> Apple Skies
>  by Dynasty-Kaine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Argument
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash pulled her light blue motorcycle to a halt outside of Sweet Apple Acres. Killing the engine, she removed her helmet and shook her short rainbow hair out around her shoulders. Blinking her magenta eyes rapidly at the sudden sunlight, she quickly flung herself off of her bike and ran up the dirt path into the familiar apple orchard. Taking her time to inhale the sweet smell of apples, Rainbow stuck her hands into the pockets of her jeans and let the peaceful atmosphere wash over her. Dash’s mind was so relaxed, she almost didn't notice the abandoned wheelbarrow sitting idly in the middle of her path. Seeing it was filled with fresh apples, she grabbed one at random. Crunching down on her snack, Dash started off in the direction towards the barn house in search of her best friend Applejack. 

"Applejack!” She shouted as she looked around for the farmer. “Hello? Anybody home?”

As she approached the Apples family home, she noticed three young girls inside. She jogged up to the door and lightly rapped her knuckles against it. She smirked when all three girls jumped at the sound and turned to face the door, their faces smeared in a sloppy, red substance.

”Hey Rainbow! What’s up?” asked the purpled haired tomboy named Scootaloo who quickly ran up to Dash and engulfed her in a hug. 

Returning the embrace, Rainbow grinned down at the rough-and-tumble girl before releasing her and shrugging her shoulders.

“Not much, just looking for Applejack. You girls seen her anywhere?” Rainbow Dash addressed the other two girls in the room; the younger siblings of her friends Applejack and Rarity.

"Ah think she’s in the hay barn. Ah saw her headin’ in that direction when ah went to get some raspberries. We’re making raspberry jelly!" proclaimed the red-headed sibling of Applejack, her sweet friend nodding in agreement.

Rainbow Dash raised an eye brow before thanking the three girls and jogging towards the hay barn. Rainbow Dash had been saving Applejack for last; her being her best friend. She wanted to say an extra special goodbye to her. As the old barn came into view, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel a little sad that she would be leaving AJ for so long. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash slowed her steps and prepared herself for the final goodbye of the day.

However, on approaching the barn; Dash came to a halt as a distinct sound reached her ears, making her do a double take. It sounded like Applejack, but she appeared to be begging. Dash couldn’t make out any words, but the obvious desperation in the blonde farmers’ voice made Rainbow Dash curious. Quietly advancing on the wooden door, Dash leaned the side of her head against it to listen in on the conversation taking place inside.

"…Please, yah promised me we didn’ have tah say anything! Ah just don’t think it’s ah good idea to tell ‘em yet. It’s nobody else’s business what goes on in mah life anyways!"

‘Is AJ hiding something from us? From me? Dash pushed her ear further against the door. The thought of the usually honest farmer keeping secrets was enough to make Dash's blood boil. 

“Alright, we don’t have to say anything if you really don’t want to, AJ. I just thought it might make you feel better if you weren’t keeping secrets from your friends,” proposed a soft yet manly voice. So Applejack was keeping secrets! Before she knew what was happening, Dash had burst through the door, demanding to know why Applejack was keeping secrets from her.

“Rainbow?!” sputtered the surprised apple picker. “What are yah doin’, burstin’ in on me like that?!” she yelled, getting to her feet. 

Applejack bit the inside of her lip as she studied the fuming flight jockey in front of her. She wasn't too sure how Dash was feeling. Usually she pretty easy to read, but now... well, clearly she was angry! ‘Oh... what're you doin going 'round keeping secrets for, Applejack? Dishonesty is never good! Well, you've done it now...’ Suddenly something occurred to her.

“Wait, Rainbow, were yah eavesdroppin' on me?” 

“No! Maybe. Alright, yeah, I was but whatever! What’s this about secrets? And who’s this?” Rainbow Dash pointed an accusing finger to the tall, muscular man who stood nervously behind the flustered farmer.

“Er…well, this is Caramel. He’s…he’s, uh…”

“I’m her boyfriend,” interrupted Caramel, receiving a piercing look from Applejack for his trouble.

“Aw land sakes, Caramel, why'd ya have to go an tell ‘er that?” the farmer retorted.

Taken back by the confession, Rainbow Dash blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“Boyfriend? That’s your secret?” Admittedly, Dash was hurt that her friend wouldn't tell her something like this.

However, she was more hurt by the fact that she had a boyfriend.  More than once Rainbow Dash had felt feelings for Applejack. Feelings which she wasn't comfortable with, and was afraid to admit. So she had shaken them off, passed them off as nothing. But there was no denying the twinge she felt in her chest at the thought of AJ being in the arms of another. Applejack nodded in response before approaching the colourful haired jet flier and slinging an arm over her shoulder, hoping this would calm her obvious anger.

“Ah’m sorry ah didn’t tell ya, Rainbow. Ah just didn’t want to cause a kabuffle over somethin’ that didn’ need any extra attention.” Rainbow Dash huffed at this before locking eyes with the blonde farmer.

“Well, how long have you been a thing with him?” Applejack bit down hard on her lip as she averted her eyes to Caramel, who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking from Applejack to Rainbow Dash, then back to Applejack.

He signaled to Applejack to tell her friend the truth. Applejack removed her arm from Rainbow and knotted her hands together.

“Five…”

“Weeks?” prompted Dash, a small wave of relief washing over her at the short amount of time. 

Applejack shook her head solemnly. “…Months…” She sheepishly looked Rainbow Dash in the eye, begging Dash to forgive her for not saying something before.

“Five MONTHS?! Seriously?! That long and it never occurred to you that… Why wouldn’t you…you never thought to say anything?!” Anger and sadness flooded through Dash as she stared straight at Applejack, making her flinch under her friends gaze. “I thought we were meant to be best friends, AJ! You don’t just keep something like this a secret from your best friend! I always tell you everything! Always!” Rainbow Dash growled as she pushed her face into Applejack's, locking eyes with her friend, who was starting to get angry.

“Well now, is it such a crime to keep mah own personal life to mahself? We may be best friends, Rainbow, but that doesn’t mean you should have an insight on everything ah do! It ain’t any of yer business who ah do and do not date.” Applejack nodded her head and turned her face away from the enraged pilot; ferociously biting her lip, the taste of blood lingering in her mouth from the continuous chewing.

