Of Clouds, Seeds, and Apple Trees (Book 1)

by LotusTeaDragon

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The wind was whipping through Dash's feathers so fast, she was afraid that they would simply rip right off and leave her flightless and stranded on the ground below. Rain pelted her as she dove in and out of the clouds, flying above them long enough to catch her breath, and then diving below as to scout for the source of the terrified screams she had heard earlier.

A flash of lightning illuminated the ground ahead, and in that brief second, she saw what looked like debris. Flying low, the wind and rain battered her as she raised a foreleg to protect her eyes as the driving wetness threatened to blind her. Large, cold raindrops assaulted her from every angle as the wind whipped and whirled, shoving her in different directions as she hugged her wings to her side, and angled downward, through the storm, the ground approaching fast. Suddenly, she flared her wings, and alighted relatively gently on the ground. A bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby, giving Dash the appearance of an angry Pegasus thunder goddess.

As she approached the debris, she could swear she heard muffled crying. Her pegasi hearing much more sensitive than the average earth pony or unicorn, Dash traced down the source as belonging to a cardboard box.

Raising an eyebrow, she walked around the side, feeling the wind ruffling her feathers, and looked underneath the large rain soaked flap. There she saw something that nearly made her heart freeze in place: a weeping white unicorn, and her unconscious earth pony friend in her forelegs.

"Sweetie Belle!" Dash called out.

The unicorn filly looked up in surprised and yelled frantically.

"Rainbow Dash! The clubhouse broke apart in the wind and Applebloom isn't waking up! I tried to use my magic but I'm too little to make it work! You hafta get her to a hospital, please!"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo! Here!" She said as she slid into position, picking up Applebloom in her forehooves, "get onto my back!"

Together, they positioned Sweetie Belle on Rainbow's back, between her wings.

"Now", Dash continued, "I need you to hold onto my neck really tight. Okay? Make sure you don't let go. It's going to be rough going in this crosswind with both of you, but this is the only way, got it?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, tightening her forelegs around Dash's neck, closing her eyes, and praying to Celestia to save her friends.

"Are you ready, sport?" Dash called out behind her.

Sweetie Belle replied in the affirmative, and within mere seconds, Dash tore off into the air, weaving and dodging as much of the wind current and torrential rain as she could, hoping above hope that she could safely deliver her precious cargo safely to their destination.

***

"Applejack! Applejaaaaack!" a voice called out from the distance.

Applejack looked around for the source of the cries, but couldn't see anything.

"Twilight!", she called, "do ya have enough magic ta light up the area around us?"

Twilight replied, "I think I do! Let me try!"

Concentrating as hard as she could, Twilight's horn began to glow a soft magenta, lighting up the ground around them.

From her position, Scootaloo saw a purple glow up ahead and raced faster, her heart hammering in her chest. Her muscles burned, and she knew she was at the end of her strength, fighting the whole way with the unrepentant elements. She started to falter. She knew any second her little legs would give out. There was only one chance, and she knew it. As she felt herself begin to stumble, she leapt into the air, and flapped her wings as hard as she could.

Her hooves stayed off the ground. Combined with the speed of the wind, and the filly's sheer determination to save her friends, Scootaloo was flying. She felt the air rush beneath her wings, her feathers rustling in the strong winds, as she flew the last hundred yards separating her from that purple glow.

Applejack saw, at the last second, an orange blur pile into the magenta light, and heard a loud "OOF!" from two different voices, one of them very surprised.

The magenta light snuffed out.

"Are ya alright, Twilight!?" Applejack called out in the direction of the now darkened light source.

"She is okay, Miss Applejack!" she heard a voice in a strong germane-ic accent reply, "She is simply winded! It seems we have a guest!"

Applejack made her way over to the sound of the voice, and saw laying in front of her hooves a pile of ponies. It seems the orange blur, who she now recognized as Scootaloo, had crashed into Twilight, whom had landed on top of Doctor Green Clover.

All three of the ponies got to their hooves.

"Twilight! Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are at the clubhouse! Applebloom's hurt and Sweetie Belle is watching over her until we can get some ponies together to go rescue them! We have to hurry!"

Applejack spoke up, "Scootaloo! Ya said Applebloom was hurt! Do ya know how bad?!" she panicked. If anything were to happen to her sister, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"She was knocked out by the crash, I think!", Scootaloo replied, still catching her breath.

Applejack's heart shot into her throat. Oh dear, Celestia!

Before anypony could do anything else, a rainbow contrail could be seen approaching rapidly. It's owner appearing a moment later, shouting "Look out below!", before landing hard on the ground, her back hooves making contact, even as her forelegs stayed in the air, holding what appeared to be a filly.

