smile to each animal that waited patiently by the empty bowls, Fluttershy floated over them carrying the large tan bag. Soft tinks came each time a bowl was filled to the brim before being devoured by the critters.
The quieter mare watched for a moment to be sure that there was no one eating so quickly they would choke. Pleased that there would be no accidents this morning, she moved to put it away. Seconds after placing the sack on its shelf, loud knocks rang from the solid wood frame startling everypony inside. Fluttershy rose slightly from her shocked crouch to cautiously make her way to answer it.
“Fluttershy! I know you're in there, probably feeding your animals again...” At the sound of the bolder pegasus' voice, the canary mare stood up higher and trotted with a slowly growing smile. She opened the door slowly to be sure of who was on the other side and was awarded by the sight of the prismatic maned pegasus who rolled her eyes briefly at the hesitant mare.
“He-hello Rainbow Dash... Was there something I could help you with?” Fluttershy opened the door the rest of the way while waving a hoof to invite the mare inside. She was trying not to show any of her inner delight of seeing the mare once again so soon after the last visit. Rainbow raised a single brow in curiosity at the question and stared at the other pegasus with confusion.
“You do know what today is right?” The cyan mare barely held her annoyed eye roll as she followed her friend inside. The cream-yellow mare bit her lip in worry as her mind started to swirl with what she may have forgotten.
(Ooooh, Fluttershy you forgetful pony... I bet it's something really important to Rainbow Dash too... She wouldn't mention it unless she thinks it's really important...)
“Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry Rainbow... W-was it a Wonderbolt comic book release? Or-or perhaps a... 'cool'... movie coming out...?” Fluttershy trailed off as she cringed at the continued deadpan from the other pegasus. Dash groaned after the canary mare fell quiet and held a hoof to her temple with a pain strickened face.
“Ugghh, no no no! Remember, Applejack is coming home today from her big rodeo competition and we have to help set up the 'welcome-home' party. And besides, the Wonderbolts don’t have a comic book; if they did it would be totally awesome but only eggheads would read that stuff. Not that it wouldn’t a really cool collector’s item.” Rainbow tried to seem dismissive of how cool a comic would be if it was based on the fliers while mentally reminding herself to see if they did have one. The shier pegasus glanced to the ground with flattened ears, worried not only about the excited tone of Dash’s when it came to the earth pony but that she may have annoyed the brash mare with her guessing.
“Oh...”
“Yeah, it's been a whole week since she's been gone! I haven't had any proper competition since she left and I can't wait to see how she did.” Dash threw out her chest before deflating in bewilderment at the sight of the dejected form in front of her. Fluttershy had lowered even further to the ground with each word from the competitive mare while glancing off to the side.
(...Of course she'd want somepony to compete with... She'd want someone to keep up with her... No way she'd want some slowpoke like me...)
“Hey, you alright?” Rainbow leaned closer slightly to the other mare who didn't seem to hear the question.
(… She's probably happier when she's with Applejack... It would be better if I don't hold her back...)
“Hey, Fluttershy. Are you ok?” Teal eyes blinked at the sharp concerned tones and glanced up from the ground. Fluttershy was shocked to find she was curled on the floor with her mane covering her flustered face, muzzle turned away from the brash mare. Rainbow watched her friend closely and wasn't very reassured when the canary mare stood hesitantly.
“O-oh, yes, I'm sorry... I was just... thinking…” Dash gazed questioningly to the other mare before shrugging dismissively. Reaching out for the canary hoof, Rainbow began to pull her outside.
“Alright, if you say so. But come on, we have to get going!” As the two pegasi launched into the air, Fluttershy watched the bolder mare with morose eyes. The two friends stayed silent as they flew, both lost deep in their thoughts of the other.
(… I'm not sure why I even try to keep hoping things would get better or we'd grow closer... She'd never want a pony like me...)
(Fluttershy isn't acting right, maybe she's not feeling well? Better keep an eye out, no way am I letting anypony be sick or hurt again!)
The two best friends flew over the multiple fields of apples with quick flaps of their wings. Dash had long since stopped pulling on a canary hoof as they traveled and merely led the way. They were silent while they traveled, both fixated on the red barn slowly coming into view. The two pegasi landed down without a sound and opened the double doors only to freeze in place at a sudden bang. The air was rapidly filled with colorful streamers while an excited shout rang through the air.
“Surprise!” At the hyperactive cry, Fluttershy shrank against the ground while Rainbow rolled her eyes at the action. Pinkie grinned brightly at the two pegasi with her neck stretched out abnormally to stare at them. Rainbow shook her head at the action before stepping around the party mare with the timid mare following anxiously behind.
“Did I surprise you guys? I've been working on it!”The pink earth pony turned sharply and hop-stepped away with a wide grin as she asked her friends. Fluttershy nodded mutely with laid back ears of anxiety while Dash rolled her eyes with a half-smirk.
“Sure, you got us Pinkie. Looks like you only got about half the work done; what happened to that cannon of yours?” Rainbow floated over to the box of streamers and pulled a few out to hang on the rafters while other ponies worked on blowing up balloons. The party pony sheepishly grinned towards her marefriend before shrugging.
“Well, Twilight said that the design may need more work so I have to do it all the old fashion way.” Pinkie waved her two front-hooves to show the half-finished work before rushing to the box of decorations. Grabbing a hoofful of streamers, she began to toss them almost sporadically through the room.
Rainbow shrugged before reaching for a banner with their orange earth pony friend in the center, giving a glance towards Fluttershy who flinched at the sudden focus. The prismatic mare raised a brow to the pink maned pegasus before jerking her head for the shy mare to help her. Fluttershy smiled softly at being able to assist her long time friend and grabbed the other end of the wide banner. Moments after sticking it on the rafters, Rainbow dropped down to grab some more streamers while Fluttershy stayed in the air.
“Oh, I hope Applejack is surprised by the surprise party.” Fluttershy decided to make the best of the party, knowing that she would never be the receiving end of such an occasion, and tried to sound extremely happy for her friend. The cyan pegasus quickly returned to the air with a red-damask ribbon in her hooves.
“Well, that is the point.” Dash was too enthusiastic to notice this odd occurrence of actual loud speaking from her usually shy and muted friend. She gave the ribbon a quick jerk that caused it to flip in the air, landing lightly in cream-yellow hooves. Even as the two fliers continued to place more decorations in the rafters of the red barn, ponies trotted back and forth to brighten up the ground level.
“I know but I hope she isn't so surprised she's startled because while being surprised can be nice, being startled can be... Very startling.” Fluttershy landed softly as she trotted over for more supplies. Her eyes shrank at the memory of some of the more 'startling' moments in her life (usually led by a cyan mare and her father) and watched the brash mare from the corner of her eye.
“SURPRISE!” Confetti and streamers flew in a continuous stream as the original party pony tried out her technique. With only a soft gasp showing her true internal panic, Fluttershy fell over with a thud. Bringing both hooves to curl over her chest and trying to control her racing heart, the timid mare tried to respond without annoying her friend.
“Oh! Pinkie... You startled me.” The canary mare couldn't meet the excited eyes while Pinkie smiled widely. Rainbow had noticed the fallen pegasus and held back a resigned sigh at the sight.
“Oh, sorry, I was just practicing my 'surprise' for surprising Applejack for becoming champeen of Equestria! SURPRISE!” The pink earth pony tried one more time and grinned at how successful she was. While Pinkie pridefully high-stepped over to her marefriend's side, Rainbow floated to the canary mare on the ground and helped her up. Before Rainbow or Pinkie could say anything, the room was shushed by an excited lavender unicorn.
“Quiet Pinkie, I think Applejack's coming!” At Twilight's warning the pink mare leaped high into the air and back flipped into a wooden trough next to Apple Bloom and her two best friends who already were ducking down in excitement.
“Don't worry Twilight, got my lips all limbered up!” Pinkie Pie began her rigorous routine to be sure she was ready for the part. The three fillies looked on with mild surprise and bemusement, along with most of the other ponies in the room. Twilight stared intently to the door while fighting the burning blush threatening to cover her muzzle.
They all rapidly went for their hiding places, ducking behind hay bales, tables, and even in the rafters. Fluttershy felt the sudden panic of hiding for a surprise and shot to the rafters as the lights went out. She ducked below some of the piles of hay, placing hooves over her muzzle to help her hiding, when she felt a presence lay next to her. Peeking through squinted eyes found that her left side was filled with cyan fur and feathers. Rainbow tried to contain her nervous energy as she grinned towards the other pegasus who smiled back. Fluttershy tried to keep her distance from the brash mare least she starts to snuggle in front of everyone; that kind of action would definitely be a big 'no-no' for the tough mare.
The barn door slowly opened which was the signal for everyone to jump out with a bright shout.
“Surprise!” Everyone paused as they took in the pony at the door; noticing the lanky pale-brown form with blue postal service cap that gazed back surprised. A few seconds later the pink mare shot up with both hooves in the air.
“..Surprise...! Shoot!” The group hardly noticed this as they continued to stare at the postpony who began to slowly smile as he took in the view before him.
“Wow! This is the best surprise ever! How did you know it was my birthday?!” Even as Post Haste smiled at the party, the group slumped in place with disappointment. Twilight stomped over and glared at the stallion before slamming the door shut after grabbing the single letter wither her magic.
The lavender mare turned around only to find herself face to face with a squinty eyed party mare. Pinkie tutted lightly with a gentle shake of her head before walking around the librarian and opening the door once more. After pulling a slice of cake for the birthday stallion of the day, Pinkie shook her head once again while returning to stand beside her marefriend who checked the cake confusedly, looking for where the piece was cut from.
After being assured by both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash to not question the odd mare's abilities, Twilight rolled her eyes and checked over the letter they had received. The rest of the party members got up from their hiding places in curiosity and gathered around the lavender unicorn.
“Who's it from Twilight? What's it say?”Apple Bloom pushed her way to the forefront of the group as she stared curiously to the unicorn. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared confused glances as they waited out of sight, not wanting to butt in on the family of Apples.
“It's from Applejack! Family and friends, not coming back to Ponyville. Don't worry, will send money soon... That's all there is...” Twilight twisted the paper back and forth in hopes of finding any hidden postscript only to be met with failure. She glanced up to find the entire gathering silent as her words echoed in their minds even after the shocked gasp.
“Applejack's... Not comin' back?” Apple Bloom's wavering voice sounded loud in the stillness following Twilight's statement. The other Crusaders started to try and get closer to their distressed comrade only to find their way blocked by panicking ponies. Both airborne pegasi froze as the entire group watched the lavender mare in shock.
('...if something were to happen to one of the girls, like.... Applejack. If Applejack ran away from home because she had some kind of problem, would you let them?') With the echo of the usually timid mare's words in her mind, Rainbow held her hooves to both temples as possibilities raced through her mind.
“What do you mean Applejack's not coming back...?! She loves Ponyville...” Rainbow Dash's voice was laden with bewilderment and concern. She flung both hooves forward to help emphasize her point how this current situation made little sense, not that many paid her any mind. The timid pegasus hovering just below the speedster held both hooves to her chest to combat the pinch she felt there. Her mind was spirited away to a time when another good friend left without word and didn't properly hear the others as they started to discuss the letter.
A two story cloud-house floated on the edge of the city in the sky. It was a little large for the two member family, but it was lovingly taken care of. The young canary pegasus stepped up timidly to the front door that wasn't entirely closed.
“An' she loves Sweet Apple Acres...!” Granny Smith tried to be strong for her grandkids who were starting to tear up as the news sank in. It had been a long time since she had to worry for any of her kin and wasn't sure what should be done about it; out of all of the grandchildren she had, Applejack was the one she hadn't worried about for a long time.