Applejack folded her arms as to hide her hands, which shook from both anger and nerves. She didn't want to lose Rainbow as a friend, but she wasn't going to just stand there and let herself be yelled at without standing up for herself. Rainbow Dash was taken aback by Applejack’s sudden defense. She hadn't expected her to put up an argument. Rainbow knew she herself was right, it wasn't right of Applejack to hide this from her, it was her business! Wasn't it?  Rainbow turned and started to pace the length of the hay barn, eyes still locked on the farmer. Repeating the words Applejack had spoken to her moments ago; she stopped and faced the farmer once more.

“Well maybe I want it to be my business! It should be!”

“Why should it be?" countered Applejack, coming nose to nose with her frustrated friend. Rainbow Dash stuttered for a moment, she hadn’t meant for those words to leave her mouth. As she was about to respond, Caramel interject with a slight cough. Raising his hand in a slight wave, he smiled weakly at the arguing pair. 

“Should I go? I-I can come back later if you want?”

“Yes! No!” Both girls barked, leaving Caramel in no better position than before. 

“You stay right there, Sugarcube! Rainbow Dash was just leaving, weren't you, Rainbow?” Applejack looked right into the pilot’s eyes; daring her to argue.

Rainbow Dash wiped a hand across her sweaty brow before stepping away from the farmer and pulling out a piece of folded paper from her leather jacket. 

“Yeah, I’m leaving alright.” Rainbow Dash pushed the piece of paper into Applejack’s hand before taking another step back and turning to leave. “See you later, pal.” Rainbow pushed her hands into her jeans before walking out of the barn and to her waiting motorbike. 

Applejack looked after the pilot, sadness, anger and regret washing over her. She hated to fight with her friends, especially Rainbow Dash. She was her best friend. Yet sometimes, an argument was necessary and in this case, vital. Actually, she had expected the high flier to put up more of a fight. Applejack knew how much Dash hated losing, even an argument.

Sighing, Applejack looked down at the scrunched up piece of paper in her hand. As she folded it out, she felt Caramel’s strong arms encircle her waist and place a soft kiss on her cheek. Leaning back into the strong hold, she started to read the letter.

Anger soon turned to confusion, which in turn devolved into panic. Her heart skipped a beat as she ripped herself from Caramel’s embrace and ran out the hay barn after her friend. Applejack didn’t turn back when Caramel’s startled cry inquired where she was going. She heard the familiar roar of Dash’s bike as she rounded the corner, making her pick up speed, trying to reach Dash before she left. She reached the edge of her apple orchard just in time to see Dash zoom off, leaving a cloud of dust behind her. Realizing she was too late, Applejack leaned up against one of her trees and slid down, pulling in her knees tight against her chest and leaning her head back against the familiar bark.

Applejack realized that somewhere in her run she had lost her Stetson. Unable to shield her face, Applejack placed her head in her arms, her fingers digging into her muscular upper arms as the first of many silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Silently cursing herself, Applejack sniffled. Realizing she still held the letter in her hand. Lifting her head, she angrily screwed it up into a ball and threw it away from her before flopping her head back into her arms in defeat.

Countless hours passed before Big Macintosh found her, beaten and shattered. Tear stains covered her face, her messy hair hanging loose around her, tangled and muddy. The sun had set long ago, and the crisp night air sent shivers over Applejack's bare arms. Noticing her shaking from both the cold and her sadness, Big Mac pulled her into a loving embrace and kissed the top of his sisters’ head before turning around and bending down. Applejack accepted the offer and jumped up onto her brothers’ back, wrapping her arms around his strong neck and laying her head against his warm back.  Straightening up, Big Mac held onto Applejack's calves and started towards their home, saying no words, simply allowing his younger sister to rest against him.

Once they had reached the house, he carried Applejack up to her room. He pushed the door open with his foot and placed her onto her bed. He removed her work boots and pulled back the covers before tucking her in and kissing her forehead. Wiping away her tears, Applejack smiled gratefully at her older brother. Allowing the warmth of the bed to surround and comfort her for a moment, she closed her eyes and went through the actions in her head of the day now gone. Taking a shaky breath, she looked to her brother and bit her lip again.

“Ah… Ah’m an awful friend, Big Mac. Ah didn’t even get to say goodbye…” Applejack’s voice trailed off as more tears sprung from her eyes. Big Mac cooed softly to her before placing a strong hand on her cheek. Forcing his younger sibling to look him in the eye, he smiled softly and caressed her cheek with his thumb, the soft touch calming her.

“Never mind that now. We’ll talk about it at breakfast.” Applejack nodded at her brother’s words and turned over to sleep. Feeling him leave the bed, she wiped her nose on the covers and wished him a good night. But sleep didn’t come. Guilt, sadness, and regret flowed through her that night, keeping her from sleeping. 

“Be safe, Rainbow,” she whispered into the darkness, “please be safe.”
> The Letter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Miss Dash,

Congratulations on your success in the WonderBolt Academy training week. You proved yourself a talented jet pilot and you own the correct qualities we look for in our fliers. We at the academy believe you have the potential to become a WonderBolt one day in the near future, and therefore, we are formally inviting you to our second level training course which may be more suited to your particular skill set.

It will consist of six months of intense training as well as all the preparations that every member of our team are taught at our second level training grounds. Details of which will be given directly unto you by the person whom signed the bottom of this letter. If you succeed on this course and continue to impress us, we will be willing to grant you a potential spot on our elite team of fliers. At which point you will be a fully pledged WonderBolt.

Unfortunately, there will be no contact outside of the academy allowed due to the strict rule of secrecy and protection of all the trainees within our training course(Anonymity Clause Sec 12-11J). We will be sending a chauffeur in three days time who will accompany you to the training grounds where, for the next six months, you will be property of the WonderBolt flight academy. It is with utmost importance that you understand there will be absolutely no contact what so ever, failure to comply will result in immediate expulsion. Attached to this letter is a form containing all the details we will require including any medical needs and body measurements that are applicable. We look forward to seeing you and what you will do with your future training.

Sincerely,

Captain Spitfire,
WonderBolt Captain and Head of Training and Development 
> Welcome Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was good to be back. After six months in the private training ground with no contact with any of her friends or family, Rainbow Dash was glad to be finally heading back to Ponyville where she belonged. She had changed quite a bit in the half year of her absence, both in appearance and personality. Of course, the main change being that she was now a fully pledged Wonderbolt, signed and sealed. She would be touring a lot with the team from now on, meaning she would be away from home most of the time. But Dash didn’t care. She had completed her life-long dream and she couldn’t be happier about it. Her ego had definitely grown bolder. Yet as her friends would find out, she had lost her ZAP of personality that made her the feisty young woman she was. 

