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Just Another Day1,327 words
That Nagging Feeling1,132 words

That Nagging Feeling

There was absolute silence. There was nothing to be heard. Applejack opened her eyes and look into a shroud of darkness. She sat there, listening for something, maybe the scuffling of Rainbow Dash, or the hoof steps of some other pony. She sat in fear, listening, hiding under the blanket of black.

She finally gained the courage to ask the black for her friend.

“Hay, Rainbow, you there?” came Applejack's wavering voice.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m here. You alright?” replied a voice from the darkness.

“Yeah, Ah am. What happened?”

“I don’t know.” said a distraught Rainbow Dash. She looked around into the darkness, hoping she could see something, but there was nothing.

“Hey, you got that light Applejack?”

“Oh, yeah, Ah almost forgot. It’s somewhere around here.”

Applejack moved her hooves around on the dirt floor, cautiously at first, then more erratic as she couldn’t find the light. She kept searching for it in her one place, but then got up and started moving. Her hooves made scraping noises as she rubbed dirt and sand into the stone underneath. There seemed to be an echoing quality to the scratches, but there was no actual echo.

“Ah cain’t seem to find the light RD. Any idea where it might be?”

Before Rainbow Dash could respond, Applejack's hoof came across Rainbows front hoof. Applejack held her hoof there for a moment, startled.

In a low, soft voice “I don’t think that’s the light.” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack blushed, but the blackness covered everything. She continued to leave her hoof there, touching Rainbow’s hoof, and just look at the area of space where Rainbow’s voice came from. She sat perfectly still for what seemed like hours. She barely made a noise while breathing. Nothing went through her mind as she sat, entranced by the feeling of having somepony there.

Softly, “Hey, Applejack? You okay?”

Finally startled from her trance, “Uh, yeah, Ah am. Ah uh -- Ah cain’t find tha light.”

“Well keep looking.”

“Hay Rainbow, ah uh, Ah have been thinkin’ bout stuff. Ah-- Ah just wanted to say that-”

“Look, whatever it is, it can wait.” Finding the light, “Here I got the light. Let’s keep going.”

Rainbow Dash flicked on the light. The small room they were in became illuminated. Rainbow Dash panned the light over the walls until she came across Applejack.

“Hay! Watch where you point that thing!” Exclaimed Applejack.

“Sorry, I was only looking around for you,” apologized Rainbow. She then panned back across the room, revealing a small tunnel leading out of where their current room and into the next. “Why don’t we go explore more? We are already this far.”

“Eh, Ah don’t know RD. It could get more dangerous the further we go.”

“Don’t be such a wuss. You pushed me on, now it’s my turn to push you.”

“But Ah, uh, well -- Fine. We will go, but only a little more. Then we go back.”

Rainbow nodded in agreement and turned to walk into the newly found tunnel. She felt like there was something pulling her along as she walked towards it. She didn’t want to rush in as quickly as she did, but there was a nagging feeling that told her to. She walked right through the opening.

The walls opened up to a large cavern. There was a smooth floor with little puddles where water dripped into from massive stalactites above. The sound echoed throughout the cavern, about twice a second, all from different areas, but eventually coming from the walls themselves.

“Well would ya look at that,” Applejack mumbled.

The two ponies stood about halfway on a little overhang that looked out across the cavern. The light reflected off the mineral walls, and the stalactites shadowed the roof. The far wall was out of sight, and darkness stood between the two ponies and the end.

“Well I suggest that we get back now,” whispered Applejack.

“No, we need to go further in.”

Rainbow could still feel an urge to go further. She knew nothing good lay between the girls and the far wall, but she had to know what it was. The longer she stood there the more the feeling grew. She looked to her right at Applejack.

In a low voice, “I can’t do this without you. I need you to come with me.”

Applejack stared long at the cavern as Rainbow looked towards her, something calling to her, nagging her to delve deeper into the unknown.

“Rainbow, Ah just don’t know if we should. We may get hurt goin’ in there.”

Rainbow continued to look at Applejack. She sensed something was off, but she didn’t know what. She examined her mane, her neck, and her eyes, all barely illuminated by the faint glimmer of light being reflected off of the crystal structures. She noticed the features of Applejack’s face. She saw the frown of dismay as Applejack stared into the blackness, the uncertain eyes questioning what lay beyond, and the wrinkles in Applejack’s forehead, as Applejack waited for a reply.

Applejack looked over to Rainbow Dash, who just sat there, still deciphering Applejack’s feelings. Applejack looked upon Rainbow with the same questioning eyes. Neither of them said a word for a few minutes. They let the silence come over them, and the darkness loom around them, its march halted only by the faint rays of light, emanating from a small box, help up on Rainbow’s back.

After about five minutes, Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but nothing could escape her dry mouth.

Applejack just stood there, looking on into Rainbow’s eyes until she finally opened her mouth to speak.

“Rainbow Dash, do ya ever wonder about me?”

Rainbow’s mouth opened again, only this time her head dropped down, and she looked at the ground in between her and Applejack. She whispered so softly Applejack didn’t understand her.

“What was that?” asked a soothing Applejack.

Finally speaking up, “I -- I just...”

Applejack hushed Rainbow.

“You don’t need to say. Ah understand.”

With that Rainbow looked up and locked eyes with Applejack. They stared into each others eyes, and even through them. They looked deep into each other. They both made a connection with each other, and they felt that the other had that same feeling. That same nagging that called to them. The voice of mystery calling from the pits of nothing.

They both nodded at each other only one, and then turned back towards the cavern. They both approached the steep ledge together in unison, and peered over. In one, deaft, choreographed movement, both ponies flew over the edge.

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