The house was oddly dark as Fluttershy entered and she crouched lower as she peered at the surroundings. She would have been greeted or pranked by this time and the silence was unnerving her.
“An' she loves her family!” Apple Bloom couldn't hold back a watery pout as she glanced up to the older ponies gathered around. Her two best friends shared a pained glance once more as they heard the distress and sadness in the usually chipper filly before trying to once more push through the crowd.
The young mare made her way through the empty house with flattened ears. Her body was tense as she tried to brace for a sudden surprise. Teal eyes searched the rooms to rest on table in the middle of the kitchen where a single roll of parchment lay. With a trembling hoof, Fluttershy unfurled the letter to find a single phrase waiting for her.
“Oooohhh, something just dreadful must have happened to Applejack to make her not return!” Rarity couldn't help but throw a hoof to her temple as she started to think about what would stop the dependable mare from returning. Sweetie Belle paused in her efforts to glance in worry to her older sister, recalling a previous dramatic flair up and how anxious the usually confident unicorn was at that time.
“Sorry, but I can't stay.”
Fluttershy flinched subtly at the memory before snapping out of her daze to blink at the dramatic pose of her friend. Recalling some of the wildness of the land and the many dangers she had read about, the shy mare held both hooves to her mouth as she glanced to the cyan pegasus next to her.
“Oh, maybe she's hurt, or sad, or scared...!” The canary mare tried to not panic but the fright was still noticed by the bolder pegasus. Seeing a darker flash of pain in teal-blue eyes reminded Dash of what she had promised should such an event ever happen.
('Of course not! I'd want them to let us help and we'd get over the problem together just like we have before!' I said I'd help and now I'm going to prove it!)
“So what are we waiting for?! Let's go find her!” Rainbow took off with usual speed to get the new task underway. She wasn't completely sure why Fluttershy seemed so hurt and afraid but if finding their wayward friend fixed the issue, then so be it. The others soon followed the two pegasi out the barn as Twilight tried to reassure the Apple family remaining behind.
“Don't worry, we'll search all of Equestria if we have to. We'll bring her back!” The lavender mare paused only for a moment to make sure the other ponies would be alright while they're gone. This pause was enough to allow the other two Crusaders to finally break through the worried ring of adults and stand next to their depressed friend.
“Y'all are the best!”Apple Bloom shouted to the leaving ponies. Noticing the fillies on either side of her, she led the way as they started to race after the group. This went unnoticed by the older ponies as they stood tearfully in the center of the room. The trio of friends paused only for a second to grab the scooter and cart that rested against the barn wall to help catch up to the faster mares.
“Thank you girls...!” Granny Smith's voice shook as she stared at the determined friends. Twilight heard this thanks and saluted the older mare before turning back with a determined face as they ran back to town.
Both pegasi made sure to fly over top of their friends in order to hear the plan. Fluttershy wobbled in the air as she fought the crushing fear of losing a friend for any period of time. Even as she stared onward to the town, her eyes filled with tears as she remembered when Rainbow Dash had left her behind and the many years of worry before finding her once more. Dash saw this slightly uneven flying and was about to question the timid mare when a call below her stopped the whole group.
“Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash! What are you guys going to do now?!” Scootaloo rode her scooter with the blue cart attached and the other Crusaders riding in the cart. When they saw who was calling to the more heroic mare, the rescue party stopped and watched Rainbow float down to talk with the fillies.
“Hey squirt. Look, it will be fine, don't worry. I'm on the case and there's no way I'm going to stop until I find out what happened.” The cyan mare thrust out her chest as she reassured the fillies only to find that she was missing a filly; Sweetie Belle had gone to check with her older sister while the brash mare spoke.
“... Rarity...? Rarity, are you ok...?” The young unicorn gently rubbed her hoof along her sister's fore-leg while Rarity looked on in a daze. The fashion unicorn blinked before smiling shakily at her sister.
“O-oh, u-uhm, yes darling, I-I'll be fine and-and everything... will be... fine...” Rarity's right eye twitched as the smile melted into a short frown before turning into a thin smile. Sweetie Belle frowned at this action before stepping back to her best friends' side.
Fluttershy also noticed this odd behavior and shifted to stand beside Rarity without drawing attention to herself; this attempt failed as anxious cerise eyes followed the canary mare and shrank at how the two friends were murmuring among themselves. Focusing back on the fillies before her, Rainbow found three pairs of uncertain eyes watching her.
“Seriously guys, I totally promise that everything is going to be back to normal as soon as the next rainfall.” Dash scuffed Scootaloo's mane before turning to the group who was anxious to continue on.
As the older mares started to run back to town once again, Fluttershy stayed on the ground next to the frazzled fashionista. The two having a quiet conversation drew Rainbow's attention as she flew above the group, ears and eyes trained curiously on them. While she was interested to know what would cause both mares to wear light blushes, the cyan mare was deep in her own musings as they returned to town and couldn't really make out what was said.
(… Fluttershy seems to be acting odd about this whole thing... But why would it matter so much...? We all said that we'd get AJ back no matter what. She knows we can do anything when we do it together...! Even if Applejack did say she was leaving and not coming home... Coming home... It can't be...) Dash frowned at what her mind was suggesting and glanced back down only to find that they arrived to the small town. The group split up to get some basic supplies for the trip, leaving the cyan mare disoriented for a moment before flying off to a small cottage on the edge of town.
Dropping down with a light thud, the bold mare moved forward to knock when the door merely folded inwards at the lightest touch. Fluttershy had slowly grew more tense as she flew home and didn't close the door properly behind her when she had went inside. This did not settle Dash's worry since the shy mare always shut the door and entered with apprehension weighing her every hoofstep. The shy mare was hunched over in the center of the room with tiny shivers crawling over her fur while sitting with her back to the door. This sight caused Rainbow to rush forward with alarm etched on her face.
“Fluttershy?! Fluttershy, what's wrong!?” The cyan mare reached out a worried hoof to the cream-yellow shoulder while taking a seat next to the quivering mare. Glancing downward, cerise eyes widened at the sight of a wrinkled and worn out scrap of paper laying in front of the tearful pegasus. Fluttershy gave a small start as she hiccuped and started to back away with fearful eyes.
“O-o-oh, I-I'm sorry, I was-I was starting to get the first aid kit and, uhm, and found-well I mean, I was just looking and found... I-I'm sorry...” The cream-yellow pegasus tried to cover the old note but a swift blue hoof snatched it out of her hooves. Rainbow frowned as she read the brief note before looking to the mare next to her with morose eyes.
“You... you kept it?” Dash didn't raise her voice above a whisper as she glanced to the whimpering mare beside her. At the continued silence from the shivering pegasus, the usually brash mare slumped in place as everything became clear.
“It's not the same as before... It won't be the same as before...” The pink mane swayed as Fluttershy shook her head at the 'assurances'.
“You-you don't know if that's true...” The trembling mare tried to stem the flow of tears but wasn't successful as she turned her muzzle away in dismay.
“Fluttershy, I may not know why Applejack didn't come home but I won't let her just run from her problems...” Rainbow tried to catch sorrowful teal eyes only to freeze when they turned to stare steely back.
“Dashie... You're still running from yours....” Fluttershy winced at the pain her quiet words causing the other pegasus to rear back with a painful grimace.
“I... I'm not.” Disbelieving teal eyes stared at the prismatic mare who flinched before sitting up straighter. “Well, I'm not running at least. I'm working on it ok? And I won't leave like I did before, I promise.”
The shy mare didn't respond. Her heart clenched in her chest at the almost hollow sounding pledge. She didn't want to offend her old friend but the pain of the four years alone couldn't be so easily dismissed. Rainbow seemed to pick up on this and leaned into the trembling side. Feeling that this didn't help, she gave the distressed mare a timid nuzzle, not used to starting it on her own and unsure if she was doing it right.
“I Pinkie Promise to not leave you or any of you guys like I did before. AND that I'll find and bring back Applejack too. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Dash tried to keep her voice upbeat as she gave the solemn oath. Her smirk slowly faded at the how unresponsive the other pegasus was. Fluttershy could feel the anxious gaze of her best friend and sighed softly as she returned the unsure nuzzle, eyes tightly closed as she tried to show her appreciation for the effort.
The two friends stayed like that for a moment longer before Rainbow shifted in place with a small blush crossing her muzzle at the contact. Pulling away with a light cough, she glanced to the clock with a surprised start.
“We-we have to get going Fluttershy, the others are probably waiting for us now. Come on, was there anything else you wanted to get before we head out?” Once the cyan mare gently stood from the leaning embrace, the canary mare took a steadying breath before nodding softly.
Rainbow remained in place while the animal care-taker reached for the first aid kit. Fluttershy placed it delicately in her saddlebags and turned to head mutely to the door. Teal eyes glanced over to find that Rainbow crushed the note she had written so long ago; wearing a dark frown at the pain it had caused, Dash tossed it into the waste basket in the kitchen on her way out. The cyan mare silently made her way after the canary pegasus while they made their way to the train station and their waiting friends.
Nodding to one another as they waited for the train, the five friends stood close to one another on the platform. Fluttershy had edged her way to Rarity's side once more and tried to comfort the frazzled mare who seemed unable to sit still as she looked around. While the canary mare gave the unicorn a comforting hug, Rainbow tried not to frown too much at the show of affection that Fluttershy often gave to others. With a short glare to the ground at how it shouldn't matter, the cyan mare shook her head briefly before deciding on how she was going to find the missing mare.
The train arrived with a hiss of steam and a jarring halt; the doors popped open with little effort and a few ponies departed before All Aboard called for the new arrivals.
“All aboard who's coming aboard!” The words were barely out of his mouth before the pale-gray unicorn shot forward and almost ran him over in her haste. He stared on in shock only for the other friends to give him apologetic smiles as they entered in after her.
The three Crusaders slowly made their way into town, not sure what they should do now that their plans were pretty much useless. Each filly's thoughts centered on their older sister (or guardian in Scootaloo's case) weighing down their steps. Sweetie Belle was the last in line as she reflected on her older sister's behavior; remembering the last time they spoke concerning the orange earth pony, the young unicorn frowned towards the ground. Noticing how Sweetie Belle hung further and further back from the group, they started to slow as well and glanced back with mild concern.
“Are ya alright back there?” Apple Bloom stared curiously to the unicorn, barely lifting her head to gaze at the other filly as her worries weighed her down. The gray-white filly shrugged before scuffing the ground with a single hoof. This non-response drew concerned glances from the other two before they drew closer to the filly.
“What's wrong Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo frowned when Sweetie Belle remained silent. The unicorn shrank against the ground with a blush at the closer presence of the orange filly.
“Uhm, well, there's nothing really wrong but...” Sweetie Belle shrugged again when she suddenly found herself faced with two concerned friends.
“But what?” The orange pegasus scowled at the almost drawn out drama, something that she was starting to think was hereditary when she understood. With a soft sigh, Scootaloo slumped briefly in place before looking to the worried unicorn once more.
“It's about Rarity isn't it?” The pegasus felt her heart sink at Sweetie Belle's gentle nod. Scootaloo rolled her eyes while she shook her head.
“What makes you think that there's something wrong with Rarity? Isn't she normally very dramatic anyways?” The unicorn shifted with a light blush under curious purple eyes at the question.
“Wellll... She can be very dramatic but this time it's different.” Seeing two sets of disbelieving eyes, Sweetie Belle continued on with a small sigh. “I promised not to tell... But she's really concerned about Applejack and... and I'm worried that she'll do something really really drastic...”
Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion, recalling how her older sister had been acting odd when it came to the fashionista while Scoootaloo frowned as her chest lurched, not wanting to see the usually chipper filly upset. Sweetie Belle could see the effect of her words on her friends and slumped in place. It hurt to see her crush bewildered and uncertain. Feeling a hesitant hoof on her shoulder, Sweetie Belle glanced up to find the orange pegasus drawing her into a hug. Heat rushed from the area where the two unsure hooves wrapped around pale-gray barrel while a darker blush spread over the receiving filly’s muzzle. Soon the last filly joined in the hug and set Sweetie Belle to a tearful chuckle.