During her time at the Academy, Dash had learned that speaking up to anyone who was anyone was a huge mistake, and often she had found herself left in a mangled heap in a corridor. She soon learned to keep her opinions to herself if she wanted to survive.

But it wasn’t just her change in personality that was noticeable; she had shrunk considerably in body mass as well. The training and strict routine had denied her any chances of snacking or napping. She now only ate two meals a day, one of which was no more than an energy bar. Though her weight decreased, her muscle mass did in fact Increase. Dash was toned before, but now she was a whole new level of muscular. She still contained her sparky confidence, but it didn’t show half as much as it had half a year before.

As the train pulled up to the Ponyville platform, Rainbow Dash rose from her seat and collected her luggage bag from overhead. Sweeping back the bangs from her eyes, Dash exited the carriage and looked around in search of her old friends.

“DASHIE!!!” A blur of pink slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her and making her lose her footing, sending her and her pink attacker to the ground.

She felt arms wrap around her neck and legs lock on either side of her hips in a tight embrace. Gathering her senses, Dash returned the embrace as a familiar face filled her vision. Tears spilled happily from the big bright blue eyes and a huge, quivering smile made her melt into the embrace further.

“Awww, hey Pinkie. You missed me?” Rainbow chuckled lightly as the eccentric girl nodded her head at a breath taking speed.

“Oh yes, oh yes, oh YES! I can’t believe you’ve been away such a long time I mean it-felt-like-forever-and-i-was-missing-you-so-much-i-didn’t-think-you-would-remember-me-i-just-wish-i-could-have-come-and-visited-you-so-you-wouldn’t-forget-me-but-then-Twilight-said-’hey-let’s-go-meet-Rainbow Dash-at-the-station-and-oh-i-was-just-so-nervous-you-wouldn’t-know-who-i-was-so-when-i-saw-you-i-was-just-so-happy-to-see-you-know-who-i-am-and-i’m-so-so-so-so-happy-you’re-back-now-i-thought-i-was-never-going-to-see-you-again-but-HERE YOU ARE!” Rainbow’s mouth hung agape at her friends’ ability to talk so much.

“Oh Pinkie, you never cease to both shock and amaze me” Rainbow giggled to herself as Pinkie planted a sloppy kiss on the new Wonderbolts’ cheek.

“Pinkie Pie, darling, I do believe Rainbow Dash will require air to breathe,” A familiar elegant voice mused from behind Pinkie Pie.

Removing herself quickly from atop of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie giggled as she stood up, pulling Dash along with her. Smirking at the well-kept woman that stood before her, Dash waved off Rarity’s statement before pulling her into a tight hug.

“Hey Rarity, How you been?” Dash released the beauty queen and looked into her eyes, seeing her tears reflected in Rarity’s own.

“I’m quite alright, darling, thank you for inquiring.” Rarity’s eyes scanned over Dash’s body, taking in her trim body within the tight Wonderbolts uniform and leather jacket. Her muscular build drew the eye, as did her hair, which now fell down just past her moderately sized breasts. “My, my, Rainbow Dash, you look simply divine! And your hair! Oh sweetie, you’ve grown it out! It looks simply gorgeous!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at her friends’ antics before frowning and looking around the platform. 

“Hey, where’s everyone else? Didn’t they come?” a rush of disappointment ran up her spine at the thought of her friends not being here after so long. She couldn’t possibly wait any longer to see her dearly missed friends. Even… Rainbow Dash had thought about her argument with Applejack quite a lot, the way she just left the way she did… She regretted nothing. She’d blocked Applejack out of her mind whilst training, realizing pretty quickly that thoughts about the farmer only distracted her from her training. It was only after hours that Rainbow Dash allowed her mind to slip to see her best friends’ face. 

‘Is she still my best friend? Does she hate me? No. Don’t think about her. She’s merely a distraction. Who cares how she feels towards me. It was clear six months ago that she doesn’t care, so why should I? That’s it then. She’ll never know any of the feelings I may have previously had for her, if I had any at all. She’s just another face in the crowd, easy to ignore.’

“Oh no, darling, they’re here,” Rarity’s silky voice brought her back to reality. She blinked absently at her friend, raising her hands up in front her slightly as a sign for Rarity to clarify. 

“They’re waiting for us on the other side of the platform, you see Rainbow-“

“Well, come on then, let’s go! It’s been six months since I’ve seen everyone, and I don’t want to wait any longer” Rainbow started down the stairs of the platform, hand luggage slung casually over her shoulder. A clatter of heels on wood suggested that Rarity was following close behind, followed by a small giggle that indicated the location of the Pink circus that was Pinkie Pie.

“Yes of course but Rainbow you need to-“

“So, anything big happen while I’ve been gone? Or is it just the same old boring Ponyville that I know and love? Well, when it’s not being taken over by some form of villain, I mean.” Rainbow chuckled to herself as she rounded the station, eagerly searching for her friends. Spotting a group of people at the end of the building, Rainbow Dash picked up the pace and headed towards them.

“Actually, darling, there is something that you…” Rarity’s agitation grew even more as Dash continued to interrupt her.

Rarity had pulled the short straw on telling Rainbow Dash about the current situation. Unfortunately, the recently made Wonderbolt was NOT making this easy for her.

“So how’s the boutique doing? Still got all those fancy schmancy dopes from Canterlot hanging around you?” Rarity gasped at Rainbow Dash’s insult, momentarily forgetting her main focus.

“The boutique is doing just fine, thank you, and those ‘fancy-schmancy dopes’ just so happen to be the people who are getting me up into the more, how shall I put it, ‘extravagant’ parts of Equestria.”

“Sure,” Dash laughed over her shoulder to the uptight fashionista, “whatever you say Rarity.” 

As Rainbow Dash grew closer to the group of people huddled in a circle, distinct features of her friends met Dash’s eye. She could see the three members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with their red capes, Twilight’s purple hair, Fluttershy’s yellow turtle-neck, App-- Rainbow Dash faltered momentarily at the site of her dearest friend. She looked amazing. She had her old Stetson on of course, the same old work clothes, and not to mention her golden straw hair. In fact, there was nothing different about her than there was six months ago. Dash had just forgotten her.

A huge smile broke out on the WonderBolts’ face. Any doubts and worries she may have previously had dispersed and she practically skipped up to her group of friends.

