Chapter Seven: Loosing Loyalty
“Uh, Rainbow? Rainbow... Rainbow Dash... RD!!!”
Rainbow Dash jumped. Applejack chuckled, “Dash, it’s yer turn.”
“Uh, heh, sorry.” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head sheepishly, eyeing the board she contemplated her next move. “Uh... D-7?” she asked.
Applejack shook her head. “Missed. F-12?”
“Uh... nope.” She placed a white peg in the board. “D-9?”
“Ah, dern it! Ya’ got me,” Applejack groaned.
“Yes!” Dash exclaimed in a brief moment of excitement before toppling over and clutching her barrel, half laughing, half crying. “This isn’t fair!” she groaned.
Applejack chuckled, “Yer’ tellin’ me?”
“I don’t envy your pain,” Dash groaned. “This is...” She trailed off, her face growing hot with shame. “Sorry, you’re right AJ. you have this far worse than I do.”
Applejack shook her head. “Nah, sugar, yer hurt too. Yer entitled to voice that pain if I am.”
“Thanks, AJ. I still feel... ya’ know... bad about it.”
“It is just as much my fault as it was yer’s, Sugar,” Applejack reminded.
Dash sighed staring at her hooves. “Still... sorry. I-”
Applejack shook her head and placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s mouth. “Can we just get back ta’ the game?”
Dash nodded. “Uh... whose turn is it?”
Applejack chuckled. “Yer’s.”
Dash was taken aback for a second. “Uh... what was my last move?”
Applejack shook her head. “D-9.”
“Uh, yeah, right... I knew that!”
“Dern shootin ya did!” Applejack chuckled.
Dash eye the board. “D-10?”
“Miss.”
“SHOOT!” Dash exclaimed.
Applejack chuckled. “Yer’ still winnin’.”
“I am?” Dash blinked and stared at the board. “Oh yeah, I guess I am.”
“Are ya’ payin any attention ta what we’re doin?”
Dash’s attention had once again wandered to the window. Applejack chuckled. “Of course not. Ya heve cabin fever.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. She was no longer anywhere close to the game. She wasn’t even in the room anymore. She was outside ruling the sky, her sky. In her mind, she could see the ground fleeing beneath her as she flew at top speeds around, and around, and around Ponyville. She crashed through a big fluffy-
“-DASH!”
Rainbow Dash shook herself. “Uh... yeah...”
Applejack fell to the floor gripping her barrel laughing. “Oh Rainbow! Ya got it bad!”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Got what bad?”
“Cabin... fever!”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Uh, Applejack, what’s cabin fever?”
Applejack shook her head, still smiling. “It’s when you want to be outside, and yer stuck inside.”
Rainbow Dash’s attention again wandered to the open window.
Applejack smirked. “Eeyep, ya have cabin fever. Don’t worry, so do ah. Em used to being outside apple bucking most days. Ah ain’t sure what ta do.”
“That’s nice,” Dash absently answered, her full attention out the window.
“Dash?” Applejack asked. “Are you sure you want to continue playing? Or do you want to put it away? Ah’m tired.”
Rainbow Dash continued to just stare out the window. Applejack shook her head and put the game away. Rainbow Dash had not moved a muscle, her eyes locked on the world outside. Applejack could see Dash’s wings twitch under the bandages.
“Ah think we need to talk Twilight inta an outin’,” Applejack chuckled. “Afore ya hop out of that window only to discover ya can’t move yer wings.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash jumped.
Applejack chuckled. “Ah said, ah think we need to get ya outside.”
“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Wait... Where did the game go?”
Applejack shook her head amused. “Sugar, ah put it away.”
Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a puzzled expression. “Why?”
Applejack scooted over and placed a for leg around Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, “Sugar, You’ve spent more time starin’ out that window than playin’ the game. Ya’ might have been winnin’, but that’s ‘bout all ya were doin’. I ain’t sure how ya were winnin’, with how absent you were.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Heh, I’m just awesome like that.”
Applejack chuckled. “Yep Rainbow, ya sure are. So, what ya been thinkin’ about?”
Rainbow Dash blinked a few times, staring blankly at Applejack. “Uh... I don’t know!”
Applejack stared out the window. “Hum, ah don’t know RD, but I think that cloud looks like Gummy.”
Rainbow Dash flashed a cocky grin. “Nah, that alligator has teeth, so it can’t be Gummy.”
Applejack tipped her hat back. “Yer right...” she breathed. “Uh.. that one...” She pointed to another big fluffy cloud. “What da ya think it looks like?”
“A good place to take a nap,” Dash breathed wistfully.