“Thanks guys... We may not be living in the same house but we're still sisters... Just like we'll always be best friends!” The unicorn returned the hug her friends offered with enthusiasm. She tried to ignore the hypersensitive feeling she got from being so close to Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle's heart seemed to beat all the stronger with the knowledge that the usually impassive filly was the one to start the hug.
The three friends pulled out of the hug with soft smirks and chuckles. The two friends assumed the young unicorn's blush was from the show of affection and solidarity. Apple Bloom tilted her head as she glanced to the eastern part of town.
“We outtah hang out while we wait for them tah come back. Did ya want tah head back tah the Clubhouse?” The other Crusaders thought about the suggestion before Scootaloo glanced towards her own home, just south of where the apple farm was.
“Did you guys want to hang out in my place instead...? It's a bit closer and stuff.” The orange pegasus couldn't bring herself to look to the unicorn beside her. While her mind swirled with different ways to help Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo didn't notice the hopeful bewildered gaze of the gray-white filly. Apple Bloom tapped her chin briefly for a moment before nodding with a small grin.
“Sure thin'; let's get goin'.” The olive-yellow filly led the way through town with pleased high-steps, glad to have some kind of direction and a chance to get everyone's mind off the current incident. The others mutely followed along without looking at each other.
The five friends sat in quiet worry on the train car, racing northward. While Pinkie and Twilight shared a seat, Fluttershy had chosen to sit next to the distressed fashionista while Rainbow sat behind them within easy listening distance.
The two friends had been holding a quiet conversation about the current situation. Rarity was more subdued than normal, her usual flair of drama internal while Fluttershy tried to reassure her. Rainbow tried to act nonchalant but winced at every phrase the shy mare stated. Her mind drifted each time Fluttershy revealed how much she could emphasize with missing good friends, often to the point where the cyan mare couldn't hear the fashion designer's response.
“I understand... It's-it's hard when a close friend leaves...” Fluttershy placed a hesitant hoof on the pale-gray mare's shoulder while trying to catch Rarity's eye. Rainbow flinched at the reminder of the pain the canary mare had gone through and wondered what it meant.
(Hard? How hard? It can't have been that hard... I had... things I had to deal with... I couldn't stay forever, stuck in some home with court officials breathing down my neck... She was able to keep going, it couldn't have been that bad...)
“It's hard to keep going without your good friend...” The canary mare stared towards the ground while Rainbow frowned as she hunched forward in the seat behind the two dejected mares.
(… Why didn't she say anything before...? If it was so hard, she should have just told me when I visited her after coming back! She could have told me...! Why wouldn't she have told me...?) The cyan mare ran a single hoof through her mane. Cerise eyes scrambled to stare at the plain train car as she tried frantically understand what Fluttershy meant.
“Yes... A long time ago. Rai-... A very old friend left without saying anything and... It wasn't the same afterwards.” The timid pegasus hunched over and was soon the target of Rarity's comforting hoof. The two friends leaned against one another for moral support while Rainbow dipped forward in her seat, a single hoof to her forehead as a new thought came forward.
(… Did she not trust me after I came back? Did... did we grow apart from being best friends and she didn't feel like she could tell me about how it was like when I was gone? How hard was it? What did Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score do while I was gone!?! I'm going to give them an extra pounding the next time I see them...! I've got to make it up to her... Prove that I'm trying to make it up to her and that I'm not running away... And no one else will be able to either on my watch!)
The bold mare clenched a hoof and sat up straighter, ears flipped around to focus on the lavender unicorn who was starting to give out instructions.
“Ok, so we need some way to try and ask ponies if they had seen Applejack.” Twilight looked between the group of mares with a determined gleam in her eye. Pinkie waved her hoof in the air wildly from her place next to the unicorn.
“Ooh, ooh, me, me! Pick me!” Twilight rolled her eyes at the hyper mare beside her before smirking lovingly at her actions.
“Yes, Pinkie Pie?”
“We can totally make lots and lots of copies of this picture I drew of Applejack just in case somepony forgot what she looked like!” With a flourish, Pinkie whipped out a crayon made picture of the orange farmer proudly. The others stared blankly at the hyperactive mare before rolling their eyes. Rarity stared quizzically at the almost foal-like image before tapping a hoof on her chin.
“Would, perhaps, a photograph work for our needs?” Everyone focused on the dress maker in curiosity while the pale-gray unicorn had a light blush at her suggestion. “What? I needed one to show off some of my latest designs and have an example of the image before fabulosity! Purely business of course!”
Everyone else on the train stared at the unicorn with bewildered gazes before accepting the suggestion with a shrug. Rarity levitated the photo from her bags and to the lavender unicorn.
Twilight quickly cast a duplication spell onto the multiple copies Pinkie Pie seemed to have on her, changing the crayon style for one of an actual photograph and gave each friend a copy to show others. While the librarian gave out instructions on how they would search for their missing friend, Rainbow tuned out the boring details and stuck her head out the window; she wanted to get the search underway and quickly, but there was only certain speeds the train could get to.
Fluttershy glanced from the dejected mare beside her to the determined form hanging from the window. Dash had been quiet for most of the trip and it was making the shy mare anxious. After reassuring the frazzled Rarity, the canary mare felt the weight of sad memories holding her down. Just as the train jerked slightly as it came to a stop in the Canterlot station, Rarity and Rainbow Dash raced off to start the search. Twilight had to rush after them to gain their attention with frantic shouts and hoof waving with Pinkie hopping with a grin after her marefriend. Fluttershy brought up the rear of the party and tried to keep her face neutral. Seeing the cyan mare so eager to start the search hurt even while the timid mare knew it was only proper.
“We should save our energy you guys! I know the Rodeo only stays for so long, but we can't find her if we're tired from running to there.” Twilight panted lightly as she stood in the center of the group. She was impressed with Rarity's speed considering how the prim and proper mare often did things sedately to preserve her image. The bold pegasus grumbled from the sky as she crossed her hooves. She wanted to get this mission over with so she could finish talking with a life-long friend who seemed to still need reassuring.
Once the organized unicorn sorted out the search patterns, they continued on to the large arena set up on the south side of Canterlot. Fluttershy kept an eye on the speedster and noticed her irritation with all the pausing. Wanting to help get it settled, the usually slow flier picked up her pace, keeping in time with the speeding pegasus.
The five friends soon split up when they reached the three story tall arena and brought forth the picture they had of their missing friend. They circled the area for what felt like hours, endlessly asking the same question to any and everyone they met along the way. The quiet mare managed to speak up enough to actually be heard though it did little good. Fluttershy stole a peek over to the prismatic pegasus to find her growing more frustrated with every denial.
After the entire production was packed away, the group sat dejected along the ground level. Dash had laid down with a groan and rested her muzzle flat against the seat. Disbelief and frustration came off in waves as she lay; she had never failed so badly at finding anypony before and she didn't like it. Not at all. Meanwhile, the canary pegasus sat just beyond the others, her mind swirling with conflicting thoughts. It hurt to know that Rainbow was going to such lengths for another mare that wasn't Fluttershy and made her wonder if she would get the same kind of effort had something happen to her.
“Hey, I've seen that mare!” At the soft call, everyone sat up with intense focus. An earth pony mare with dark-orange fur and dark-cream color mane stood in front of the table where Twilight had placed one of the photos.
“Where did she go?!” Rainbow demanded from the air as they all leaned closer to the other mare. With a small grin to the search party, the stetson wearing mare turned in place to point south to a sandy desert.
“She went to Dodge Junction with some other mare.” At the naming of where the blonde farmer went to and the comment that she hadn't gone alone brought a gasp from all. Dash ground her teeth in annoyance at how far Applejack was willing to go as she stared on with a determined glint in her eyes. The timid mare standing on the ground below her couldn't help but feel yet another spike of fear. The small desert town was still rather far out in the country and only reminded Fluttershy of when she didn't know where Rainbow was.
(Why am I constantly thinking about it...? I-she... Rainbow already said she wasn't going to leave again... And we're going to try and find Applejack... Who would make a much better match for Dashie... Oh Fluttershy, you've got to stop thinking about it; it's not like you had much of a chance anyways...)
The five anxious mares re-entered the train station to board the next available train south. Rainbow wasn't paying close attention to her seat and barely noticed when Rarity sat down in a daze. Fluttershy flinched at the lost chance to sit next to the speedster and sat across from the distressed fashion mare, next to Twilight who watched the passing scenery outside. The group settled for the five hour trip with resigned sighs. The mission seemed to get only more complex the longer they searched; a fact that was not missed by anyone.
Scootaloo sat in the middle of the living room, ears twitching rapidly as she focused on the game board in front of her. She had pulled out all the games she had available to distract the worried fillies, though she seemed to focus on the anxious unicorn. She wasn't too sure how successful she was however, since Sweetie Belle had stayed silent after they entered the small home. Apple Bloom also tried to help cheer them up but could tell that the light-gray filly was distracted; she tried to move past her own unease to help her friends instead but wasn't completely successful. The pegasus tried to still her anxiously tapping hoof, a fidget that was assumed to be of nerves while playing the game by the others.
“Uhm... It's your turn Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle tried not to stare too long at the orange filly. She focused on the cards before her instead of looking to the still empty house; she had thought the home would feel more lived in after several weeks. Instead it seemed too half-furnished, with only a few pictures on the nearby shelf.
“Oh, yeah, uh, you got any fives Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo shifted in her seat while giving the olive-yellow filly a brief glance.
“Eenope! Gottah go diggin'!” The earth pony stared intently to the two Crusaders, knowing something wasn't right but couldn't put her hoof on it. The pegasus stayed silent as she reached for the center pile of cards; an act that drew two confused and concerned eyes since the competitive filly didn't usually comply quietly.
The three friends stayed mostly silent as they continued to play. Each filly watched the others carefully, unsure what was weighing down the atmosphere. Scootaloo twitched even more as she felt the weight of the worry before throwing down her cards and standing in front of the unicorn.
“Look, are you ok? What-what do you want to do?! Honest, Rainbow Dash said she and the others were going to fix this and you trust us right? And we trust them!” The pegasus stared deeply into shocked green eyes that widened at the close proximity of her crush. Sweetie Belle leaned back slightly while she tried to think of a reply.
“Oh, uhm, yes? I was just... thinking...” The unicorn tried to hold back her blush as she glanced to the side. Scootaloo followed her gaze and didn't see anything of interest and looked back at the filly.
“What's on your mind then?” While the orange filly questioned the distracted unicorn, Apple Bloom stared silently, unsure of where Scootaloo was going with her interrogation.
“Uhm... Well, yo-your house! Uh, yeah, I was just looking at some of the stuff you have in your house... Did you get some new things?” Sweetie Belle waved a shaky hoof to the shelf only to drop it when the pegasus frowned thoughtfully.
“No, I've been saving my bits so I've just left things as they are. It's only been a couple of weeks since I first moved in, I haven't really done much.” Scootaloo waved a dismissive hoof as she kept a close eye on the filly in front of her. Sweetie Belle flinched at hearing that the orphan still had to watch her every purchase and tried to keep her face neutral as her mind raced with new kinds of concerns.
(I thought she would have settled in by now! Or maybe have someone else join her here, or at least not have to worry about buying things! Maybe, maybe we could help her...? Like get her gifts for... her... birthday... We don't know when her birthday is!! What kind of friends are we when we don't know her birthday...?! Some friend I am... I'm even supposed to be the one that 'like' likes her too...)