“RAINBOW DASH!” a chorus of happy cries followed by numerous ‘hums’ of joy as her friends caught sight of their returned friend. Dash’s smile grew even wider as the small group ran up to meet her half way, enveloping her in a sandwich of fabric and smiles. Rainbow Dash greeted each of her friends individually, hugging them tightly, recollecting their feel and smell.

‘Twilight, Fluttershy, Scoots, Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie…’  Rainbow Dash looked around her group searching for Applejack's familiar face, but she wasn’t there.

She lifted her head above the top of the others to see where she was. Hanging back from the group a little, Applejack stood with her arms crossed across her chest, a soft smile played on her lips as she met Dash’s eye. Stepping out of the group, Dash slowly walked up to the tentative friend, stopping just before her. Something in Applejack’s eye showed she was sorry for what had happened, and hoped Dash could forgive her. Seeing this look in her eye, Rainbow Dash threw away all the thoughts she had previously owned about holding a grudge and fiercely pulled the farmer into a strong hug. They wrapped their arms around each other, both forgiving and apologizing silently as they held onto each other like the world depended on it.

It felt good to feel the firm hold of the farmer again, having missed it for six months. A familiar feeling rushed through Dash. Wanting to relieve herself of such feelings, Dash pulled out of the embrace to look Applejack in the eye.

“I’ve missed you, Applejack, I’m sorry I treated you like I did before leaving.” She squeezed the rough hands she held slightly, receiving a squeeze in return.

“Me too, Sugarcube. Ah’m sorry ah argued with ya like ah did.” On hearing the long missed accent of the farmer, Rainbow Dash immediately relaxed and smiled brightly at her friend. “Ah’m glad you’re back, RD, I’ve missed ya some. It’s been hard not having ya here to help me around the farm.”

Applejack playfully punched Dash in the arm, but when Dash flinched under the touch, her eyes filling with pain, Applejack instantly regretted it. “Dash? You okay?” Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment before opening her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a new voice. 

“Rainbow Dash! Welcome back!” Wincing slightly, Applejack turned to the voice that approached. Seeing the confusion, and maybe even annoyance, on the WonderBolts’ face, AJ turned back to Dash, matching her confusion. “Erm... Rarity told you, right?” She questioned cautiously. The clear look of puzzlement upon her friends’ face indicated that no, Rarity had in fact NOT told her the news.

“Told me what? Why, what’s going on?” Applejack looked over Dash’s shoulder to shoot a scowl at Rarity who smiled at her apologetically. 

“Wait, you’re still with him?” She pointed to Caramel as he arrived next to Applejack and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, to Applejack’s horror.

Rainbow Dash’s face seemed to fall in understanding as she nodded her head slightly. Applejack expected her to say something snarky or at least sarcastic about the fact but she didn’t, which surprised not just AJ, but the whole group who stood just behind Rainbow Dash. All of a sudden, a light chuckle emanated from beside Applejack. Rainbow frowned deeply at the tall man as Applejack nervously bit her lip.

“Still with me? Come on, Rainbow keep up, we’re-” Caramel doubled over slightly as Applejack’s elbow made contact with his lower stomach. 

Rainbow Dash shot Applejack a questioning look as she removed Caramel’s limp arm from her hip and approached her friend. She’d known Dash for many years, way before Twilight had even arrived in Ponyville, and so she knew more than her friend thought she knew. She hadn’t said anything in fear that she would frighten her friend into leaving her forever. She hadn’t really felt feelings for Dash, but she definitely cared for her. So here she stood about to break the news to her, and she was terrified of how her friend would react. She couldn’t lose her closest friend. She’d almost lost her once and for six months she’d worried that Rainbow and herself wouldn’t talk ever again. For six months she feared for their friendship, and now after just being reassured their friendship was not in jeopardy, she was going to break the news to her and risk it once again.

“Dash, me and Caramel… we… you see, Sugarcube, me and him… we’re-” Caramel came up beside the concerned farmer, a huge smiled planted on his face.

“We’re getting married!” he shouted in joy.

A deadly silence filled the air as Applejack cursed under her breath at her big mouthed fiancée.

“For Pete’s sake, C, ya’ll need to quit doin’ that!” Caramel looked at her and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Turning back to her friend with concern, Applejack tilted her head to the side, attempting to read the expression on the Wonderbolt’s face. Rainbow stood rigid, glued to the spot, looking from Applejack to Caramel. Married? She mused silently B-But… Applejack would never get married! She’s too busy working on her farm for marriage!

“He helps around the farm a lot,” she spoke quietly, apparently reading Dash’s mind “A-And we’ve been courtin’ for nearly a year now. Ah really do love him, Dash, ya’ll understand, don’tcha?” 

The words stung at Rainbow’s heart as she stared deep into the green eyes of her friend. But… I thought…

“Yeah, ‘course I understand. Congrats, AJ, I’m happy for ya,” Rainbow Dash placed her hand on Applejack's shoulder and gave it a little push. “It’s about time you settled down a bit.” Applejack smiled sadly at her friend, relief rushing through her. “Hey, guys I’m gonna head on home, I’m feeling worn out and wanna settle down for the night.” All of Rainbow’s friends nodded in understanding and offered her hugs before going their own ways for the evening.

“Hey, mind if ah walk home with you?” Applejack asked as she started walking next to her weary friend, Caramel holding her hand next to her. Rainbow shot a glance at their intertwined hands before looking back to the farmer and offering a half smile.

“Sure, AJ, we need a catch up any way.”

Walking side by side, Applejack and Rainbow Dash talked about their time apart. Caramel stayed silent most of the way, offering a small input and opinion here and there, but mainly allowed the girls to catch up. They talked about the farm, Applejack's family, Rainbow Dash’s time at the training grounds, leaving out all the bad parts for now, and eventually went on to discuss Applejack and Caramel.

“We thought since we’ve been together almost a year anyway that it’d just make sense to get married and make it official.” Caramel chimed happily as he looked into the beautiful green eyes of his wife-to-be. “We’re thinking that the wedding should be next month, exactly one year since we started dating. What do you think, Dash?”

“Huh? What?” Rainbow Dash looked up from the ground, having zoned out about five minutes before. “Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds… great.” She offered a somnolent smile to her friend as the approached Rainbow’s apartment. “Sorry guys, I’m beat. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

Applejack released her hand from Caramel’s to wrap her fatigued friend into a hug. Returning the hold, Rainbow took a deep breath, taking in the smell she had longed for. Applejack’s straw hair smelled of apples, dirt, and hay. All the things Rainbow loved about Ponyville.