-------------------------------------------------
Rarity lounged in her throne, filing a hoof as she watched Twilight pace up and down the length of the room. “Darling really, they will be fine!” she cooed. “Applejack and Dash are both full grown mares-”
“Stubborn full grown mares!” Twilight reminded.
“Relax darling! They are playing a harmless game up there! Besides knocking a few weather balloons and clouds out of the sky, what could go wrong?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of!” Twilight groaned. “The the things that can go wrong. Applejack is trying too hard. I can tell. What if she tries way too hard and ends up lapsing, or worse?”
Rarity shook her head. “Twilight, Darling! Relax! You have another ten minutes before you have to check on those two.”
Twilight reluctantly walked over and sat down. Rarity, with a trained eye, looked her friend over. “Really darling, you need to relax. You are not helping them being that tense!”
Twilight nodded. “I know, it’s just... What if they get into an argument? Or Applejack falls, or-”
Rarity shook her head. “Darling! Listen, if Applejack falls, there is a bell up there that Rainbow Dash can pull to inform us that they need our assistance.”
“But-”
Rarity shook her head. “Really, Twilight Darling, you need to relax! They can take care of themselves.”
“But you heard what the doctor said!”
“The doctor gave us a worst case scenario, I doubt it will come to th-”
Before Rarity could finish her sentence however, a bell started ringing furiously. Rarity and Twilight didn’t miss a beat. They both leaped from their thrones at a full gallop and thundered up the stairs towards Rainbow Dash’s room.
Rainbow Dash met them at the door. She was trembling. “I... it... AJ!” she stammered.
Twilight passed her, skidding to a stop beside Applejack who was biting her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, body as stiff a a board. Twilight glanced up at Rarity. “Quick, I need you to go get the medicine bundle from her room. NOW!”
“No, Twi!” Applejack rasped between halted breaths. “Ah em fine!”
Rarity glanced between the two. Twilight had a very stern, but extremely worried look on her face. Applejack slowly controlled her breathing and tried to get up, falling back to the floor heaving.
“Applejack Darling, are-”
“Ah’m... fine!” she rasped between breaths.
Twilight stepped up so she stood directly in Applejack’s line of vision. “Applejack! Just stop! Stop fighting and let us help you!”
Applejack tried to raise her head once more, but barely got it off the floor before it plopped back down.
Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but one glance from Twilight sent her at a dead gallop for the room next door.
“Applejack, easy!” Twilight begged. “Must you be stubborn all the time?”
After a few moments, Applejack opened her eyes once more. “Easy Twi, honest, ah’m alright.”
“No Applejack, you aren’t! Your-”
“Twi! Who’s in this beat up body, me or you? Ah just overdid a bit. Give me-” Applejack took a sharp breath rolling back up. After a second she relaxed once more, a few uneasy breaths later, she continued. “Give me a minute, ah’ll get better.”
Twilight’s response was cut off by Rarity returning to Dash’s room with a little white container in her magical grasp. Twilight's magic immediately locked onto it, yanking it from Rarity who let out a slight squeak.
Twilight, too concerned for Applejack, did not even notice as she administered the painkiller to Applejack. Thrusting the container back at Rarity, Twilight’s gaze did not leave Applejack.
After a couple of seconds, Applejack spoke. “Twi, ya need to apologize to Rarity. That wasn’t nice.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What?” she exclaimed.
Applejack gave a half smile. “Ya kind of yanked the box from her. I ain’t dyin’!” Applejack said, her voice a little stronger.
Twilight bit her lip, glancing between Rarity and Applejack. “B-B-But!” she stammered, her eyes widening with the realization of what had happened.
Slowly Twilight turned, glancing between the faces of her three friends. Applejack who was still trying to catch her breath. Rarity, though looking concerned, also looked a great deal hurt. Then finally to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was curled up as small as she could go stroking her tail. Realization dawned on Twilight: What was this doing to them? What was happening to their friendships?
Twilight sat down. “What’s happening?” she whispered to herself.
“Easy Sugarcube, it ain’t yer fault! Don’t-” Applejack paused to catch her breath. “Don’t beat yerself up o’r it Twi!”
“That’s right Darling. We forgive you. Now, I think it would be best if you get Applejack back to her room. I’ll take care of Rainbow Dash.”
Twilight nodded. She took a deep breath, going through the movements Cadence had taught her. Finally she got up, locked her magic on Applejack, and helped the orange mare to her hooves, also collecting her brown hat and returning it to Applejack’s head. Slowly, her wing draped over Applejack’s back, the two made their way out and towards the room next door.
------------------------
Rarity watched, eyes filled with sorrow until the duo disappeared around the corner. Slowly she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash had quit stroking her tail, but her eyes looked vacant as she stared into oblivion.