Seeing the sudden despair on the light-gray filly's face, Scootaloo shifted in place rapidly while her eyes sped around the room looking for inspiration on how to help. Sweetie Belle slumped in place with flat ears as she realized how hard the orange filly had it only to stiffen in surprise when she was on the receiving end of another hug. Opening her eyes in disbelief, she glanced down to find that Scootaloo had her own eyes closed as she tightened the hug. The tomcolt wasn't sure what pressed her to grab the filly in a tight embrace and found herself frozen with uncertainty. The two friends stayed in place, each lost in their confusion at the situation.
Apple Bloom watched with wide eyes at the sudden embrace before squinting in wonder. Giving a short mental shrug, she joined the group hug. Even if she still didn't understand what was distressing her friends, she could tell that one thing that would always help was a great big hug.
“Like Scootaloo said, everthing's gonnah be fine Sweetie Belle. Maybe we don't...don't know why Applejack didn't come back, but the others are on the case! Maybe we should have another sleepover tah make sure we'll all be ok for the night...” Apple Bloom checked on her two best friends to find both wore light blushes and nodded their agreement. After another moment of close embrace, the three friends pulled back and put away their deck of cards.
They then went to get sleeping supplies and made their slow way to their clubhouse. It was close to the farm and gave them the chance to know exactly when the older mares got back. During the entire trip Sweetie Belle walked in a daze, her eyes focused on the pegasus in the middle of their line. Scootaloo wasn't a filly who liked comforting contact and yet she hugged the unicorn twice in one day! The bewildering part of it was that it seemed to be only a result of being a good friend; Apple Bloom was often seconds behind the pegasus to offer her own comfort.
While the three Crusaders unrolled their sleeping bags on the floor of the tree house, Sweetie Belle remained quiet as her thoughts drifted from excited and dejected. To save herself from further torment, the young unicorn put the pegasus' actions under an attempt at being a good friend. The others assumed this despondent silence was due to more worry and tried to distract her from her thoughts; this was only half-successful as whenever Scootaloo said or did anything Sweetie Belle was drawn into another internal debate with herself.
By the time they all retired for the night, they were exhausted from nerves and trying to cheer one another back up from sombre thoughts. Each filly stayed awake as they laid on the ground, staring to the ceiling while their minds swirled in confusion.
(… Ah guess Ah'm never gonnah get ah break, watchin' out for these two... Ah guess if it isn't one it IS the other... There's gottah be a way tah get them both doin' ok... But how...? Wonder if this is how Applejack feels all the time, watchin' out for everyone else... Maybe that's why she had tah leave... Ah'd sure like tah ask how she does it... Ah miss her...) The olive-yellow filly tried not to sniff too loudly as her heart sank at the thought of her missing relative. Pulling an apple themed quilt to her chin, Apple Bloom didn’t see the others being just as distracted as she tightly shut her eyes, trying to vainly go to bed.
(Scootaloo doesn't see me as anything but a friend and I have to accept that... Maybe I can just act normal and pretend I don't have these feelings for her... Maybe it won't hurt so much when she acts like a 'normal' friend would... What would Rarity do...? She must have the same kind of problem...) Sweetie Belle bit her lip at the reminder of her sister, her memory serving up an image of the frazzled unicorn to rest before her mind’s eye. She shifted in the center of the line up, trying to stay put and not disturb the others but not noticing how they were lost in their own thoughts.
(… Why did I act like that today? I mean, sure Sweetie Belle was the one to first tell me about how it was ok to show emotion, but hugging? I'm getting sappy... I hope Rainbow Dash wouldn't mind but she was really sad! I haven't seen Sweetie Belle that sad ever... It's not suppose to be that way at all...) The orange pegasus tried to keep as much distance between her and the unicorn to her left while still staying nearby like she usually would. She crossed both hooves around her barrel as she reminisced of the day’s events, trying to figure out if any action was too much for the situation. Having no prior experience for it, Scootaloo huffed silently and shut her eyes with a frown, unwilling to lose more sleep over-thinking how much sappy was ‘too’ sappy.
It was close to midnight when the three friends were finally able to ignore the questions buzzing in their minds and fall asleep, their dreams hazy with indistinct figures and uneasy feelings.
Once the large locomotive came to a not so gentle stop in the desert town, the group rushed off with Pinkie in the lead. She had been whining about needing a potty break and shifted restlessly in her seat the majority of the ride, and didn't want to wait a moment longer.
Trotting down the ramp, the group found themselves in a desert land with a couple of mountains viewable from the distance. The buildings that were set apart from the basic train station were only single and double stories, arranged along the main road. Further behind them was the rest of the town that had sprawled out from the main area as time went on. The residents of the town often wore large hats and stetsons to ward off the harsh sunlight. The friends merely glanced at their surroundings before looking to the lavender unicorn for direction.
“Let's fan out and try to find her!” The command was barely spoken when a pink blur shot past the group to the nearest restroom. Twilight didn't seem all that surprised at the rapid exit and merely turned to the remaining mares.
“Don't mind her, too much sarsaparilla I think. Come on, let's start our search!” The lavender mare tried to keep calm even as her marefriend acted up like usual and lead the way to two mares standing on the train platform.
Rainbow was tempted to start flying over the town but saw how anxious the others were and decided to stick nearby. It would be easier to have a large sweep of a street with everyone asking those in sight at once. Moments after Twilight pulled out the photograph and started to question the natives, Pinkie bounced around them with a pleased smirk as she chanted.
“I found her I found her I found her I found her I found her I found her!” Guessing at what the hyper mare was talking about, the group rushed after her with hopeful smiles, not spending more than a second to give the ponies they were talking to a brief farewell.
Turning around a sharp corner, they came to a grinding halt when they saw their target trotting sedately through the center of town. They all felt a moment of relief at seeing the blonde earth pony and shared pleased smirks before they rushed over to the mare.
“Oh Applejack, thank heavens!” Rarity called with a smile at seeing earth pony once again. Her attitude seemed to change drastically from the nervous wreck to attempted suave. The sudden change was obvious to everyone else but they didn't call her out on it, wanting to question Applejack first instead.
“We're so glad you're safe!” Fluttershy tried to keep her voice upbeat while she tried to hold back her dejection when noticing how much Rainbow grew excited at finding Applejack. The cyan mare hovered in the air with an intense gaze to be sure the runaway made no such other attempts.
“I found her I found her I found her I found her...! Be right back!” Pinkie continued to bounce before remembering her urgent mission from before and zipping off once more. The others didn't bother to acknowledge her odd ways, instead stepping up to encircle the farmer.
“Uh, hey everypony... Uhhh, what's up?” Applejack glanced around as she shifted nervously in place, obviously not expecting to see the other mares. Rainbow frowned at the suspicious behavior and rushed forward to question the farmer.
“Why didn't you come back to Ponyville?” Dash flung her hooves out to help prove her point, listening and watching intently to try and figure out what was the reason. Fluttershy flinched at the directness of the brash mare and worried that it might push things too far.
“Yes, why are you here?” Rarity couldn't understand why the apple farmer came to a desert landscape and waved a hoof to illustrate her point. She sounded calmer than she had been but the others could tell that she was putting on a calm act for the blonde mare's benefit.
“Are you ok?” The timid pegasus stepped forward as she tried to search the earth pony for injuries. She knew how much family, friends and Ponyville meant to the farmer and didn't know why she would leave unless drastically injured. While she stared at the nervous farmer, Fluttershy amended her thoughts with a small wince.
(Well, I did think that Rainbow Dash would never leave her home town or-or... me... I suppose it could be something else that make Applejack stay away...) While the shy mare pondered on this new reasoning, the pink mare stuck her head into Applejack's view with curious eyes.
“Do you have any snacks?”
“Tell us what happened Applejack!” Twilight could tell that her marefriend and the others were slowly getting off track and decided to ask for clarification flat out. Before anyone could say a single word however, a new lightly southern voice called from the direction of town, sparing Applejack from having to answer right away.
“Applejack? Are these some of your Ponyville friends?” A pale-cream earth pony stood on top of a nearby set of stairs, her red mane streaked with dark red and a pair of cherries resting on her flank for a cutie mark. Twilight and Rarity tried to wear polite smiles as they walked over to talk with this new mare while the others stayed a few paces away, watching the runaway mare closely.
Fluttershy glanced over to the cyan mare floating in the air with her fore-hooves hanging below her in shock. Dash seemed to have eyes only for the blonde farmer ahead of them with a half-glare to the older mare talking with the two unicorns. Seeing no change in the brash mare's behavior, the shier mare tried not to crouch in place as darker thoughts tried to overrun her mind.
(I... guess that this just shows how much Applejack means to her...)
“Don't you guys worry, I'm on the case. There's no way she's getting away and then things will back to normal in no time.” The cyan mare's words were quiet as she tried to hear what the red maned mare was saying. Pinkie glanced between the pegasus and their target with a bewildered frown while Fluttershy gave a small jump at the words. Glancing up with confused eyes, the canary mare tried to understand what Dash meant only to find determined ones looking down.
“We won't let anything happen to break up what we have going on back home. Once we get everything under control, we'll be back home before you know it and everything will go back to how it is supposed to be.” Rainbow nodded sharply twice before focusing on the group coming closer. Fluttershy frowned to herself and wondered why the brash mare was so focused on normalcy.
(Does... Does Rainbow think that by keeping everyone together things will stay that way? But... But ponies move out and leave all the time... Just like she did before... While we are worried for Applejack, that doesn't mean that everything will be back to... 'normal'...) The canary mare blinked rapidly before focusing on the pale-cream earth pony who walked over to where Applejack stood sheepishly.
“Never saw anypony win so many ribbons in all my life!” Cherry Jubilee stepped closer to the orange farmer with a smirk. Applejack smiled uncomfortably as the others watched with shrewd eyes.
“Aww shucks Miss Jubilee, ya don't have tah go intah all that...” The orange mare couldn't move as the older cherry farmer stepped closer and placed a single hoof under her chin. The others watched with tight suspicious eyes, finding that the farm pony made no effort to jerk her chin away from the touch.
“Aw, she's so modest! Anyways, I could always use a pony with quick hooves and a strong back. So when I heard Applejack was looking for a change of scenery I snapped her up quick as I could and brought her to Dodge Junction. Well, I'll let ya catch up with your friends; see ya back at the ranch!” Cherry Jubilee smiled and turned back to pass through the town to her farm on the other side.
“Change of scenery?! What's that's supposed to mean!?”Dash flew in closely with tightly crossed hooves, cerise eyes glaring down at the blonde earth pony. The cyan mare didn't like how closely the excuse sounded to what she had used so very long ago when she left her best friend behind; the reminder and current situation stressed the brash mare into flinging her hooves out briefly before crossing them once again after her questions.
“It's no big deal guys. Ah thought cherries would be a nice change from apples, so Ah took the job an' came here. That's it. End of story.” The orange earth pony tried to appear nonchalant and calm as she walked away from her friends. The five mares could only stare in disbelief and shock; apples were the farmer's life and very means of living! Saying that she didn't want to deal in apples felt wrong on every level and shook the proverbial ground from under the search party's hooves.
“That's it? That's a terrible story.” Pinkie frowned briefly as she thought of how the story was suppose to end: all her best friends back home and enjoying cake. The others watched in sadness and suspicion while the farmer tried to head back into town.
“Sorry but that's all there is tah tell. Thanks for checkin' up on me but y'all can go home now. Tell mah family hi an' that Ah'm doin' a-ok.” Applejack tried to sound firm and dismissive but was held up by Dash who flew overhead to stand in front of the mare.
“Excuse me AJ but we didn't travel all over Equestria searching for you to come home without you!” The brash pegasus wasn't going to let her friend off the hook that easily and kept walking forward only to find the usually competitive mare gave in by backing up with an uneasy set of her face.