Applejack gasped. She knew who it was that Dash was carrying.

"Dash!" she called, "is that A-a-Applebloom?!" she managed, her breath catching in her throat.

Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly, "Yeah, Applejack. I can't stick around, I have to rush her to the hospital. Take Sweetie Belle here and you guys can meet us there!"

Applejack stroked the mane of her unconscious sister. "Then go", she said, "and save my sister."

With that, she kissed Rainbow Dash on the lips. She stepped back, looking at Rainbow Dash with admiration and fierce love in her eyes.

Dash nodded, "I will. I promise, Applejack."

With that, she held Applebloom tightly, and blasted into the air. Applejack watched for a moment, and just as they were getting ready to rush to the hospital themselves, they heard it, and then saw it happen: A thunderous boom overhead, louder than any thunder, and a brilliant ring of rainbow fire illuminated the ground all around them.

"I know you will, Rainbow", Applejack muttered to herself, tears falling from her eyes, as the worried ponies galloped toward Ponyville.

***

Dash felt herself go sonic, and moments later the clouds in front of her parted, terrified of the force of nature that was Rainbow Dash, the hyper-accelerated air in front of and behind her creating a tunnel of clear vision, slightly blurred from the speed, as she raced toward Ponyville General hospital.

She took a moment to glance down at the unconscious filly. Her marefriend's little sister. She looked back up, now in deep thought. She had seen Applebloom and the other fillies who made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders running around Ponyville, always getting into some kind of trouble or another. Still, they were good fillies, with good hearts and strong minds. Rainbow hoped that Applebloom's strong will would keep her going as she raced to the hospital, which was now looming up ahead.

As she approached, she saw the doors to Ponyville General opening. She breathed a sigh of relief. Twilight had probably stopped by the library and had Spike deliver an emergency message to the hospital staff that Rainbow had been on her way.

She swooped down, and landed on the sidewalk in front of the double doors. She saw Nurse Redheart and a few orderlies waiting with a gurney to take Applebloom back for examination. Without a word, she transferred Applebloom over to the care of Nurse Redheart, who merely nodded and said, "We'll do everything we can. Please wait here for your friends. There's nothing else you can do until we can check her over."

With that, the medical team was off, and Rainbow Dash was standing in the doorway of the hospital, soaking wet, her heart in pieces, her worry showing in her rosemary eyes. She wished Applejack were already here, by her side. It wouldn't have made any medical difference, but it would have made Rainbow feel stronger.

***

Ponyville General
30 minutes later

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Doctor Green Clover rushed through the double doors into the lobby of the hospital.

"We're with Rainbow Dash" Twilight spoke to the nurse at the front desk, who simply nodded and pointed down the first hallway.

As they galloped down the hallway, Applejack looked around hurriedly for any sign of her friend or her sister, finally spotting Rainbow Dash pacing in the waiting room at the end of the hallway. She rushed into the waiting room, and grabbed Rainbow Dash by the neck, kissing her fiercely on the lips.

After a moment, they separated, Rainbow Dash giving her a haunted grin, "Hey, I told ya I'd get here. I will never let you down, AJ. I love you too much-", but she was interrupted by a fierce hug and another kiss.

"Rainbow, I never doubted ya for a second", she replied, tears in her eyes.

She stepped back as Twilight and Doctor Green Clover cantered up, Twilight's eyes wide and her mouth agape. "Uh", she stammered, "You, uh..." she left the words unfinished.

At that moment, Nurse Redheart entered the room, a smile on her face. "I'm glad you are all here. It seems Applebloom had a mild concussion, and while she will be in a bit of pain from the bruising, she is otherwise unharmed. If you can wait a few minutes, I will let you go see her."

The room erupted in cheers, and with the knowledge that Applebloom was safe and relatively unharmed, Applejack began crying and collapsing to her stomach. Rainbow leaned down and held her in her forelegs, kissing her on her head, and whispering her love to her.

Twilight watched in silence, her heart warmed by what appeared to be a newfound love between her two dear friends. Doctor Green Clover simply blushed and looked away, while Scootaloo stuck her foreleg in her mouth, making a gagging motion.

Sweetie Belle just stood and stared. She couldn't tear herself away from the sight of her friend's sister, holding the hooves and heart of a rainbow maned sky blue pegasus.

Suddenly, there was silence.

Twilight heard it first, looking up toward the window, and the others soon followed her gaze.

"It's stopped!" she exclaimed as she ran to the window and looked outside.
"The clouds are breaking up! The wind has died down!"