Rarity shook her head. “Rainbow? Dashie darling? Are you alright?”
Dash did not respond right away.
Rarity slowly, one step at a time, made her way across the floor over to where Rainbow Dash sat curled up. “Rainbow Darling?” She slowly walked up and layed down next to her friend. She desperately wished Fluttershy was about; she was far better at getting Dash out of theses moods than she was. But earlier, Pinkie Pie had gotten a notion into her noggin and dragged poor Fluttershy off with her to deal with it.
“Dash? Are... Rainbow?” She looked Rainbow Dash over. Never, not even backstage at the young flyers competition, had she ever seen Dash look this way. Rainbow Dash was crushed. There just was no other way to put it. A heavy weight settled on Rarity’s shoulders. Carefully, so as not to mess up her makeup, she wiped away a few tears that threatened to fall. “Dash, what happened?”
The absent look remained in Dash’s eyes, but she turned slowly, like she was a puppet on strings, to look at Rarity. Their eyes locked for a minute before Rainbow laid her head back down.
“Go ahead,” she finally said. “Yell at me. I should have been paying better attention. I have hurt her again! I’m LOYALTY!” Tears filled Dash’s eyes, her voice cracking too much to understand anything else that she tried to get out. Dash, realizing she wasn’t making any sense, covered her face with her forelegs as she tried to stifle her fast flowing tears.
Rarity sighed. Collecting a blanket from the bed with her magic, she draped it over Dash’s back, tucking it around her. She then scooted closer and pulled Dash towards her, draping her forelegs around her shoulders. “Oh Darling,” she said, but had no more words for the situation. Words were not what was needed here, not yet. Dash was crying way too hard for anything Rarity could say to get through to her.
Why? Really? Why had this happened? How did it happen? Twilight had told her what she had seen in Discord’s bubble, but from that to this? Rarity gazed down at Rainbow Dash. Her mane and tail were just full of tangles, the colors in a disheveled mess. Rarity, finally finding something in all this that she could make right, collected a brush from the top bureau in the corner and commenced to brushing out Dash’s mane and tail.
To Rarity’s surprise, and great sorrow, Dash didn’t even try to protest. Rarity wondered if Dash had any idea of what was going on. She was just so vacant.
Slowly, but very efficiently, Rarity worked the knots out. Slowly the sobs from Rainbow Dash subsided, replaced by steady breathing. Rarity glanced to Dash’s tear streaked face; Rainbow Dash was out cold.
Rarity herself felt like crying. The two strongest ones in the group had fallen, and fallen hard. Both of them losing the one thing that they deemed most important: Applejack’s strength and Rainbow’s passion. Rarity wondered if under all those tears their old Dash even existed anymore. Was she lost to them forever? Or was this just temporary?
Finishing the mane, she started in on the tail. Like always, the tail took longer due to the way the tail grew. She worked her way from the bottom of the long hairs to their root in the tail itself all the way up to the dock.
Once finished, she lifted the snoozing Dash and moved her to her bed, tucking the blankets around the sleeping mare. She closed the curtains quietly, and after glancing about once more taking careful note of the whole room, tiptoed out the door and closing it softly behind her.
Rounding the corner she met back up with Twilight, who was doing likewise. Rarity sighed. “Twilight, how is Applejack doing?”
Twilight shook her head. “Stubborn like always. Rainbow Dash?”
Rarity shook her head. “Twilight, I am worried about her. She’s... she’s...” she sighed. “Twilight Darling. We need to do something, something for both of them. Applejack is doing better emotionally, but Rainbow Dash...” She sighed once more.
“How was it?” Twilight asked, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder.
Rarity shook her head. “Come on, I think we need to discuss this where we won’t wake them up. They really need their beauty sleep.”
Twilight nodded. “I agree with you there,” she said, falling into step beside Rarity.
“So?” Twilight asked as they entered the throne room once more.
Rarity sighed. “Dash just cried herself to sleep,” she answered.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “You have got to be joking. Dash! Our Rainbow Dash!”
Rarity nodded. “I don’t think she even knew I was there! Besides that one moment when she tried to talk... she spent almost the whole time either just staring into oblivion or crying her eyes out, the poor darling.”
Twilight shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know Rarity. I really don’t know. Usually a quick flight would...”
Rarity nodded as Twilight trailed off sadly. “Twilight Darling, I know, but right now flight is not an option. She feels like she has failed, failed us, failed the town, and most importantly, failed Applejack. Did you notice the game had been put away when we got up there? I checked, it wasn’t by Dash. It had Applejack’s touch to it. Applejack must have put it away for some reason.”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I noticed the fact that it wasn’t out myself and asked Applejack about it.”