“Well Ah didn't ask you tah come lookin' for me. There is nothing tah tell an' Ah'm not going back to Ponyville.” The blonde mare decided to end this back and forth banter that only served to hurt her and her friends and left quickly, not wanting to give them a chance to continue their interrogation.
“I don't care what she says; Applejack's not telling us something!” Twilight squinted after the retreating earth pony while the others shifted nervously behind their leader. Fluttershy flinched back at the thought of having to continue confronting the orange mare but stayed silent, knowing how much the orange earth pony meant to everyone. Being at the back of the group, the motion went unnoticed since everyone stared after the retreating mare.
“Twilight's right! We gotta get her to spill the beans!” Rainbow glared in the direction of town as she agreed with the lavender mare only to be shocked out of her annoyance by a pink face pressed almost comically against her own.
“What?!? She had beans?! Ughh, I told her I was snacky!” Pinkie somehow stretched her neck to reach the flier while complaining of her hunger. The others watched for a moment before shaking their heads in resignation as Pinkie returned to her normal form with a dejected frown, slumping in her seat as she pondered what had just happened.
Twilight realized how Pinkie was just trying to lighten the air and sat next to her with a hoof on the pink shoulder. Dash noticed the two marefriends trying to support one another and felt compelled to glance towards the canary mare who stared at the ground while biting her lower lip. Flinching at how she had focused solely on the runaway farmer, the speedster floated over to sit beside her best friend with a soft clearing of her throat.
“H-hey Fluttershy...” The cyan mare stared ahead uneasily. Her eyes were unfocused while the rest of her senses were tuned to the mare beside her. Fluttershy glanced towards the others surreptitiously before scuffing a hoof on the ground.
“H-hi Rainbow Dash...” They sat next to one another for a moment longer before seeing the others start to head into town. Getting up with only mild hesitation, Dash continued to try and talk with the shy mare.
“So, uh, we found her! I totally said we would and we did.” The bolder mare smirked proudly only for it to fade at noticing how the canary mare stayed quiet. Glancing nervously at the other mare, Dash coughed briefly once more and stared at the sky as she walked.
“This should be wrapped up real quick and... and then we can go back home. Like it never happened.” Fluttershy stopped at these words as a piercing pain shot through her frame and she glanced away as her face scrunched. Rainbow froze as she felt the sudden stop and tried to rapidly think of what caused the sudden pain. Thinking of how she had found the shy pegasus earlier that day, Dash realized how her last few words sounded and implied.
“Fluttershy, I-I didn't mean it like that! I meant that we could get over this-this uh, trouble and keep going. Honest!” The cyan mare turned rapidly as she pleaded with her friend. The animal care-taker shook as she tried to force back darker thoughts of a darker time. Unable to speak, Fluttershy merely shook her head confusedly before trying to move forward. Dash watched opened mouth with flattened ears, raising a single shaky hoof to the retreating figure. With an audible snap of her jaw closing again, she clenched her eyes shut for a moment before flying after her friends.
By the time they had arrived at Dodge Junction, it was edging towards late afternoon and with this latest development of stubbornness, it didn't seem like they would be able to head home just yet. So they had gone in search of the local motel and found that Cherry Jubilee owned a few of the local businesses; including the local motel. They walked up to the large red building and stepped inside to find it had pale-cream themed walls with bright red-brown furniture. It was simple in the way that only orchard-folk could make it yet had its own style of elegance. The five friends silently walked up to the counter where a young mare with a bright green mane and pale-brown fur sat with a smile.
“Hello! Welcome to Cherry Motel, how can I help you today?” Twilight didn't waste a moment and answered the secretary's question quickly.
“Yes, we'd like to rent some rooms please?” The lavender mare tried to sound certain but faltered at the secretary's next question.
“Certainly! How many would you need and how long will you be staying with us?” The mare flashed another warm smile to the group who had turned to look at one another with confusion. They weren't sure how long they would need to stay, though hopefully it would only take a day.
“Uhm, we'll only stay for one night right now; hopefully we can get things settled quickly... As for rooms...” Twilight trailed off with a raised brow towards her friends. The mare behind the counter smiled as she leaned forward.
“We have doubles and singles for beds; three double rooms currently and there's two singles open. Which would you like?” The group glanced between themselves before Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a blush after checking with her marefriend.
“I guess we'll need a double, if you want Pinkie?” The librarian was quickly pulled into a tight hug from the pink mare who beamed her appreciation of the arrangement.
“Then I guess I shall take a si-”
“Uhm, Rarity? Could I... Could I stay with you?” The timid request was barely heard by the fashion mare who politely paused to listen to her friend. Rarity glanced between Fluttershy and the shocked cyan pegasus behind her for a moment before nodding slowly.
“Of course darling. We will be sharing a room as well. And you Rainbow Dash?” The group turned to the last pegasus who peeked briefly at the canary mare who in turn avoided the gaze. With a light sigh, Dash shook her head and opened her wings with a single flap.
“Nah, I'll just find a nice cloud and sleep in the sky when it comes down to it.” The brash mare tried to sound nonchalant about it but couldn't help gazing sadly towards the timid mare who leaned into the fashionista. Rarity spared another glance between the two pegasi but could tell that it wasn't something to question in public. She allowed the shy mare to remain next to her while they went to their newly acquired rooms to place their saddlebags before reconvening in the librarian's room.
“Alright girls, we have got to try and pressure Applejack to talk but slowly, so she doesn't just try to run away.” Twilight glanced between the others who shared determined nods.
“We have to get her when she can't just leave!” Dash pounded her two hooves together as she looked around for inspiration.
“Ooh ooh! Like when she's busy working and totally can't leave because it's her job!” Pinkie hopped in place with a frantic hoof waving in the air. Twilight shook her head at the actions with a small smirk.
“That sounds like a good idea Pinkie. Let's go and find out where she's working right now and, uh, 'help out'.” With one last grin to her marefriend, Twilight led the way out of the room with the others wearing smug grins as well at the proposed plan.
“Uhhhgg, that took FOREVER to clean up!” Rainbow slumped in the middle of the motel floor. She landed face first with wings falling to lay flat out on either side of her body. The others were just as tired but chose to sit on the floor instead of sprawled out like the cyan mare. Fluttershy glanced uneasily to the still pegasus but couldn't watch for long, Dash's statement of how easy it was to pretend nothing happened causing her heart to pinch with loneliness.
The group had only just returned from trying to work in the cherry sorting factory and the disastrous attempt of getting Applejack to talk. It had worked at first but had slowly gotten out of hoof to the point of causing a large cherry mess that they had to clean up. Now, hours later, they had finally finished and returned to their motel room to recuperate.
“That wasn't too bad! Tasted rather good actually! Makes me think of the cherry-chonga I once tried to make... Though I wasn't sure about that name...” Pinkie tapped her chin as she stared towards the roof. The other mares shook their heads in bemusement before looking back to the cyan mare on the floor.
“You were saying something about 'the big guns' darling?” Rarity raised a single brow in curiosity while Dash sat up with a groan.
“Yeah, I say we give Pinkie Pie a ton of candy and set her loose!” The other mares stared in disbelief while Pinkie tilted her head at the suggestion.
“That sounds dreadful!”
“I-I don't think that's such a good idea...”
“How would that help at all!?”
“Sounds good to me! Sign me up!” It was the pink mare's turn to have everyone (aside from the cyan pegasus) to stare incredulously at her for her acceptance. “Whaaaat? It sounds yummy!”
Twilight's hoof found its place on her muzzle (a location almost long forgotten by that point) before she glanced back to the brash mare. “Where would we 'set her loose' anyways?”
“Duh! AJ probably has to work the fields just like she did at home, so we get Pinkie hopped up on sugar and send her over. Then we'll lie in wait and when Applejack gives up, we'll be there to get the truth!” Dash smirked at her plan as the lavender mare stared at the ground in thought.
“I guess that might work...” Hearing the purple unicorn's reluctant acceptance, Pinkie rushed over to give her a brief hug. Rarity's jaw dropped slightly at this concurrence and glanced momentarily to the pegasus beside her who was also unsure about the plan.
“Aren't you worried that something might go wrong?” The besotted unicorn looked up from her hug to the pale-gray mare with a shrug.
“It's just candy, it can't be all that bad...”
“AND! I always brush my teeth after every meal and snack! Can't have pearly whites to chomp on candy with if you don't take care of them! Why are they called pearls when they're teeth? They don't look like circles and they don't shine unless you get in the right light and then you have to-”
“I think they got it Sweetheart...” Twilight whispered into a pink ear but was still heard by most in the room. Rainbow gagged briefly at the pet name before shaking her head while the others thought it was cute.
“Pinkie Pie, you are so random.” Dash stood and stretched her wings before turning around to exit the small room. “Alright, so we'll meet in the morning for phase Big Guns?” A quick peek behind her showed four nodding heads, leading the cyan pegasus to nod as well. “Alright, well, I'll be up in the sky if you guys need me.”
They watched curiously as Rainbow left slowly, a change from her usual exits. The remaining pegasus watched with sad eyes and slumped form. Rarity seemed to notice this and rested a hoof on her shoulder with a small smile.
“Come along darling, some rest shall do the both of us well.” The fashion mare nudged the shy pegasus into standing and led the way out of the room. As the two mares stepped outside, they were surprised to find Rainbow leaning against the wall. They came to a jarring halt at this sight, allowing the cyan mare to stand up once more and walk over to the cream-yellow mare.
Fluttershy tried not to tremble in anxiety as Dash came closer. She hadn't been able to talk to the cyan mare for the rest of the day and was nervous about what she wanted. Rarity noticed this anxiety and looked between the two pegasi with a thoughtful frown.
“I just wanted to say that I am sorry Fluttershy... I didn't mean it that way...” Rainbow didn't wait for the response and flew off to find a comfortable cloud for the night. Fluttershy blushed at the quiet apology and stared intently at the ground while her friend left.
The gray-white unicorn tapped the shy mare's shoulder briefly. Watching her give a small jump of surprise, the dress maker shook her head briefly at her nervousness before waving towards the door further down the hallway. They made their silent way to the door and once both were inside, Rarity magicked the door shut and turned to the nervous mare beside her.
“Darling... Is... everything alright?” The unicorn watched curiously while the pegasus shifted in place. “You and Rainbow Dash seem to be acting rather odd... Not that any of us seem to be acting normal considering the situation at hoof...” Rarity tapped her chin while staring at the ceiling. Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane as she contemplated how to respond.
“Uhm, we... we're just worried about what's happening.” The timid mare peeked at the other mare to find Rarity unsure of the excuse. The unicorn could tell that Fluttershy wasn't comfortable with the topic and considered pushing it anyways. Finding that with the continued silence, the shy pegasus trembled even harder as the seconds went on, she decided not to press the matter.
“If you say so darling... I would hate to have more friends being upset with one another. I would be willing to help with whatever I could of course, you only need to ask.” Rarity smiled gently to the other mare who sheepishly grinned back before heading to one of the beds.
“O-oh, yes, of course...” Fluttershy laid down and proceeded to hide her face from the world with blankets and mane, embarrassed at how easily her friend found out about her unease. The prim unicorn bit her lip for a moment before starting her own bedtime routine. While the unicorn was busy, the pegasus tried to keep her worries to herself.
(Rain-rainbow may have acted like it never happened... And never spoke about why or where she went... But-but she said she was sorry about it... And that she's trying to move on and work on the issue... I-I just have to stop thinking of the time when I got to find out what it would be like to live without friends or family to help with the bullies...)