“Sure thing, Sugarcube. Ah understand. Ah’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Rainbow nodded in response and headed up the stairs to the front door of her apartment.

Intertwining her fingers once more with Caramels, Applejack headed toward Sweet Apple Acres, sighing sadly.

“Hey, you okay, Apples?” Carmel pulled her hand, pulling his fiancée to a halt. He wrapped his arms around her. Swaying slightly, he kept hold of her, feeling her shake beneath him.

“Yeah, ah’m just scared ah’ll lose her again. Ah came so close to ruining our friendship last time, ah don’t wanna risk doing that again.” Unshed tears stung at the corners of Applejack’s eyes as she held on to Caramel tightly, taking comfort from his tall, warm body. Pulling back a little to look into her eyes, Caramel placed his forehead against hers and spoke to her softly yet firmly.

“If she’s as much of a good friend as you make her out to be, then she’ll understand and support you. She may not like me, which by the way is fine by me,” he stated, earning a quiet chuckle from his companion, “but if she wants to keep her friendships with one of the kindest people in Ponyville, then she’s got to make an effort.” Applejack nodded hesitantly before kissing Caramel lightly on the lips. “I love you, Apples.” he whispered lovingly, smiling as he teased Applejack with his nickname for her. 

“I love ya, too, C” Applejack countered before the separated and continued to walk home.

------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash lay on her soft bed, cold from being unused for so long. Silent tears covered the cerulean blue covers, unknown to the world outside. Dash recalled the past hour, relishing in the smell and touch of her engaged friend. 

‘Engaged. She had to be engaged. I don’t even stand a chance. These feelings… I thought they’d gone. I thought… why me’?

“Why me, dammit! Why me!?” she shouted to the still air of her room. “I don’t want these feelings! They hurt! They’re burning me up!”

She was glad no one was here to see her like this. So out of character, so vulnerable. She was reminded of her time at the training ground. Flashes of fists and blood zoomed around under her closed eyelids. She cringed as she recalled the feeling of bone against her face, her stomach, and her arms. Her silent tears soon turned into audible sobs as she clenched her sheets and pillows, thoughts of her friend and the academy drifting her into a dreamless sleep. 

The academy had broken her, but Applejack had wrecked her.

> The Broken and the Shattered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fist after fist contacted with her face, blood and tears filling her vision. She curled herself up into a ball, a natural instinct of defense, only to have a hard boot connect with her back, making her clench her jaw in pain.

“How’s it feel, Dash?” a voice like liquid ice found its way through the ringing within Rainbow Dash’s ear, causing only more tears to tumble down her bloodied cheek. “Maybe you’ll think twice before interfering next time, and learn when to SHUT UP!” the sentence ended with another kick to the ribs, making Dash cry out in agony.

A rough hand slammed her head against the wall before footsteps started heading down the opposite direction, leaving Dash crumpled in a misshapen heap of pain and misery. Dash tried to move, tried to make any sound. As she shifted her feet from underneath her, an excruciating pain shot through her ribs and-

Rainbow shot up in her bed, sweat dripping from her whole body. Eyes swiveling around her room rapidly, confused by the familiar, yet strange surroundings. She clenched her bed sheets as her breathing slowly started to decrease from a desperate gasp for air to a slow deep gag for recovery. After fully regaining herself, Rainbow Dash removed herself from her entangled covers and walked up to the full-length mirror that stood on the back of her bedroom door. Hesitantly raising up her white tank top, she inspected the deep blue bruise located on her ribs, locating the area of abuse. Similar bruises could also be found on her thighs and back. Rainbow let out a shaky breath before lowering her top and looking to the clock upon her bedside table.

6:07 a.m.

Was it too early to get up? Yes. Was she going to bother going back to bed? No. Not if it meant more nightmares. The same nightmares that had been haunting her since her first month of the flight academy. Not wanting to recall the horrific abuse any longer than necessary, Dash busied herself by getting ready for the day.

Taking her time in showering and dressing into a slack pair of track-suit bottoms and a plain blue vest top and zip-up hoodie, Dash was out of her apartment by 7:43, making her way over to her old, rusted garage. Unlocking it, she stepped inside, and briefly choked on the collected dust. She switched on the overhead light and smiled proudly.

“Hey, beautiful,” Dash cooed, walking up to her beloved bike and brushing off the gathered dust with her hand. “You miss me, baby?”

She swung her left leg over the light blue vehicle with ease and sighed as it bounced happily under her weight. Sticking the key into the ignition, the bike roared to life with a pleasing purr, making Dash smile widely. Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail with a hair band she always wore on her wrist, she twisted the acceleration and sped off into the early hours of Ponyville.

------------------------------------------

“Oh! Why hello Rainbow, dear! It’s good to have you back.” Mrs. Cake smiled warmly at Rainbow Dash as she gingerly entered the bakery and took a seat at one of the small tables.

“Hey there Mrs. Cake. How’ve you been recently? You’re looking good.” The plump young woman’s smile broadened at the compliment as she flattened down her yellow and pink apron.

“Why thank you, Rainbow Dash. I’m very well, dear. The twins have been keeping me and poor Mr. Cake on our toes, though. Ohhh, the little ones are getting so big now!” Mrs. Cake covered her heart with her hands and sighed lovingly.

“Oh yeah, how are the little rascals? How old are they now? Eight months, right?”

“Nine, dear. Ten next month. Oh, it’s a wonder how quickly time passes, isn’t it?” Rainbow laced her fingers together, resting her hands on the table and inspecting them.

“Hehe… yeah…” Mrs. Cake looked like she was about to inquire about Dash’s sudden change of mood when a loud crash sounded from the kitchen, making the cook jump and turn her head towards the sound.

“Pinkie, dear, please be careful with those pans, I don’t want them damaged…” She stared anxiously into the kitchen door, her fingers absently twiddling the beads around her necklace.

“Oopsie! Sorry Mrs. Cake! I’ll be more careful!” Rainbow Dash laughed out loud at the silly girl in the kitchen.

Boy, had she missed Pinkie Pie. She heard Pinkie Pie skipping across the bakery floor, coming to a stop behind the counter. The pink party girl was covered from head to toe in flour and icing, her pink shorts and top barely visible under the layers of purple icing that coated them. A wide smile was plastered across the goofy face of the apprentice and her usually messy hair was, well… messy!