“What did she say?”
Twilight sighed and shook her head. “She said that... she had put it away when Dash became unable to concentrate on the game.”
Rarity’s eyebrows lifted. “Unable to concentrate! On a game? DASH!”
Twilight nodded and sighed. “I didn’t want to believe it myself. But if what you are saying is true... that has to be it.”
Rarity’s ears flopped down. “Really Darling! What can we do?”
Twilight sighed. “I’m going to write Princess Celestia, maybe she will be able to help. I am not sure though. But she might know something we can do.”
Rarity nodded. “If not her, Luna could possibly help with that dream hopping thing she does.”
Twilight nodded. “I think Applejack is over the worst of it, but with Dash, I think our problems with her are just beginning.”
“At least for now. We are still only on the first week of this. Applejack will go stir crazy eventually as well. They are both outside ponies. Keeping them inside isn’t easy on either one of them. With Applejack, she is getting tired too quickly-”
Twilight sighed. “I think Dash is getting tired faster than she cares to admit as well.”
Rarity nodded. “Yes darling, I think she is as well. I brushed out her mane and tail as she cried herself to sleep.” She sighed. “It is obvious to me that she hasn’t slept at all for at least two days!”
“And when she does, she hasn’t been sleeping well,” Twilight explained. “She spent all last night pacing the hall. Every so often I heard her pause at Applejack’s door before pacing back up and down.”
Rarity bit her lip. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “And here Rainbow Dash is punishing herself for not being loyal enough to Applejack.”
Twilight shook her head. “We definitely need to write the princesses.”
-------------------------------------
“Pinkie I- um- Pinkie! Please I-”
Pinkie danced about Fluttershy as they walked from the castle to Sweet Apple Acres. Both mares work a double basket and were ready to help Big Mac with some harvesting.
“Really Pink-”
Pinkie, however, was so far ahead bouncing, popping up in, among, and behind objects poor Fluttershy was having a very hard time keeping up.
“Really Pi-pinkie... I think... We... slow down!” she stuttered. “Please? That is, if you don’t mind?”
Pinkie paused, glancing at her with a look of extreme seriousness on her face. That look that told you that Pinkie was being anything but serious. “Something is wrong!” Pinke stated flatly, keeping that same look on her face.
“Um Pinkie? Y-y-you already.... said that.” She laid her ears back, her wings glued to her sides.
Pinkie nodded. “And something is wrong! At Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Uh, don’t you think we should... um... uh... tell Applejack?”
“NOPE! She’d go weird, then thinksheneedstobeatthefarmandgethurtagain...” Pinkie Pie took a deep breath.
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “Um Pink-” But the random pony was now far ahead. Fluttershy’s wings rustled with frustration. She trotted a bit faster, trying to catch up with the reality bending pony.
“Pinkie! Would, um... you... me... what is going on? Please? Oh! PINKIE!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
Pinkie paused, standing on the underside of a branch, and looked back. “What?”
“I um... you... going too fast, so, that is, if you don’t mind... slow down? Please?”
“Slow down! Now that would just be silly! We need to be at Sweet Apple Acres now!”
Fluttershy sighed as she watched Pinkie zoom on ahead once more. But then, suddenly, from the Everfree Forest, she heard something. Fluttershy’s ears perked up. Sweetie Belle? Her eyes widened with fright as she began to go faster, into a canter, then into a gallop as she raced to what she thought was Rarity’s younger sister screaming for help.
“Hang on girls!” she yelled into the darkness, galloping faster and faster. Then she heard Apple Bloom. And Scootaloo! Not all three! However, she thought, it is really unlikely for Sweetie to be in the woods without her friends. Finally, through the undergrowth she could see Scootaloo’s bright purple mane. She lept into the clearing... and pulled up short. “Zecora?”
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5487635 ... Um... You will find out in chapter Nine.
5487665 Point them out and I'll go fix them.
5487665 Chapter eight is more of the same.... just not.
YAY!!!!! ANOTHER CHAPTER!!!!!! I'm always looking forward to them ♥ Great job with this one! So what happened? Why did Rainbow blame herself for AJ getting hurt again? Did Applejack offer to do something and Dash wasn't paying attention and she did it?
5487804 sort of... You will find out in time. All questions are answered eventually.... I'm glad you like it.
5487758 Fixed... It seems I forgot some edits this morning in my half asleep state.
5487895 I didn't get up till seven this morning...
5487834 Okay
5518146 LOL I totally missed your comment here. LOL You got ta' just love Pinkie and her walls. I'm glad you enjoyed it.