The sun rose bright and early the next morning, waking the usually late sleeper pegasus who rested high in the sky. After having found a large enough cloud for her purpose the night before, Rainbow drew it closer to the motel and out of the normal wind drafts, making it stable and unable to float away. With the bright rays of the sun piercing her eye lids, the cyan mare gave up on her rest and checked her surroundings before stretching like a feline with warming flaps of her wings. Glancing down towards the red-roofed motel below her, the pegasus dived off her cloud with both hooves in front of her. Dash pulled up from her sudden dive quickly and landed the gentlest she had ever done before. Barely nodding a greeting to the different secretary (a dark blue coated stallion), the cyan flier trotted quickly through the hallway to try and find her friends.
Giving a swift knock to the lavender mare's door, Dash glanced down the hall where the fashion mare and the animal care-taker had gone the night before. A dark-cerise hue covered the doorway to open it for the cyan mare who entered without a second thought. Glancing around the room, Dash found that everyone was already there and waiting for the speedster. Rainbow looked over the barely awake librarian as she sat near the nervous pegasus. Fluttershy shifted her wings as the cyan mare sat and peeked at her for a second before looking to the already hyper earth pony. Pinkie seemed already extremely excited for the plan and hopped in place beside her marefriend who looked unsure to the cyan pegasus.
“Are you sure this is a good idea Rainbow Dash?” A lavender ear flicked to the bouncing mare beside her while Dash shrugged with both hooves in the air.
“We all know how random Pinkie can be. If we get her all hopped up on sugar and sick her loose on AJ, she'll give in in no time!” Rainbow nodded sagely before standing and waving a hoof to the canary mare beside her.
“Come on Fluttershy, we gotta get the candy.” Before either could take a step towards the door, she was interrupted by the confused librarian who tilted her head while questioning who was to fetch the sugary treats.
“Hang on, why are you two going? Where would you get it anyways?” Twilight stared bewildered at the brash mare who merely rolled her eyes.
“Uh, the candy store, duh. We're going because if you sent Pinkie Pie, she'd eat all the candy before getting in place and then she'd probably go off on some poor random pony and not AJ. We'll get the candy and meet you by the orchard when everyone is in place.” The others couldn't argue the sound reasoning and stayed behind while the two pegasi left.
Fluttershy was nervous about being on her own with the brash mare but couldn't find a reason to stay behind. She tried to keep up with the swift pace of the other mare who also remained silent while they left the motel. They hardly gave the stallion at the desk a greeting before taking to the sky once they left the door. Dash didn't look at the mare behind her as they flew, searching the town quickly for a store with candy (or at least enough to serve their purposes).
With a muted hoof point, the two pegasi dropped down to land in front of a single level store. A sign hanging from the center of the overhang showed a stack of random objects, showing that it was a general store. The canary mare bit her lip minutely as her nerves continued to fray under the unusual silence while Dash bought large bags of every kind of candy available. The brash mare looked over for a second and frowned at the nervousness of the other pegasus. Giving a mental sigh, the cyan mare paid for the bags and turned to find Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane once more.
“Alright Fluttershy, we got all the candy we need. Shoot! We need to get some ear plugs too! That chatter is going to drive us crazy too if we're not careful. Can you carry this for a moment while I get them?” Rainbow hoofed over the large sacks at the silent nod and trotted over to where there was a couple of bottle corks. With a smile at how successful it was sure to be, the cyan mare purchased them as well. Returning to the quiet mare's side, they changed bags so that Dash had the heavier supplies.
“Did you need anything while we're here Fluttershy?” Dash glanced nervously to the other pegasus who shook her head stiffly. It was the brash mare's turn to bite her lip but held off from questioning the shy mare in public.
The two friends made their rapid way back to where the others were now hiding among the cherry orchards. While the two pegasi had bought their supplies, Twilight had gone to Cherry Jubilee and asked permission to visit with Applejack briefly. The older mare had no qualms with the visitation and asked to be informed if they wanted to help some more. The two fliers dropped down a field away from where the usually-apple farmer worked and crouched as they snuck over to where the others waited.
“Do you.. have the stuff?” Pinkie glanced side to side as she saddled up to the cyan mare, whispering from the side of her muzzle as she leaned towards the pegasus. Dash rolled her eyes briefly before nodding and using a wing to drop the bag of treats before the party mare. With a large bright grin, Pinkie licked her lips and dove right in.
Twilight rolled her eyes at the extreme reaction and turned to the cyan mare who held out her hoof with earplugs on it. No one looked to the eating earth pony lest they get splatters of candy in their fur.
“What are these for?”
“If WE listen to Pinkie Pie, we'd go just as crazy as Applejack; this would help us with that.” Rainbow grinned proudly only to slowly frown as no one went for the plugs.
“Uhm, they're lovely darling but I don't think it would come to that...” Rarity tried to smile in appreciation only to slightly falter as Dash frowned annoyedly before trying to appear nonchalant about the reaction.
“Yeah, alright, whatever...” With a brief check on the sugar-buzzed mare, the others began to hide in the nearby bushes. Pinkie, finding herself alone, grabbed the bags and crouched close to the ground before jumping up with a distant sound of an unleashed spring accompanying her. Without disturbing the cherry tree in any way as she landed, the pink mare continued to munch on her snack, feeling the sugar course through her veins as she vibrated with every bite.
The four friends hiding in the bushes on the ground searched for the orange mare while keeping an eye on the tree that held the hyper pony. While they did use multiple bushes to hide, Dash made sure to stay close to where the animal care-taker was hiding in order to try and talk with Fluttershy once again.
“Pssst! Fluttershy!” The canary mare flinched at the hiss from the other pegasus and looked over with a confused tilt of her head.
“Are. You. Doing. O.K?” Dash tried to be quiet as she posed her question, slowing her words in an attempt to keep the volume down. Fluttershy frowned in bewilderment before nodding while looking away.
“See? With this fool-proof plan, we'll get this whole thing wrapped up in no time. Then we can get back home and back to how things were before!” The cyan mare beamed at her old friend who stared back with eyes clouded by incomprehension.
“... Uhm, why are you so sure things will go back to how they were before?” Fluttershy tried to question the other mare's fixation on 'how things were' but soon found with another sad frown that Dash forgot that she was wearing earplugs, making hearing the quiet question nigh impossible.
“Uh, ok, whatever you said. But did I deliver or did I deliver? I said I'd fix this and this will do the trick for sure!” The brash mare shined a hoof on her chest before trying to smile at the canary mare again. Seeing the frown deepen, Dash frowned as well and leaned forward to try and hear the other pegasus.
“Rainbow, sometimes things can’t go back to how they were...” Fluttershy tried to keep back the pain of how true the words were and managed to keep her voice wavering to a minimum. However this didn't stop Dash from realizing something was wrong and crawled closer to the canary mare.
“You're speaking too quietly, I can't hear-” The cyan mare frowned as she spoke only to stop when a cream-yellow hoof came up to remove one of the ear plugs. With the rambling of 'funny words' in the background, Dash was able to hear completely the simple statement of the other pegasus.
“Rainbow Dash, sometimes things can't go back to how they were before... No matter how much I-we-uhm... No matter how much one might want it to... Some things are harder to fix...” Fluttershy couldn't look at the dejected face of her best friend as she spoke and hid behind her mane once more. Rainbow could only stare on in shock but before she could think about these words she heard exactly what she had hoped to from the working farmer.
“Noooooo!! Make it stop, make it stop!”
With a pleased grin, the cyan mare burst from her hiding place while making sure both earplugs were back in place. Shooting forward, she wrapped a single hoof around the pink chattering muzzle while the other held Pinkie back from her target.
“The only way to make it stop is to spill the beans!” Dash smirked as she stared at the earth pony on the ground who tried to cover her ears in a vain attempt at blocking the endless rambling.
“NEVER!” Applejack could feel the pressure of her reasons and tried to remain firm. This didn't last long as Dash removed the hoof stemming the flow of words and allowed Pinkie to propel forward; giving the rambling mare a frightened glance, the farmer tried to back away only to find a tree prevented her escape.
“Speakin' of beans! Did you ever realize how many words rhymed with beans? Lean, mean, spleen, unclean, keen, purien...” The blonde mare realized that Dash wasn't about to give up nor was she effected by the rambling, meaning that the only way to get it to stop was by submitting.
“Alright, alright! Ah'll tell everypony what's goin' on! Just pleeeaaase stop talkin'!!” The others stepped out of their hiding places with amused smiles; they hadn't thought the plan would work this well and so quickly. Surrounding the apple farmer, they watched for any funny business while Applejack continued to talk.
“But, can it wait till tomorrow at breakfast? Ah'm plum tuckered out...” The blonde mare tried to appear tired as she leaned against the tree. Tiny beads of sweat dripped down her face as Dash squinted suspiciously towards her.
“Tomorrow huh? I don't know...” The speedster kept her focus on the earth pony before them while her mind tried to understand what Fluttershy had said. Another reason why she couldn’t look away was her worry of finding teal eyes full of hurt and tears. While the cream-yellow mare may not have started to cry, she couldn't focus on the circumstances before her as she stared at the back of the prismatic head. She knew that Dash sometimes didn't understand or perceive emotions of the subtle kind very well, but the animal care-taker was starting to think that Rainbow was avoiding thinking about it altogether.
“Do ya Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie Pie noticed this unsure moment of the rainbow maned pegasus and leaned forward while demonstrating the motions of the infamous promise. The earth pony sitting on the ground placed a hoof over her eye as she promised.
“Ah will tell ya the whole truth AT breakfast. Pinkie Promise.” The group of friends shared triumphant smirks before giving the working mare brief farewells.
Making a quick return to town, the five friends tried to use the rest of their afternoon wisely. The plan had only taken up a couple of hours and they had the rest of the afternoon and evening before evening thinking of winding down for the night. The couple explored the town (or rather Pinkie gave a very brief yet thorough tour) while the others went for lunch. All three mares stayed quiet as they focused on the various events that occurred that day and what they learned. None of the remaining mares noticed the distractedness of the others due to their own thoughts and returned to the motel soon after. Rarity and Fluttershy went to lay on their beds while Dash watched morosely before exiting to find a cloud to use. She rested her head on her hooves with a quiet sigh.
(...What's the point of getting one friend back when I can't even help my oldest and closest friend? It was hard enough to just come back and act like I didn't force myself to stay away... To find a place to stay near her in case but giving space to-to be her own mare... Maybe... It didn't help at all...)
The next morning found three of the five search party exhausted and weary; the couple was refreshed, after having a nice pre-celebratory date while the others had found themselves laying in bed with minds abuzz with questions and concerns. They gathered briefly in the hallway of the motel before heading towards the cherry farm just south of the town, pleased to finally get the adventure over with and finished.
Mind wracked with questions and concerns, Dash couldn't help voice some of her doubts to the group, if only to relieve some of her mental burden. Fluttershy noticed this unusual fatigue and watched the usually bold mare carefully, concern tinting her gaze.
“Don't worry Rainbow, she's gotta fess up after making a Pinkie Promise.” The group made their sedate way through the motel they were all staying at. They were relaxed as they went down the hallway, pleased to finally put this latest adventure behind them. Twilight led the way to the last door of the cherry themed barn house and knocked soundly on the door before pushing it open. Pinkie couldn't wait to greet the orange farmer that she pulled forward to brightly give her greetings.
“Good morning Applejack, you ready for break-” The hyper mare froze in her greeting at the sight of an empty room and slowly grew an intense frown. The others noticed this sudden agitation and backed away with anxious glances. The pink mare shrank down in fury, her face burning as she barely held in her anger. With an almost audible snap, the usually friendly mare began to shout in a dark and threatening manner as steam poured out of her ears.
“OOOOOOHHHH! Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise!” Everyone couldn't move while the furious earth pony floated from the ground and rapidly ran off. No one had seen what happened when someone actually broke a Pinkie Promise and the drastic reaction of Pinkie's wasn't assuring them of a positive kind of party. Quickly chasing the raging mare, the group couldn't help but think of how serious the promise actually was.