Pinkie Pie spotted Rainbow Dash sitting at the table and by some unknown logic, shot across the room, from the counter to Rainbow, in what seemed like a millisecond. She wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash’s neck and squeezed her tightly.

“HI DASHIE!” Rainbow gasped for air and patted the crazy girls’ back.

“Ugh, h-hey Pinkie...” She gently pushed Pinkie Pie off her and smiled at her.  “Busy in the kitchen?”  Pinkie Pie scoffed at this and grinned deviously at Dash.

“Nah! It’s easy-peasy! HEY! You want some pancakes!? I’ve made some extra-spectacularly-delicious syrup that would go amazingly with Mrs. Cake’s pancake recipe!” She jumped up and down gleefully on the spot before whizzing back into the kitchen to prepare Rainbow’s pancakes.

“Um, okay then?” Rainbow Dash shook her head slightly at her unpredictable friend before settling down into the metal chair, placing her hands behind her head.

Ugh, I’m gonna have to get my hair cut, it’s driving me insane. Always in the way… Dash hadn’t been able to get it cut for six months, her being at the flight academy with no such facilities to do so meant that she had no control over it what so ever. ‘I’ll head over to Rarity’s after here to get her to slice her scissors. Maybe I could-

Dash’s thoughts were interrupted when an enticing smell drifted up her nostrils. She inhaled deeply at the pancakes that were being held out in front of her. There looked to be about twelve pancakes stacked up, covered in a delightfully sticky syrup, sugar and various other pieces of candy.

“I call it, Mount Gooey. Mmmmm… “ Pinkie leaned over and inhaled deeply.” Smell it Rainbow, does it look delicious?” Pinkie Pie purred into Dash’s ear as her mouth started to water.

When was the last time she had had pancakes? Or candy? Or anything nice? Six months ago, that’s when. 

Rainbow nodded automatically in response to Pinkie’s question, licking her lips, eagerly, her fingers twitching in her lap, wanting nothing more than to just devour this marvelous creation. Pinkie Pie giggled at the sight of her sweets-starved friend and dropped the pancakes onto the table in front of Dash.

“Okay, then. Eeeeenjooooooy!” she insisted in a sing-song tone. She left Dash to eat her creation, returning back to making brownies in the kitchen. 

It wasn’t long after that Dash had finished. She burped loudly to show her appreciation and satisfaction, rubbing her full stomach and leaning back in her chair. She swiped the remnants of syrup from her chin with the back of her hand before heaving herself out of the chair. She walked up to the counter where Mrs. Cake was filling up the glass case with the freshly baked brownies.

“Was everything alright for you dear?” She inquired politely as Rainbow Dash happily strode her way over. Leaning onto the surface of the counter, she pulled out a handful of bits and counted them out in her hand.

“It was the best! How much will it be, Mrs. C?” She looked up to the patisserie who smiled warmly at Dash, pushing her hand down.

“On the house, dear. Welcome home.” Rainbow Dash nodded her head and smiled at the woman’s generosity before leaning over the counter slightly to get a look into the kitchen.

“See yah, Pinkie!” Another loud crash came from the back, making both Rainbow Dash and Mrs. Cake wince and roll their eyes.

“Bye, Dashie! Come again soon!” Pinkie didn’t come out the kitchen but a small hand did appear from inside, waving in the general direction of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow bid her final goodbyes to the shop owner before exiting Sugar Cube Corner and gracefully sliding back onto her bike.

It wasn’t a long ride to the Carousel Boutique. She arrived a few minutes later, once again removing herself from her bike. She entered the shop, a small bell chimed, announcing her arrival.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment! I’ve just got to finish up back here! Now, just one more here and…. Done! Oh, sorry about that I’m just working on a new line for the- ah Rainbow Dash! How nice of you to pop by!” Rarity had appeared from one of the purple curtains, tape measure around her neck and red-rimmed glasses balancing on her nose. Rainbow went and sat down on the small stand situated in the center of the room.

“Hey Rare, how do you fancy swinging your scissors? This hair’s annoying the hell out of me.” She sat down, crossed legged and yanked her hair out of the pony tail, wrapping the band around her wrist.

“WHHAAAT!? Rainbow, darling, why on earth would you want to cut it off? It looks simply marvelous!” Rarity went and stood behind Rainbow, ruffling out her multi-colored mess. Rainbow Dash flinched under Rarity’s sudden touch but didn’t protest.

“I prefer it short, it doesn’t get in the way as much.” She shrugged slightly as Rarity’s sleek, smooth pale fingers laced their way over Rainbow’s scalp, sending shivers down the flier’s spine.

“Hmm…How short?”

“Shorter” Rarity sighed dramatically at her friend’s vague answer and removed her hands from Rainbow Dash’s hair, much to her secret disappointment.

She turned her head to see Rarity staring at her intensely, her forefinger and thumb rubbing her chin, her mouth pouting in thought. 

“What?” Rainbow questioned, not liking the way Rarity was gazing at her.

“What can I do with you…” Rarity mumbled quietly to herself. “We could always curl it? No, no, that won’t work. What about layers? Hmm…” Rarity gracefully walked around Rainbow, coming face to face with her.

She lifted up Rainbow Dash’s chin, trying to get a better point of view at a different angle. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and pulled away from Rarity’s touch.

“Ugh, alright I’ll do it myself,” She went to one of Rarity’s cabinets and pulled out a pair of scissors. She grabbed one section of her hair and placed the scissors just below her ears.

“NO!!!” 

SSSNIP!

Rainbow grasped the large chunk of hair she had just cut off and placed it onto the top of the cabinet before grabbing another section and repeating the action. Several minutes later and her hair was now just down past her ears. She shook her now short hair with her fingers to get rid of any loose bits and stood before to Rarity, who seemed to have been frozen in place. Her mouth was open in a mid-scream, her eyes wide and staring at Rainbow Dash, both of her hands reached out towards her in a 'STOP!' action. Rainbow Dash laughed at her fashionista friend before gathering up all her hair and walking back to Rarity.

“Aw, relax, Rare,” She chuckled, tickling Rarity under her nose with her Rainbow locks, seemingly snapping Rarity back into the modern day. Rarity sneezed loudly before turning to Rainbow Dash in shock. “Gesundheit. Hey, maybe you can use these,” Rainbow Dash gestured to her decapitated Rainbow by lifting them up slightly, drawing Rarity’s attention, “in one of your designs or something.” 

