Fading Colors

by J-Webb

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: |
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|Shipping| |Sad| |Dark|

*Note* Before you read this chapter I would like to give you the definition to a name that will come up in this chapter.

Dashielle. Meaning: its source is chiel, an Old French name meaning "Page."

---

Applejack let out a soft sigh. The weeping was still ringing in her ears from somewhere down the grey hall. "Two doors left." she said aloud, pressing on quietly. She crossed the hall once again, slowly opening the last door on the left. Bright light poured forth once again as she drifted into another flashback.

Applejack found herself standing in a bedroom of another cloud home. The room itself was small. Within, there was only a bed and a desk, both made from cloud and small like the room they adorned. The Earth pony glanced at the wall behind the bed, noticing a huge poster of the Wonderbolts. Applejack immediately knew whose room this was.

"Oh, Thank Celestia! She's home!" a motherly voice rang from behind the closed bedroom door. Applejack trotted over to the door, opening it, she stepped out into the connecting hallway. At the end of the hallway stood a tall, dark blue-coated Pegasus mare, with a half red half yellow mane and tail. In front of this mare, a very distraught and soaking wet filly Rainbow Dash stood.

"Where have you been young lady? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" scolded Dash's mom.

"I told you yesterday where I was going… Maybe you would remember that if you listened to me once and awhile!" retorted Dash, glaring angrily at her mother.

"I thought I told you not to be hanging around with that filly! She's a bad influence for you!" barked Dash's mother.

"Hey! You take that back! She cares about me more than you or dad ever will!" yelled Rainbow Dash, slowly backing away from her mother.

"Watch your tone, missy!" the mare yelled, her voice matching Dash's volume. "Your father and I do so much for you, and this is how you treat us? We provide you shelter, feed you, pay to send you to school. What does that filly do for you, huh?"

Dash bit her lip, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. "Whenever I have a bad day she is there to cheer me up. She supports me, encourages me to go farther and do better. And most importantly, she loves me."

Dash's mother froze, stillness settling into the argument. As the seconds passed, the mare spoke again, her voice eerie and soft. "You love her, don't you?"

Dash's anger subsided, in the new emotion piercing the conversation. She lowered her head in defeat. "Yes…"

"I… I can't believe it!" her mother recoiled in shock. "My daughter, my own little girl a… A filly-fooler! I am truly disappointed in you Dashielle." her mother's tone full anger and dismay.

Upon hearing that term, Dash erupted in anger. "How dare you call me that! I don't need you! Or dad! You guys are nothing but complete jerks! Screw this, I'm outta here!" shrieked the cyan filly, tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she left the house, back into the stormy night.

Applejack felt sick to her stomach again. "How awful that musta been for her…" she admitted, feeling on the verge of tears again. The Earth pony shut her eyes, trying to force the tears away. It was no use.

---

A wicked wind blew past Rainbow Dash as she flew, causing her to focus more on compensating against the added resistance. The haze produced from the thunderstorm certainly was not helping her see any, flying almost blindly; she fought to avoid approaching buildings at the last second.

"Stupid parents, hating me for who I am," she mumbled between breaths, trying hard to force all of her thoughts away from her.

Feeling lost and alone, the dejected filly set her course to the one place she knew would take her. Even the thick fog of the storm could not keep Rainbow Dash away, having visited Skyfire's place many a times before, she knew the route off by heart.

---

"Coming!" replied a motherly voice from within the home. The door opened, revealing a drenched rainbow-maned Pegasus. Still breathing heavily from her fight against the weather across town, Rainbow Dash wobbled in place.

"Oh my goodness! Rainbow Dash, darling, come in," she insisted, ushering the little filly inside from the storm and closing the door behind her. "Gale! Could you bring me some towels please." she called into the home, her tone carrying a hint of concern.

Rainbow Dash noticed the mare's tone; it relaxed her, knowing that some pony actually cared about her wellbeing. Feeling tired all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, collapsing to the floor with a thud.

---

Rainbow Dash awoke suddenly, sitting up she found herself inside a dark bedroom. The soft crackles of thunder raged on, signaling that the storm was moving on.

"You're awake?" questioned a sleepy Skyfire, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Surprised by the sudden movement, Rainbow Dash looked down at the stirring pony. "Skyfire? Where am I?" questioned the cyan filly, casting another glance around the dark room.

