Sky Blossom

by SnoringDragonProductions

I Can Handle It

“I was so worried about you!” Rarity exclaimed with moist eyes as she released Sky Blossom. Her eyes flashed as she realized that Sky Blossom had not said why she had been so late in returning.

“Sorry… I…” Sky Blossom began while rubbing her hooves together.

“Do you even know how long you were gone?” Rarity exclaimed as she pressed her face into the trembling pegasus’s.

“I was taking a walk like I said I was when…” Sky Blossom licked her lips for a few seconds before continuing. She could feel Rarity’s eyes drilling into her as she talked. “I tripped and got hurt. I blacked out and then Applejack found me.”

Rarity turned her head to look at the farm pony. Her white cheeks tinted pink as she realized that she had not even noticed her standing there. Clearing her throat, Rarity walked over to Applejack and gave her a quick hug. Fixing her mane with one hoof, Rarity made sure to keep her voice calm as she spoke to the smirking farm pony. “Thank you so much for taking care of Sky Blossom. How exactly did you find her?”

“Wasn’t a big deal. I heard a sound coming from the path and moseyed on over. When I noticed her lyin’ on the ground like that I wasted no time in bringin’ her back to my kin for some good ol’ Apple family care.” Applejack replied with a tip of her hat.

Rarity turned to face Sky Blossom with a smile. “I have some work to do. Would you mind helping me with my fabric?”

The yellow pony gave a shy smile and eagerly shook her head yes. Her voluminous, green curls bounced with every little bob of her head. She seemed to notice this suddenly and quickly stopped moving. Blushing fiercely, as if she was ashamed of her natural curls, she gave a quick nod of thanks to Applejack and trotted into the boutique. Her curly tail continued to bounce despite her obvious efforts to stop it.

Rarity smiled sadly at the self-conscious pony and took a deep breath before turning toward her friend. “Applejack, did you notice anything strange about Sky Blossom when she was at your house?” She chose her words carefully. The fashionable unicorn did not want to cause any undue alarm in her friend or betray Sky Blossom’s obvious trust in her.

Applejack raised an eyebrow and studied Rarity before she spoke. Her friend was obviously hiding something from her. “Not really. She seemed like a decent mare. Why?”

“No reason.” Rarity said quickly.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. Rarity had answered too quickly. She was more certain than ever that Rarity was hiding something from her. Taking a deep breath and steeling her mind, the hard-headed farm pony made up her mind that she was going to find out what it was. “You’re lyin’ to me Rarity. Ya know I don’t like liars.”

“Look Applejack, it was a silly question. I should never have bothered you about it. Just please forget what I said.” The unicorn said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

“Rarity…” Applejack said warningly.

Stuttering with outrage, Rarity pressed her face against Applejack’s and said sternly. “Applejack, I said to drop the subject. I am perfectly capable of handling Sky Blossom without any help from you or anyone else!”

“What is there to handle?” The freckled pony said through clenched teeth. Her chest heaved with every breath. Applejack could feel her temper bubbling over like an active volcano. It was not unheard of for her and the pampered unicorn to get in arguments, but she could not recall ever feeling such a strange mixture of anger and worry.

Spinning around, Rarity lifted her head proudly in the air and refused to answer. She was dully aware of her tail smacking Applejack across the face and took a small amount of pleasure in it. The victory was very small however. Deep down her stomach was bubbling with guilt and indecision. Rarity knew that she had been the one to bring up Sky Blossom’s problem and that she had done it because she wanted Applejack’s help. But it did not seem right for her to tell someone, even one of her closest friends, about the little pony’s fear of the dark. She shuddered slightly as she remembered the look of terror on Sky Blossom’s face when she had walked her to the boutique when night had been falling. Resisting the urge to clamp her hooves over her ears as Sky Blossom’s whimpering filled them, Rarity calmly walked into the boutique.

“If you excuse me Applejack, I have some work to do. Thank you again for finding Sky Blossom. Have a good day.” She said with as much dignity as she could muster.

“Your welcome Rarity.” Applejack said slowly. Something was wrong with her friend and the new pegasus had something to do with it. Turning around slowly, the earth pony trotted away from the building. She could not trot away from her spinning mind or the worry that was nagging at her. Worry for Rarity… and worry for Sky Blossom.

Rarity sighed as she closed the door. She had only had a fleeting glimpse of Applejack leaving and she had to admit to herself that she was sad to see her go. It would have been nice to have some help. Not only with Sky Blossom, but also with her dressmaking. Shrugging her shoulders, Rarity quickly entered the room where she felt the most inspiration. The room where she assembled her dresses. Her hoof quickly covered her mouth the stifle the giggles that had been trickling out. Sky Blossom, confident that she was alone, had been wandering around the room. Her blue eyes were wide and twinkling as she caressed the fabrics with her hoofs. Speaking in a clear voice now that she though no one was around to hear her, she named the different colors with each stroke. Rarity was impressed with the fact that Sky Blossom got most of them right. She had mixed up the colors cherry and cinnamon, but that was a common mistake. Trotting around the room with glee, Sky Blossom proudly let her wavy locks bounce along with her. Rarity’s deep blue eyes admired the way the mare’s mane and tail moved smoothly, as if they were bouncing in slow motion.

‘I wonder what conditioner she uses on her mane. I shall have to ask her later.’ Rarity thought as she stepped into the room. For Sky Blossom’s sake, she made sure to step loudly in order to give her some time to compose herself. Acting as if she had just arrived, Rarity called out her name to give the impression that she had not noticed her prior to coming in.

“I’m here Rarity.” Sky Blossom said with a slight hint of panic in her voice. Her body became rigid as she immediately stopped her admiring. “Good. Now, let’s start gathering the fabric for my new dress!” Rarity said with a laugh.

Sky Blossom gave a small laugh as well and quickly grabbed a minty green fabric that was laced with golden glitter. “Can we use this?”

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash landed in a cloud of dust. Her breathing was quick as she looked for the one pony who could talk some sense into Sky Blossom. She had already met Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. If things continued to go the way they were, Sky Blossom would meet all of her closest friends. Anyone the timid pegasus knew was in danger. Rainbow Dash knew that and was determined to stop Sky Blossom before she met everyone who was important to her. Growling with frustration, the rainbow maned pegasus knocked forcefully on the door.
His chuckling softly carried in the breeze as he watched Rainbow Dash futile attempt to stop him from communicating with Sky Blossom. She was right about one thing, it would be better for everyone if the shy pegasus refused to speak with him.

‘Too bad she doesn’t know it.’ He thought gleefully.

The door opened unbearably slowly for the pegasus. She thrust her hoof inside and pulled the door open quicker. Ignoring the questioning and slightly irritated look on her friend’s face, Rainbow Dash said. “We have to talk.”

“What is it Rainbow?” Asked…

Comments

[SnoringDragonProductions]

7044646 Thank you! Glad you like it!