Rainbow winked at her friend to indicate she was joking but Rarity didn’t seem to notice. Instead, her face lit up with joy as she raced towards Dash, snatching the hair out of her hand.

“What an excellent idea, Rainbow! This is just the finishing touch I was looking for! Oh, it will go so well with the pattern…” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she stepped back behind her curtain. Deciding to leave Rarity to work her magic, Rainbow Dash left the shop quietly.

It was a few hours before Dash returned to her quiet apartment. After Rarity’s, she had gone to fetch her pet tortoise, Tank from Fluttershy’s who had then invited her in for tea. Afterwards, she had headed over to Golden Oak Library to see Twilight, who had loaned her the two new Daring Do books that had come out whilst she was away. Twilight and Rainbow had then gone on to have a total geek-out over who was the more cunning; Dr. Caballeron or Daring Do. This lasted a few hours before they both agreed that Daring Do was no match for anybody else, of course.    

Once Rainbow Dash arrived back home, she placed her precious motorbike into her garage and locked it up before stepping into the warmth of her own home and kicking off her boots. She placed the Daring Do books onto her table and gently lowered Tank to the floor where he went about slowly, very slowly, exploring his old home, which he had not seen in six months either. Rainbow Dash flopped down onto her couch and listened to the silence around her. Fifteen minutes later, Dash was putting her boots and jacket back on and was running out of her door. She didn’t bother with her motorbike, she simply ran down the road, towards Sweet Apple Acres.

------------------------------------------

The sun had nearly set once she arrived, sending a convivial glow across the vast fields that lay ahead of her. The smell of apples intrigued Dash as she walked up the dirt path to the farm. She walked through the field in search of her farmer friend, easily remembering her way through the orchard. Rainbow Dash stuck her hands into the pockets of her jeans, enjoying the familiar smell and atmosphere. Dash was so caught up in the moment, she almost didn't notice the abandoned wheelbarrow sitting idly in the middle of her path.

Upon seeing it, a strange sense of Deja-vu washed over her, sending an icy chill all over her. To her relief, she discovered Applejack sat under one of her trees, not in the hay barn. Applejack sat with one leg laid flat, the other drawn up closer to her body. Her Stetson hung low over her face, shielding her eyes from the bright, orange glow of the evening sun. A length of grass hung from her mouth, moving slowly as she chewed on it.

Smiling, Dash grabbed two apples from the wheelbarrow and went to join Applejack under the tree. On hearing the approach of another, AJ lifted her hat slightly to see who it was. The person that sat next to her was Rainbow Dash, an apple in each hand. She smiled genuinely upon seeing her friend and when offered, she took the apple from Rainbow’s hand.

“Hey there, Sugarcube.”

“Hey, AJ. How you been?” Rainbow took a bite from the deliciously juicy apple, slurping as a bit of juice escaped her mouth. Applejack smiled before spitting out the grass and nudging her old friend playfully, keeping her head down, still hidden.

“I’m…er…alright, thank yah kindly. What about you?” She quickly took the conversation away from her, trying to avoid looking at Dash. Unfortunately, Dash was quick to catch on.

“Hey, what’s up?” Turning her body more to Applejack, Rainbow noticed Applejack lowering her head even more, as if to hide her face from Rainbow Dash.

Something was definitely up.

“Have… have I done something wrong?” She squeaked, worried the answer would be yes.

“No! No, it ain’t you, Rainbow. It’s just…” Applejack trailed off fidgeting slightly.

Rainbow Dash could see her biting her lip… and also… Rainbow couldn’t be sure if it was the shadow of her Stetson but… Dash quickly swiped the hat from the farmers head and looked at her face. Applejack was too slow to react, Rainbow could now see her face in full view. Gasping loudly at what she saw, Rainbow grabbed Applejack’s chin and turned her head to get a better look at the big purple bruise located under her eye.

“Applejack….What the…?” Applejack couldn’t look Rainbow in the eye, so instead, she looked straight ahead and continued to as Rainbow closely inspected the nasty mark on her face.

Rainbow gingerly ran a thumb over the bruise, feeling Applejack’s sensitive skin underneath it. “How… What happened?” she whispered quietly, almost to herself.

Tears started to brim in Applejack’s eyes and when one fell onto Rainbow’s thumb, she wiped it away and turned Applejack’s head so she had to look her in the eye. 

“What happened?” she repeated, pleading the farmer to tell her, worry written all over her face.

Unable to hold them back anymore, tears poured down Applejack’s face, a loud sob escaping her lips. Falling into the open arms of her friend, Applejack wrapped her arms around Rainbow’s stomach, placing her head on her chest.

“Shhh, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here. Don’t worry, I’ve got you…” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her sobbing friend, her cheek resting on the top of AJ’s blonde head. 

They sat like this for a while, Applejack crying into Rainbow’s jacket as she offered soft words of comfort and protection. Neither girl worried about time, or the cold, or the moon which now sat low in the sky, slowly rising as Luna brought on the dark night. Once Applejack’s crying had settled down to an occasional whimper, Rainbow Dash squeezed her friend tightly and lightly kissed the top of her head. Giving her back another soothing rub, Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack up into a sitting position and wiped away any remaining tears with the sleeve of her jacket, being particularly gentle under her right eye, the bruised eye. She pushed the loose strands of hair out of Applejack’s face affectionately before smiling sadly at her.

“You wanna talk about it?” She offered, stroking Applejack’s cold arms. AJ sniffled once more before meeting the eyes of her dear friend.

“Can we not? Not yet, anyway. A-ahm not ready just yet. C-can we cuddle some more?” She wrapped her arms around herself, the cold night air sending chills down her arms. “Ah-Ah like it when we cuddle. It’s… nice…” Rainbow Dash nearly started crying herself then.

The strong, stubborn Applejack was asking to cuddle with her. Something bad had happened. And it wasn’t that hard to guess either. A bruise like that? Dash knew what a hit looked like, and that was it. Right now, what Applejack needed most was a friend. Rainbow Dash pulled on Applejack’s arm, pulling her back into a hug. Applejack settled her head down onto Rainbow Dash’s lap, feeling the comfort of her soft trousers. She pulled her arms in close and nuzzled against Rainbow Dash, who wrapped one arm around Applejack whilst the other played with a loose strand of the straw-like hair. She leaned back against the hard bark of the tree, offering soft words of consolation now and then. They fell asleep together that night. Just two friends holding onto each other like their world depended on it.  