"My bedroom silly, you got here a couple hours ago, but passed out on the floor. You looked really tired…" Skyfire explained, sitting up beside her filly friend.

Dash sat quietly, thinking back on today's problems. An eerie moment of silence pierced the atmosphere while both ponies thought of something to say.

"Rainbow, what's wrong? Why were you out in that storm tonight?" asked Skyfire, voicing her concerns for her friend's safety.

The rainbow-maned pony spoke without breaking her vision from the window, "I told my mom about us Sky… She freaked out and called me a filly-fooler. So I left, and came to the only place I have left to go."

The silence returned, accompanied by the soft sound of whimpering as Rainbow Dash tried desperately to hold back her tears.

"Shh, it's ok Dash. I'm here for you," Skyfire reassured, wrapping the Pegasus into a tight embrace.

"Thanks, Sky," sniffed Dash, burying her head into the white Pegasus's mane.

---

After a couple of minutes, Applejack opened her eyes again, noticing she was standing in the doorway to a colorless bedroom. The Earth pony stepped into the room, drawn to the colorful note perched in the middle of a desk on the left side of the room. Sitting down, she began to read the note.

---

Dear Dashielle,

You may be wondering to yourself where your father and I went. We see now how much pain we have caused you. As such, we have decided it was for the best that we left. Yes, I know it's hard dear, but it truly is for the best. I know we don't get along all the time, you sister was the same way, right up until she moved out. You seem to be doing just fine on your own, and we are so proud of you. You are strong, just like your father; we know you will do just fine. We have left some bits. It should be enough until you're old enough to get a job.

Regarding your little filly-friend, I know that right now you don't understand. I'm sure you will when you're older. Showing affection towards other mares is just not natural dear. Your father and I do not want to risk our reputation, nor do we want you to hurt your own in some silly phase. We have left to Canterlot to pursue our weather research farther. If you need us, you can always contact us there.

Never forget we love you Dashielle. Please don't hold it against us. This is for the best. You will understand one day.

Love,

Mom & Dad

---

Applejack felt her skin crawling with rage, resisting the temptation to tear the note up. She wiped away the stale tears on her cheeks, placing the note back down and leaving the room. The weeping sounded like yelling in her ears now; she crossed the hall a final time, opening the last door. Light again flushed over her senses.

Opening her eyes, Applejack felt a cool breeze wash over her, putting her scenes on high alert. The crisp scent of fresh air lingered in her nostrils with every breath she took. She glanced around, noticing that she now stood on a single cloud, high above the cloud metropolis. Lying beside her was the filly Rainbow Dash. The Earth pony could see that Dash had been crying. Applejack wished she could reach out and comfort the filly, but knew that the boundaries of this strange world prevented such an act.

The soft beating of wings broke the silence, signaling the approach of somepony. Seconds later, a familiar face poked up from the edge of the cloud. It was Skyfire, the white Pegasus landed on the cloud, placing a protecting wing over the cyan pony.

"Dash, what's wrong?" the white filly questioned her distraught friend.

"Sky…" sniffed Dash. "The bullies… It's so hard to take." Dash buried her head into her fore hooves. Skyfire sat down beside her filly-friend, nuzzling her vibrant rainbow-mane.

"Sky…" Dash called again, looking to her.

"Yes, Dash?" Skyfire replied, lifting her head to meet Dash`s eyes.

"This… isn't easy for me to say... But, I think it's best if we stop seeing each other…" Rainbow Dash revealed, her voice cracking at points as she held back sobs. She tried to lock eyes with her filly-friend, overwhelmed by emotion, she found herself unable.

Applejack stood watching the scene unfold like a guardian angel, just as she had done in every other flashback. The wind picked up, whipping her blonde mane in all directions. This did not phase the Earth pony, as she continued to watch the flashback, deep in thought.

As the moments past, Skyfire still found that she was unable to speak. It was like her whole world had come crashing down around her, and she was incapable of finding a way to repair the damage. "Why…" She choked out, tears stinging at her eyes.

"Sky, the bullies are becoming too much for me, I… I just can't take it anymore," the cyan filly admitted, still unable to meet Skyfire's gaze.

"You think it's easier for me?" Skyfire screamed, the impending tears finally getting the better of her and spilling forth.

"I didn't say that!" defended Dash, hopping on her hooves; finally meeting Sky's eyes.