All that remained of the violent storm was soft rain, making a pitter patter against the cold glass of the window pane.

She heard hoofsteps behind her.

"You may all see her now."

***

It was dark, but sound was everywhere. It was as if she had been thrown into a river of rushing water, and that she was being pulled in every direction all at once. It was a cacaphony of different sensations. The cold on her fur, the disorientation that kept her head swimming, and the shuddering beat of her heart, thrumming in her chest and in her brain, as if it had grown twice it's size, just to make it's presence known. All of this fell in on her, muddling everything, leaving nothing but a confusing din.

After a few moments, the confusion stopped. The heartbeat calmed, the rushing sensations and cold faded, and even the sound had stilled to nothing. All that remained was a steady, light, beeping noise.

Applebloom slowly opened her eyes. She saw artificial light, and white walls directly in front of her. She realized she was looking up, and that what she was seeing was the ceiling. Very slowly turning her head, she saw that it was apparently a hospital room. For a moment, this confused her.

How did I get here? she thought to herself. Then the memory flooded back. The wind, the rain, the storm, the clubhouse shuddering, and then blackness.

As she turned her gaze, she saw a group of ponies standing in front of her, all of them with various looks of joy and concern.

Applejack was the first one to her bedside.

"Hey there, Applebloom. How are ya feeling'?" she asked, deep worry in her voice. She stroked Applebloom's foreleg, comforting herself and her sister.

Applebloom gave a groggy smile, and replied, her voice hoarse, "Hey Sis. Ah'm okay. Ah've felt better, though."

They both chuckled at the light observation.

Rainbow Dash stepped over next to Applejack, holding her hoof, and looking at Applebloom.

"Hey sport," she began, "you gave me quite a scare! Gotcha here safely, though" she finished, with a little pride, but no boasting in her voice. It was more relief than self promotion.

Applebloom nodded slightly, "Thank ya, Rainbow Dash. Ah owe ya mah life."

Rainbow Dash blushed, but refused the burden, saying, "Nah, kiddo. That belongs to your friend Sweetie Belle. If she hadn't saved you from that debris, and protected you in the storm, we might not of saw ya in time. Scootaloo even went out into the storm and found help. You've got some great friends, there, kiddo."

Applebloom looked over to her two dear friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who were standing back, looking nervous, as if unsure whether to run over and pile on their friend, or wait until everypony else had left. Fortunately, Twilight made the decision for them.

"We're glad you're doing well, Applebloom." She turned to the other ponies, "why don't we give her some time to see her friends. I'm sure they want to talk. We can get some coffee while I write up a report to the Princess."

The rest of the ponies, save for the CMC, began to file out of the room, with Applejack giving her little sister one last hug. Together, she and Rainbow Dash walked out of the room, side to side, so close they were almost touching.

After they had gone, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo trotted up to the side of the bed.

Applebloom, worried, asked, "Are you two okay? Ya seem scared or somethin'. Ah'm alright!"

With that, the two fillies smiled at one another, and pony piled on top of their dear friend.

"We're so happy you're okay!" they both yelled in unison, and before she realized she had done it, Sweetie Belle grabbed Applebloom in a fierce hug. "I was so worried about you", she said softly, tears in her eyes, "I though you were gone for sure", she said, her voice muffled in Applebloom's mane.

The heart monitor began to beep faster, while Scootaloo gagged.

Applebloom started tearing up. Here she was, with the filly who made her heart beat so fast, and she still couldn't say anything! I don't know if I could ever tell her, she thought morosely. Still, as she cast aside the sad thoughts, she felt warmed by her best friend's heartfelt happiness that she was alive and well, and as long as she had that happiness and friendship, she'd find a way to get through each day until she could build up the courage to tell her friend just what was in her heart.

***

Comments

[For The Plot]

SAYYYY ITTTTTT!!!

[mrxeno]

ending daww level= dawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[StormHoof32]

come on applebloom if yer sis could do it so can u!!!

[Notenkolder]

Scootaloo seems to be gagging a lot these days..

[Killabyte]

2162350

Can totally be taken out of context

[Spitdash57]

I'm at awe at the amount of pairing in this story BUT I LOVE IT!!!!!!

[survivor]

DAWWW! luna
But whoa, a lot of different ships. I was thinking what ships were my favorite when I realize, there is a lot ships. So I spent 5 minutes looking for my ships. Here they are:
1. applejack x rainbow
2. twi x luna
3. flutter x mac
4. pinkie x cheese
5. applebloom x sweetie
6. scoot x tria
7. rar x spike
A lot, I know. Well I'll be in the next chapter