Rainbow could feel the pressure of keeping her promises as they followed the furious pink mare. She tried not to stare at Fluttershy who ran below her as she thought to her promise made several days previously.
(Even without this Pinkie freakout, I'd still try to get Applejack back and make sure no one leaves just to run away... And no way am I leaving. It was nearly impossible the first time, now there's no way I can imagine leaving... Time to get our game on! AJ, you're not getting away!)
“APPLEJACK! YOU PINKIE PROMISED!” The four mares tried not to flinch while the raging party mare shouted at the blonde mare who waited at the train station. The usually-apple farmer panicked and dashed to a nearby stagecoach.
“Applejack, come back here!” Pinkie pulled ahead of the others as they chased after the runaway mare. They didn't want to lose any other friends while they ran so Twilight had insisted that they stay together. The angry baker barely kept the request in mind as she ran, only staying slightly ahead of the others. Finding that Applejack had gotten a ride by stronger and faster stallions, Dash started to pull ahead in the air with grit teeth, unwilling to let it happen.
“She's gonna get away!” The usually chipper mare whined to her marefriend as they ran, dust flying from their hooves as they sped onward. Noticing how the group came to a stop, Rainbow turned in the air to find Twilight proposing a new way to travel.
“Oh no she won't, look girls!” Finding that it would help everyone catch up to Applejack together, Dash wrapped a hoof around Fluttershy's barrel and pulled her to the double rigged cart. The timid mare was stunned at the touch and couldn't think of any objections in time to suggest somepony else to pull before being completely hooked up to the cart.
“Come on Fluttershy, time for me to keep my promise! And I'm going to need YOUR help, ok?” The speedster whispered to her friend while they rapidly hooked up to the wooden car. The canary mare spared a single glance to the others who hopped inside the wooden cart before tremblingly agreed.
“O-oh alright...” Once Dash heard the quiet consent, she led the way with a burst of speed and determined smirk.
“Follow that stage coach!” Pinkie sat in the front of the cart and pointed dramatically towards Applejack, as though anypony needed a reminder of who they were chasing or where they should head.
The two pegasi began to race down the main road, eyes squinted towards their target. Fluttershy tried to pour as much speed as she could into her legs, pumping them as fast as she had ever done so before. While it seemed like Dash took no notice of this attempt at speed, she grinned internally while knowing that her best friend was trying. Her vision however started to tunnel the longer it took to reach the stagecoach and she began to pick up the pace further. With a smug grin at how they were finally catching up, Dash stared at the target sitting on top of the coach. Fluttershy however, couldn't help but watch the road, leaving the direction and speed to the cyan mare next to her. She knew the bolder mare would think of their mission but sometimes didn't notice the little things.
(Like when something she said might hurt somepony else... Or when she gets hurt herself... or when there's a cute little bunny in the road... A cute little bunny in the road?!?) Fluttershy snapped out of her musings at the sight of a dark-gray rabbit in the center of the road. With wide eyes, the canary mare dug her hooves into the ground. Dash's eyes widened in shock at the sudden stop and she glanced to the mare at her side. Finding that the animal care-taker continued to desperately try to stop the vehicle, as well as the cart swinging around due to this attempt, the cyan mare also tried to halt the cart.
With adrenaline rushing through their veins, Dash glanced to the other pegasus who only responded with a sheepish smile. Shaking her head with a frown, the speedster started to run once again without acknowledging Fluttershy who sadly frowned to the ground as she ran. The timid mare could feel the cyan pegasus' annoyance with her and tried to pick up her speed to help catch up on lost ground. Knowing they would only encounter more obstacles in town, Dash led them around the side in a tight arc, crossing paths with the runaway apple farmer further outside of the little town.
“Pull over!” Rainbow pushed into the canary mare to cause the cart to knock the coach. Fluttershy flinched at being forced to be more forceful but could tell that this whole endeavor was taking a toll on the group and glared up to the earth pony. Dash's view became very tunnel like and glared to the running mare, forgetting about the pegasus beside her for a moment as her self-appointed mission objective came close to being completed.
“Hey, cut that out!” Applejack saw this glare and returned it with one of her own as she reprimanded them. Seeing no change in the two pegasi's speed, the blonde turned to the four stallions pulling the coach.
“Ah’ll pay ya double to outrun them!”At the farmer's words, Dash scowled and kept up the pace, unwilling to let them get away. Fluttershy remained silent as she focused on keeping up with the super fast pegasus; scrunching her eyes in concentration, she tried to fight down the pinch of jealousy she had towards the attention Applejack was receiving from Rainbow.
“We'll pay you triple to slow down!” Knowing that their pegasi friends couldn't keep up speed, Twilight tried to get the running stallions to slow down. This worked to an extent and the chasing mares shared pleased smirks that turned rapidly to frowns at the farm pony's next words.
“Ah'll pay ya quadruple to leave them in the dust!” The southern accent rang out as the apple farmer frantically tried to outrun her friends. None of the chasers were pleased with this surge of speed and the pink earth pony shouted more encouragement.
“Get them, get them!” Hearing Pinkie's annoyed shout brought a small smirk of amusement to Dash; she hadn't seen the chipper mare that annoyed before and she couldn't help but grin at the sharp command. Glancing to the mare beside her, Rainbow shouted her own encouragements, hoping to get her to keep up for just a little longer.
“Come on Fluttershy!” The canary mare was unsure about the speeds they were reaching but didn't want to let down anyone with her weak performance, desperately trying to pick up her pace to help make the rig go faster.
With Fluttershy going as fast as she could, Dash was able to use more of her own power to pick up the pace and draw even with the runaway coach once more. After staying alongside the larger rig for a few seconds, Pinkie stuck out her tongue and lept before anyone could say otherwise.
“Applejack, you broke your Pinkie Promise! Apologize.” The orange mare gave a start to see the pink one so close and upset but wouldn't allow Pinkie to dominate the conversation and guilt her into explaining. It was hard for the chasing group to hear clearly but the half-shouted words were barely heard.
“Pinkie, Ah did NOT break my promise!” Applejack pushed back the annoyed baker while trying to explain how she didn't do anything wrong and certainly not worth all the trouble they were going through. The firm denial surprised everyone and caused the pink baker to lean back unsure.
“Wha-?”
“If y'all recon back, Ah told ya that Ah'd tell ya everythin' AT breakfast. But Ah didn't come to breakfast; Ah couldn't come to breakfast. Not if it meant telling y'all what happened.” The others frowned in wonder while they stayed close to the large coach.
While Applejack had found a loophole in her promise, it didn't sit right with any of them since she usually acted with straight integrity. Dash grounded her teeth at how evasive the farm mare was acting considering how in every competition they had, it was Applejack who would frown and scold any kind of loophole. Knowing this fact further aggravated Dash to the point of no return; she was going to get the answers, one way or another.
“Well, I- I'd-I'd...” The hyper baker was flustered as she rode the large coach, eyes searching to find some kind of reasonable comment. No one had tried to get around a promise before and she wasn't sure how to respond.
“Ah'm sorry Pinkie but Ah can't tell y'all the truth; Ah just can't!” Applejack felt horrible for doing this to her friends and seeing the devastation on the party mare's face at how she got out of the Pinkie Promise, but couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. Pinkie frowned thoughtfully before decided on the next best course of action.
“I heard a sorry in there, so that'll have to do for now. I'll get a real apology later. Rarity catch me!” The pink earth pony dropped from the coach and aimed specifically for the gray-white unicorn. Twilight watched with wide eyes before turning to the pegasi leading the cart.
“Rainbow, go back!” A single cyan ear flicked back to the shout of the unicorn. Dash shook her head while she pressed on; she could feel the curious eyes of the pegasus beside her which only served to harden the already steel resolve.
“No time! They knew what they were getting into!” At the brash retort, the canary mare gulped quietly to herself as she saw a side of Rainbow that rarely came out around the shy mare. The bold and determined pegasus was seen only a few times and each time heralded a dangerous incident.
Fluttershy tried to keep up the pace but could feel her limbs grow weary as the chase went on. With less ponies in the cart, it was a little easier to try and keep up but they were soon coming to the train tracks. Dash squinted when she saw the determined flick of Applejack's eyes only to widen her own when the four pony stagecoach tried to outrun the upcoming locomotive.
The three mares watched in surprise as the four stallions barely inched by the speeding train to the other side. With a half growl and frown at the chance of the orange mare possibly getting away, Dash glanced over to the pegasus next to her. Seeing that there was a way to pull their wings out from under the harness, the cyan mare jerked into a moment of stop only to pull forward once more. This jerking action made the harness strapped to each mare slip over the rest of their wings. Fluttershy glanced to Dash in shock, feeling her wings freed and confused as to what caused the jarring motion. Finding the speedster jerk her chin to the sky above the train, teal eyes shrank in fear and trepidation.
“Come on! We can't let them get away!” Rainbow barely stated this before flapping her wings desperately. Feeling the cart lean up into the sky, Fluttershy also started to try and fly, righting the vehicle once more. Twilight, not expecting sudden flight, gripped the sides tightly as she watched with wide eyes.
As the chasing mares soared gently over the train (Fluttershy's speed and exhaustion wouldn't allow for much faster), they found that Applejack had paused a moment to stare pridefully to her mad dash. Finding the four stallions had ditched the orange earth pony, the three mares took a second to regain their breath, assuming that the chase was finished. Dash couldn't hold back her furious frown when the blonde farmer tried to run and slipped easily out of her harness to tackle the target to the ground.
While Twilight and Dash went to interrogate the runaway, Fluttershy tried to remain upright as she panted for breath. The whole run had been faster and harder than anything she had did ever and it took a heavy toll on her.
(At least we caught her... Now we don't have to run and do scary things like jump over trains... And no one got hurt.) With this slightly more positive view in mind, the canary mare straightened and calmly walked over to where the other three were talking.
“But the telegram said you were going to SEND money.” Rainbow stepped over to the dejected earth pony and pointed with a confused frown. This whole thing wasn't making much sense to the brash mare and she was the one often obsessed with winning competitions.
“That's why Ah came here; Ah wanted tah earn some money. After that big ol' send off Ponyville gave me, Ah just didn't have the nerve tah come home empty hoofed. Ah couldn't come home a failure.” Applejack had walked away from the prismatic mare as she offered further explanation before dipping her head in shame.
“Applejack, you're not a failure...” Twilight glanced to the animal care-taker next to her with a small grin, pleased to finally know what was wrong and given the chance to fix it.
“And we're your friends. We don't care if you came in fiftieth place; you’re still number one in our books.” Rainbow felt her hooves leave the ground as it all became clear and rushed forward into the farm pony's line of vision. Giving a proud smirk at having successfully gotten things turned around, she floated in the air with both hooves on her waist.
“So... Yer not upset or disappointed?” The stetson wearing mare glanced back to find three shaking heads in response to her question. Remembering about the rest of the town, Applejack rushed forward to question about her other promises.
“But what about the mayor. Ah don't think Ah could face her an' tell her Ah didn't get the money tah fix the broken roof...” While the farmer felt more responsibility fall onto her shoulders, weighing her back down, the cream-yellow mare softly reprimanded her as she stepped closer. Her heart went out to the worried mare, feeling unable to keep promises and bring back proof of her showmareship were good reasons, but not enough to have caused so much worry to everyone else in the small town.
“Applejack... We can always find a way to fix the hole in the roof. But if you never come back, we'll never find a way to fix the hole in our hearts.” Fluttershy began the nuzzle Applejack with Twilight soon joining in from the other side, reassuring the farmer that running away was not the answer. The soft words were meant to confirm and reinforce the idea of not running away from one's problems and it resonated loudly with the usually brash mare in the sky.