"I just… Thought that they might stop if we broke up..." finished Dash, lowering her head in shame.

"Well, you didn't think right!" Skyfire retaliated, practically spitting venom at Dash. She turned around, facing the cloud city far below. "Goodbye, Dash. I hope you make out all right."

Skyfire flared her wings, before leaping off the lone cloud. She closed her wings, letting herself plummet towards the fast approaching city below. The white filly stayed in her death-dive for as long as possible, pulling up at the last possible second narrowly avoiding the cloud street inches below.

Applejack found herself staring over the edge of the cloud at Skyfire as she disappeared down the street. Rainbow Dash could not bring herself to watch the spectacle; she was far too busy regretting her decision. As Applejack leaned further over the cloud, the breeze picked up once again. Her front hooves slipped over the cloud's edge, dropping her like a stone. She began tumbling through the air, falling straight towards the cloud streets below. The Earth pony panicked, flailing her limbs to no use. She had no wings, and nopony could see her in this strange memory. She was going to hit the ground, and it was going to hurt. A couple of seconds into the free-fall, the Earth pony noticed a haze coming over the world. Moments before making contact with the hard cloud ground, the world went black.

Applejack collapsed in the doorway to the room, panting for any air her lungs could get. Her body twitching from the adrenaline high she was still experiencing. Panicked thoughts still rang in her mind. "Too close…" she breathed, feeling grateful for having her hooves back on solid ground, so to speak.

After Applejack had regained herself, she stood up, taking in the room that she now found herself in. Making her way farther into the room, Applejack noticed the Pegasus filly on the bed in the right corner of the room. A quick look over determined this colorless pony to be Skyfire.

Suddenly, Skyfire sat up, hopping off the cloud bed. She reached into the side of the cloud bed, withdrawing a piece of paper and placing it upon the bed. The white filly proceeded to rummage the closet on Applejack's left; pulling out a saddlebag, she swung it over her back. With the saddlebags secured on her flanks, the Pegasus approached the open window on the far wall. She cast one last look around the room before turning back to face the window.

Skyfire hopped out the window, taking flight into the sky. Applejack swiftly crossed the room to get a better look out the window. Unable to find the Pegasus in the distance, the Earth pony returned to the room. She approached the note that Skyfire had laid out. Placing her fore hooves on the bed to get a better look, she began to read it.

---

Dear Rainbow Dash

If you are reading this, then you already know I have run away. The bullying was just as bad on my end as it was yours. You, Dash, were the only thing keeping me from leaving Cloudsdale behind. Now, I guess I don't even have you. I am truly sorry for yelling at you. I hope you aren't mad at me.

You're strong, Dash. I know you can pull through this and show those bullies whose boss. You will always be in my thoughts, Rainbow Dash. Please take care, and have a good life. Who knows, maybe we will run into each other again one day. Please Dash, whatever you do, wherever you end up, don't forget all the great times we had together.

Love,

Skyfire

---

"Hey! Skyfire!"

Somepony was coming. Applejack's ears picked up the voice immediately. She ran for the nearest hiding spot, the closet.

"Skyfire! I'm so sorry about earlier. Skyfire!" sang the voice again, much closer now.

From her position in the closet, Applejack could pick up the sound of soft hoof-clops on the cloud floor, they sounded very close now.

"Skyfire?" The voice was clearly that of filly Dash.

Applejack remained hidden in the closet, waiting for the right time to reveal her presence. Dash had stepped completely into the room now, unaware of the pony watching intently in hiding. Dash scanned the room, looking for Skyfire. She then seemed to notice the note, moving over to the spot it laid. She stood facing the bed for minutes on end; Applejack could only assume she was still reading the note at this point. Dash collapsed to the cloud floor, viciously pounding it with her hooves. Clearly, Rainbow Dash understood the message, and knew of her mistake. It was clear to Applejack that the rainbow-maned filly needed some comfort. Silently opening the closet door, the Earth pony stepped out. Applejack approached the now tear-stricken Pegasus, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Dash looked up, instinctively locking eyes with the Earth pony.

"Why do you always come around when things get bad for me?" questioned Rainbow Dash, remembering her last encounter with the Earth pony. She turned away from the pony, burying her head back into her hooves.

Applejack was trying her best to hold her composure. "Ah guess Ah only see what yer mind wants me to, sugarcube."

"Sky, left me, I have nopony left…" Dash trailed off, seeming unable to finish the sentence herself.

"Sugar, Ah know this is hard. Ya'll hafta remember this ain't real," Applejack continued speaking, "Skyfire did leave ya, Dash, but that was years ago. She felt like ya do right now. Like there was nopony to care for her, or ta help her through this tough time. She may not be with ya today, but ya helped her Dash. If ya didn't break up with her, she'd be living in this nightmare also."

"But… I miss her," replied Dash, giving the Earth pony a look of pure sadness that would melt anypony's heart.

Applejack's composer was faltering again, "You have me, Dash. Ah'll always be here for ya." The Earth pony wrapped her hooves around the filly, squeezing her into a tight meaningful embrace.

"Thanks, Applejack," replied Dash, returning the embrace. "Can we get out of here?" she questioned the Earth pony.

"Sure thing, sugarcube." Applejack offered the Pegasus a friendly smile as the two left the room.

---

The duo was on their way to Dash's house. In the short time they spent inside the house, the cloud floor beneath them split further apart, making the trip take a lot longer than usual. Both were quiet for the first part of the trip. Applejack's mind, however, was abuzz with thoughts.

"Why aren't ya trying ta get her to remember you again?" she nagged herself internally.

"Ya'll seen what tha' world did to us last time, and Ah'm sure ya remember what it felt like," she smiled, thinking for once she finally outsmarted her head. "Besides, if tha' world is fixin' ta keep us separated, if she doesn't remember us we can spend more time with her."

"Not a bad idea, about time ya started using me…" laughed her inner voice.

Before she had chance to respond, a small voice penetrated the quiet atmosphere, "Applejack, why do ponies hate me for liking other fillies?"

She looked to the filly beside her. Dash was staring at the Earth pony, pain and sadness filling her eyes. She deeply wanted an answer.

"Well, sugarcube, some ponies think its wrong ta have feeling for some pony of the same gender..."

The Earth pony found herself cut off before she could continue. "Is it wrong to?" Dash questioned her.

Applejack stopped in her tracks, halting their stroll. She did her best to hide the disappointment in her tone as she spoke. "Dash, it is never wrong ta love anypony, whether they're a Unicorn, Earth pony, or Pegasus. Do not let the hurtful words of others change who ya are. Friends will love ya no matter what, and that's all that matters." Applejack gave a warm smile to the little filly.

"Thanks, Applejack," replied Dash, smiling back at the Earth pony before they continued walking.

---

Applejack felt exhausted, she felt as if they had been walking for hours. Finally, the pair arrived at Dash's home, putting an end to the long journey across the broken cloud floor.

Unlike the other structures, the small cloud building was still perfectly intact. Rainbow Dash offered to let Applejack stay, and the Earth pony gladly accepted. Once inside the duo made their way to Dash's room, where they fell asleep sharing an embrace.

---

"Everypony! Everypony!" Pinkie Pie shouted, waving her hooves, frantically trying to get her friends attention.

"What is it, darling?" questioned Rarity, approaching the pink pony.

"You guys! Look!" exclaimed Pinkie. The five ponies and one baby dragon gathered around the two sleeping ponies on the floor, trying to get a good look at what Pinkie was pointing out.

Twilight tilted her head, trying to get any sign of change in the unconscious ponies, "Pinkie, what are you talking about? I don't see anything?" complained the Unicorn, not feeling up to dealing with Pinkie's antics right now.

"Look harder, silly!" Pinkie exclaimed happily, bouncing over to Rainbow Dash. "Look! She has some color back!"

Numerous gasps shattered the quiet atmosphere all around. Pinkie smiled, hopping circles around the group as they all stood in shock.

"Oh, this is just wonderful!" exclaimed Fluttershy in her hushed tone.

"Truly a miracle," Rarity added.

"Don't celebrate yet, my little ponies," Luna interrupted. The room went quiet again. Even Pinkie stopped bouncing midair, falling to the ground softly.

"What do you mean, Princess? Is she not getting better?" questioned Twilight.

"Whatever Applejack is doing is working," replied Luna, keeping a soft tone. "However, such a small change could be taken away just as easy."

"I hope Applejack knows what she's doing…" admitted Twilight, glancing at the unconscious Earth pony that lay beside Dash.