(Yeah Fluttershy, I get it... A good friend leaving hurts badly... I can only hope to help get that hurt healed. I... I'm never going to do anything like that to you again 'Shy... I can only hope you forgive me for ever going in the first place...And I'll make sure that none of our friends tries to do something like that to us...)
“Darn it, now you got me acting all sappy!” Rainbow sniffed, finding that she teared up as she thought and tried to pass it off as further reaction to finding and helping the farm mare. Crossing her hooves in attempt to be annoyed at being so sappy, the cyan mare slowly dropped down to join in the group hug.
Seconds after the hug, the group broke apart and smiled sheepishly to one another. Applejack scuffed a hoof along the desert sand and turned to find the cart nearby. With a small sniff to stem the flow from her nose, the farmer jerked her head to point at the wooden vehicle.
“Why don't y'all hop in an' Ah take us home?” The three other mares shared unsure glances before turning back to the earth pony.
“All the way back to Ponyville? Isn't that really far? Why don't we head back to Doge Junction and catch the next train instead?” Twilight pointed a hoof to where the small rural town was, following where the tracks were leading. Applejack scratched the back of her head with a small smirk and shrugged her agreement.
“Ah guess that works too. Hop in!” The orange mare didn't wait for any further comment and hooked herself to the harness. Twilight and Fluttershy both stepped into the wooden cart while Dash floated overhead. The three ponies on the ground looked to the cyan mare in curiosity.
“What? I had enough running and staying on the ground, I need to stretch my wings properly. I'll follow along easily.” Rainbow gazed to the side as she shrugged. It was true that she wanted to stretch her wings, but another hidden reason was how she wouldn't be able to sit next to the canary mare without doing something even sappier than tearing up. Used to her insistence of flying no matter what, Applejack merely nodded once before starting to pull the cart back to town.
Once they arrived, the group wasted no time in getting a train ticket back home; now that everything was resolved, Applejack felt the pinch of homesickness. The others said nothing and merely smiled as the apple farmer stuck her head out of the train to watch the scenery change from yellow of sand to the green of growing grass. Fluttershy watched the happy mare before remembering one of the ponies who wanted to find her the most. Gasping softly with a hoof to her mouth, the canary mare glanced to Twilight who frowned in thought as she stared at the town they were rapidly leaving behind.
“Twilight, what about Rarity and Pinkie Pie?” Two sets of ears flicked forward at the question while the cyan pegasus continued to be lost in her own mind of plausible actions. The orange mare frowned briefly as she looked to the shier pegasus. Twilight sighed before tearing her gaze from the small desert town.
“I'm sure they'll be fine. They were close to the train tracks and we hadn't gotten too far from the town... And Pinkie does have her ways, they will manage to get back just fine...” The others could hear the unease in the unicorn's voice and nodded rapidly to help assure her. Dash came back to her surroundings as the three other mares shared in another hug. Sitting up and reaching over timidly, the cyan mare gave a few soft pats to Twilight's back; an action that did not go unnoticed by the cream-yellow pegasus.
The rest of the trip went by quickly as each became lost in their own minds. Fluttershy was one of the few who tried to relax in her seat without thinking of the similarities and differences between the present and four years ago. Something that helped to distract her was the almost constant shifting of the prismatic mare. Dash couldn't sit still with each option that popped into her mind. She tried to find the best way to show the canary mare how she was trying and things were going to be better.
By the time that they reached Ponyville, Rainbow sighed softly to herself and tried to steel herself for what she was about to do. Applejack was the first one off the train and was soon surrounded by family and friends who waited for them. Twilight had managed to get a letter sent back home to let them know of their arrival, leading the welcome party to be moved to the train station instead.
While the blonde farmer was being covered in hugs and tearful embraces, Dash floated above the scene for a moment before dropping down to stand next to the shy mare. Fluttershy tried to show no reaction to this proximity as she watched with a soft smile to the heartwarming scene before her.
“Fluttershy, I... I'm so sorry that I ever left...” The canary mare stiffened at the hushed tones of the usually brash pegasus beside her; flicking only a single ear back, the animal care-taker remained completely still while they stood outside of the happy circle. “I-it... It was hard to leave you behind and I never stopped thinking about you...”
“Then why-?” Fluttershy couldn't hold back a small sob as she questioned the cyan mare, turning to gaze at her with watery eyes. Dash grimaced and shut her eyes before leaning forward to rest her head on top of the pink mane. The cream-yellow mare couldn't hold back her anxious tremble that stilled only when she felt the sky-blue muzzle rub hesitantly over her head.
“I couldn't handle the pain and -”
“Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash!” The sound of an excited filly cut through the two mares who jumped back from each other with light blushes on their muzzles. Scootaloo had noticed her hero and rushed over from where she stood with Sweetie Belle to stand expectantly in front of the cyan mare.
“O-oh hey there squirt. You doing ok?” Dash rubbed the back of her head as she stared at the filly looking up to her.
Cerise eyes couldn't hold the excited ones and looked over to find Applejack giving her younger sister a tight hug. Glancing back down to the young pegasus before her, Rainbow could feel the sappy atmosphere and continued to rub her head. Fluttershy watched curiously to see what the brash mare was going to do next.
“You bet! You guys got Applejack back and everything! I bet you were awesome!” Scootaloo buzzed her wings, lifting off the ground for a second before landing once more. Dash smirked and reached out a hoof to the youth. It twitched in its travel, going from a course that would have wrapped around the child's barrel to her head, mussing her dark-cerise mane timidly.
The young pegasus didn't notice this sudden change in decision and merely blushed at the contact. Fluttershy, however, saw this change in trajectory and tilted her head with bewilderment. She didn't get a chance to ask or mention this for a moment later a quiet voice rang through the air.
“Where's Rarity? And where's Pinkie Pie?” Scootaloo pulled away with a worried frown to look at the gray-white unicorn who stared at the returned Applejack. The returning party glanced between one another before gazing back to Sweetie Belle. Applejack was the one to step forward and placed a single hoof on her shoulder.
“Rarity and Pinkie got separated when they were... followin' after me. They're comin' too, but it'll just be ah bit longer. Don't ya worry none, Ah'm gonnah be right here waitin' fer them. Did-did ya want tah wait with me?” The young unicorn smiled sadly as she nodded to the earth pony's . Applejack patted her back before turning in place to watch the railroad tracks. The other Crusaders trotted over to their pale-gray friend and sat with her, their silence and closeness showing how they'd always be there for one another.
The two pegasi watched this with small grins, reminded of a time when they were just as close, many years back. Peeking to the canary mare beside her, Dash gave her a light nudge and whispered into her ear.
“This isn't the best time or place for us to talk about what happened... But we WILL talk about it Fluttershy. Promise.” After quietly murmuring into the canary ear, Dash stood and walked over to the waiting ponies. Giving each a silent nod, she sat close by to keep vigilance with the waiting group. Fluttershy found herself once again frozen in place, a muted blush burning on her muzzle with ears tipped forward in wonder.
(What... What has gotten into Rainbow these past few days?! Hugging, nuzzling, talking about never leaving again... Did-was it really that hard for her to leave? Did she... Did she really think about me while she was gone...? Maybe things are getting better and... and maybe she would have done the same thing for me... Maybe she would have been even more concerned...) Fluttershy couldn't help the hopeful smile as she timidly walked over to sit beside her best friend, joining the silent group as they waited for the missing mares. Dash glanced over to the sudden presence and smirked at finding the shy pegasus sitting there.
Together the group smiled at how things turned out before settling comfortably to wait for the two mares. It was only another hour before the two mares returned and they were met with a welcome party of their own (though Rarity wasn't as appreciative considering how she wasn't properly attired for it). The two pegasi watched with warm smiles as Sweetie Belle gripped her own sister in a hug similar to what Applejack had gotten while Pinkie leaped over to hug her marefriend. The group soon turned with laughter and smiles to Sugarcube Corner, where the 'welcome back' party was soon in full swing for everyone.
So, the thanks and praise must be said first! Thanks Gwg and Bronco for their work reviewing and editing this!
Readers may realize that this chapter is rather... ruddy... huge... And this was supposed to be one of the smaller chapters. This is going to be big, especially since I won't be cutting any of the plot made (so there shall be 100 chapters!). Hopefully I can get it out rather quickly-ish so we don't take over three years to finish these three stories. So I'd like to hear any and all comments, at any time that you can/want to. It helps since these chapters are going to be long, so I'd like to hear feedback to make these long things all the more worthwhile.
Thanks and enjoy the chapter! 
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4678012 I'm a little confused, what do you mean? What cleared the minds of others?
4678012 Also confused
Huzzah! I am caught up now.
5331336 Ah. I may have, sometimes numbers/ages escape me. Allow me to double check and correct it. Thanks for noticing/commenting on it
EDIT: I've just checked the previous chapters, I did say fifteen before. I'll fix it up in a jiffy. Thanks again!
5336569
Wooo, what a large and mostly pleased comment! Allow me to address as much as I can from it. 
The shipping of FlutterDash. I am romantic at heart and like to show the slow steady progression into the actual thing. Feels more 'real' that way. As for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, well, even youths have times they fall in love, and I thought they went well together. I'll go back and see if it does indeed come across as sudden. For Scoots especially to be 'out of character', I had originally thought of it like growing up. And the fact that she's had a large shake in the form of being free of the orphanage. Plus I've thought of her as a pony who shuts off the emotions/physical touching because of past issues that come with being an orphan and homeless. And Sweetie Belle can see that and it effects her more than someone who is just a friend. Anyways, yeah, it was acting like more of their story instead of FlutterDash, and so the next few chapters are indeed going to focus on the older pegasi.
I am just so pleased with the large comment (and gushing).
There have been times when I feel like I'm writing too much, too much detail, but then there are comments like yours who fawn over how I write. I have a vivid imagination and can actually see another world over top the real one if I try just a little (giving a clear view of ponyville if I want). I don't like constantly repeating the characters' names, so I've been branching out with the descriptors. There were other times when I've wondered if I overused them and should just slack off it in favor of using their names. As for crossing over stories, it just made sense to me. I liked and was going to write about each pairing, why not have different views on the same event? And then I started having fun with it, conversations between two ponies from different stories that show up only in one, interactions that only show up in another. 
And multiple views for the same thing. So fun. You can (if not now, eventually) go and follow the timeline, seeing when certain parts happen due to when the stories crossover. Lots of growth planned for all the ponies.
Thanks for all your comments, I do read each comment left on my stories by anyone, even if I don't get around to replying to them all. I'll go and try to find those little errors, it's annoyed me in other stories when it's happened and there was no correction. Guess I should take responsibility for my own too. And trust me, without Gwg helping keep me on a better track with grammar and errors, things would be much worse.
5337536 No no, it's fine. I rather like long comments, helps me get a clear picture of what is going on and how you think. That makes sense and I'm going to have to think about it (one of the reasons why this is going to be a long story is because of the two ships).
You've given me much to think about
Thank you. Since I do indeed want my stories to have a better quality, I shall take this indeed and ponder. Thanks again, and no worries about long comments 
5338142 i don't know whether to like you for being spot on or hate you for the exact same reason.
What we hoped to get across is that sweetie is empathetic towards scoots along with having a crush on her. However it is these recent chapters that we found it crucial that we show the beginning of the crush. Her feelings towards the chicken disguised her developing feelings until scoot was out of danger. Scootaloo has plenty to deal with now that she is out of harms way, and for those who care as strongly as sweetie is starting to, it can be downright depressing when you feel that you are not being helpful in their recovery.
So yes, sweetie is definitely the weakest when it comes to the sad bit and truthfully it will be the other three that will have the more sadness dealt to them but i think thats ok.
Also five chapters for this is like 5% of the total story so
. There is plenty more where that came from trust me.
And yes we listen within reason.
Thanks for reading.
-GWG-