"Twilight, Dear. Applejack can handle herself, you know this." explained Rarity, pulling the lavender Unicorn into a tight embrace, and soon found the remainder of their friends sharing the same big hug. Twilight sighed, closing her eyes as a wave of hope washed over her. Applejack was strong, she knew this, and she had to be as well, for her friends' sake.

---

Home stretch is in sight, now you must fight.

For she cannot pull through, wait for the cue.

With her secrets revealed, she will be healed.

---

Applejack came into consciousness again, blinking the sleep from her eyes. The constant riddles that assaulted her mind every time she slept were taking their toll. Trying to clear her head, the Earth pony inspected the room, noticing how beat up it looked compared to last night. The walls were practically falling apart from all the holes, and the floor was now missing pieces.

"This place is fallin' apart…" Applejack spoke aloud to the empty room. It dawned on the Earth pony at that moment that she was alone. "Dash?" she called out, only to have silence return her call. Hopping off the bed, she started towards the door, only to find it was no longer there. Carefully stepping out of the room, the Earth pony made her way down the hall into the living room.

At the far end of the room was a cloud table with some chairs. Sitting in a chair with her back to Applejack was filly Dash. The body language the Pegasus gave off told the Earth pony that something was wrong. Applejack slowly approached the Pegasus, not knowing how she would react. As she moved to Dash's side, she could see a note laid on the table. The Earth pony knew already what it said, remembering it from the flashback she had seen earlier.

"They left…" Dash spoke without even looking up, giving the Earth pony a feeling of uneasiness.

"Ah know sugarcube…" Applejack sighed, waiting for the worst.

"My parents. They care more about their damn work than me…" Dash was in shock, so much that she could not even cry. The Pegasus was at a total loss. Her world was slowly crashing around her. Her parents were gone, her filly-friend had left, and most of her friends refused to talk to her anymore. She was alone with nopony to turn to.

"Rainbow… What your parents did was wrong. If they can't love ya for who ya are, then ya don't need 'em."

Applejack really did not know what to say to Dash at this point; she was doing her best to calm the Pegasus down.

"You don't understand," Dash raised her head, looking around the living room before returning it to its original sulking position, "My parents left me… alone."

Dash was shuddering now, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. The Earth pony noticed the display, embracing the broken Pegasus once again.

"Sugarcube, Ah do know what it's like ta be alone. Dash, Ah'm gonna tell ya somethin'
Ah have never told anypony before."

Applejack cleared her throat and began to tell the tale.

---

"Ah was just a little filly, a little younger than you. Ah lived on tha farm with mah parents, Big Mac, and Granny Smith. Sweet Apple Acres was mighty small back then, but Mah parents were always busy. So busy that they left Granny Smith in charge of me an Mac. Ah never had any friends in school, or even real parents for that matter. They would just work all day, an pretty much ignore us. Then, one day, Ah remember coming home from school, mah parents were gone. Ah looked everywhere for 'em, finally giving up, Ah asked Granny Smith when they would be back. She looked at me; Ah can still remember her face… It was the saddest look Ah ever did see Granny Smith make. She told me, 'They were never coming back'. Ah never felt so lost before as Ah did in that moment. Time seemed ta stand still for me. Ah didn't understand it then, but Ah do now. They left me and Big Mac so they could branch out. They never cared about me; all they wanted was more money. Ah grew up alone, Dash. You girls were mah first real friends. Ah may not have been bullied like ya have, but Ah know what it's like ta feel alone, it ain't nice…" Applejack finished, wiping the tears from her face.

"Applejack… I had no idea…" Replied a much older sounding Dash, the change in voice caught the Earth pony off guard, causing her to stumble backwards.

The world started to rumble.

"Whoa, Nelly!" exclaimed Applejack as she toppled over. The cloud began to change shape around the pair.

"Applejack!" cried Dash, launching herself towards the falling Earth pony, only to find walls of cloud blocking her path.

"Ah'm fine, Dash!" the Earth pony yelled, finding herself trapped in some sort of cloud labyrinth.

The last thing Applejack heard from Dash was a bloodcurdling scream, making her skin crawl. "Rainbow!" the Earth pony screamed as loud as she could. It was no use. Rainbow Dash was gone.

Comments

[lol1759]

ended the chapter and this began to play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0i6YFrSs6c&feature=autoplay&list=FLXu2Okve8ITGpJJctQ6Vw3w&lf=plpp_video&playnext=2

epic boss time