One was broken, while the other was shattered.
> Just like the good ol' days
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash placed two cups of steaming coffee onto her dining table, taking a seat on one of the three chairs as she listened to the sound of the running shower. Taking a big gulp of the hot liquid, Rainbow Dash ran the events of the previous evening over in her mind. Applejack and herself had slept under the apple tree all night, waking up as the sun began to rise over the orchard. Applejack had said she hadn’t wanted to head back to the farm so Rainbow Dash had kindly offered to allow Applejack to stay at hers for as long as she wanted to. Rainbow was going to head back to the farm in a short while to collect a few of Applejack’s belongings; just to keep her going for a week or so. 

The sound of the running shower stopped abruptly, making Rainbow Dash perk up in her seat. The door that separated her small living room to her even smaller bathroom opened not long after, a blast of steam pouring through the small doorway, revealing a tired looking Applejack wearing some tracksuit bottoms and a plain black top that Rainbow Dash let her borrow. She stepped out of the mist, hand drying her long blonde hair with her towel. She cast Rainbow Dash a half smile before plonking herself down on the chair opposite her. 

Dash released her breathe, which she hadn’t realized she had been holding, and hesitantly smiled back at her friend. Dash took a long look at the bulging bruise under Applejack’s left eye, the way it stood out against the farmer’s pale skin, the way it encircled her whole eye, the majority of the bruise below it, it was awful. Rainbow Dash’s view of the bruise was broken as Applejack rubbed her tired eyes, being careful not to touch the delicate area surrounding her left eye. Rainbow took another drink of her coffee, liking the bitter taste upon her tongue.

“Ah’m sorry ‘bout this, Rainbow. It-It won’t be for too long. Jus’ until I get ma head all cleared up. I jus’ need time to think some things over before I head on home… Is that okay with you?” Applejack’s sad eyes met Rainbow’s, her own pain and sadness reflecting into hers. 

“Of course it is, AJ. You can stay here for as long as you want. You wanna talk about what happened?” Rainbow inquired quietly, not wanting to frighten Applejack into not telling her.

Nervously biting her lip, Applejack rubbed her hands together in her lap, not meeting the flyers’ eyes. 

“Ah-Ah don’t know… It’s all a bit… um… fuzzy…” Applejack’s eyes flickered slightly, indicating the truthful farmers’ lie. “Besides, it dun’t matter, really. Not much to say… Jus’… an accident, s’ppose…”

Jeez, was she a bad liar…

Truth be told, Rainbow felt a little bit hurt that her friend didn’t seem to trust her with the truth, for the second time. Leaning over the small dining table, Rainbow Dash lifted up Applejack’s face so she was looking at her. 

“Don’t lie to me, AJ. I just want to help.” Looking deep into the apple pickers’ eyes, Rainbow Dash released Applejack’s chin and crossed her arms on the table.

Her farmer friend sighed deeply, looking down at Dash’s arms, absentmindedly inspecting the faint bruises that were dotted along her arms.

“Ah’m sorry, Sugarcube, It’s just, ah never thought Ah’d ever have a conversation like this. Ah never thought it would happen… Ah…” tears brimmed at Applejack’s eyes, her voice cracking as a small sob started up her throat.

Rainbow rose from her seat, grabbed Applejack’s hand and pulled her over to the small blue couch located in front of the apartment window. She tucked her legs under herself and sat Applejack next to her, directly facing her. She smiled sadly, encouraging her friend to continue what she was saying. Taking a shaky breath, Applejack wiped the back of her hand against her still damp forehead and looked at Dash. 

“Yesterday afternoon, ah came back from the orchard to drop off ma apples in the barn when I heard Caramel shoutin’ inside the house. Ah went in to see what the hay was going on and ah saw him telling off Applebloom and her friends. Apparently they had been up to no good and had been messin’ ‘round with his pick-up. He had a bottle of whisky in his hand and was shoutin’ very nasty things to them. Ah was worried he was gonna do somethin’ he was gonna regret so ah went up to him and told him to leave it be, that ah’d take care of it.  He told me not to interfere, that he was gonna give these girls the what for."

“Applebloom was cryin’ and Sweetie Belle was shakin’, ah didn’t like where this was going so ah told him to back off. He got angry and told me to go away. He started walkin’ towards the girls so ah stepped in front of him. Oh, Rainbow... his eyes… ah had never seen that look in him before… H-he looked ‘bout ready to kill me! Ah pushed him back, away from the girls, told them to go and find Granny Smith. Once they had left, ah asked what the hay he was thinkin’. He told me it didn’t concern me, that it was none of my business. Ah argued with him then, tellin’ him that it was too my business, Applebloom being my little sister, ah was the one to tell them off, not him! W-we argued some more and then suddenly… s-suddenly he… he…” 

Rainbow engulfed Applejack into a hug as tears started to roll down her cheeks. She didn’t need to hear anymore, and she wouldn’t make Applejack say anymore either.

------------------------------------------

Thirty minutes later...

Rainbow Dash was heading down the dirt road to the farm. She approached the front door of the Apple family house and rapped on it loudly. Granny Smith came to the door some time later, apparently shocked to see Rainbow Dash. 

“Oh, why hello there young girl! What can ah do ya fer?” She smiled a gummy smile at the flyer, but there was a look of sadness in her eyes, they were red like she had been crying, possibly over Applejack not coming home last night. 

Note to self; tell Granny Smith of Applejack’s location later.  Rainbow made a mental reminder to herself before looking sternly at the old lady.

“Is Caramel,” She began, the name spitting off her tongue like poison from a snake “home? Me and him need to have a small chat.” Granny’s face instantly turned sour at the sound of the name.

“Oh… him… He’s over in the hay barn. Now, if you’ll ‘cuse me, ah have some very important... eh… stuff to do. Bye now.” The door slammed in Rainbow’s face, making her jump back slightly.

Setting her eyes on the hay barn located just around the corner, she started towards it, determined to do what she had come here to do. She walked up to the doors of the hay barn and knocked loudly. A few seconds later, a begrudged looking Caramel opened the wooden door, hay entangled into his brown hair messily. On seeing the jet flyer, Caramel instantly stepped back from the door and opened it, allowing Rainbow access. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’ve come here to beat me to a pulp because of what happened with Applejack, right?” He rolled his eyes, his voice set in a bored tone.

He stuck his hands into his scruffy jeans and looked at Rainbow with disinterest. Right then and there, Rainbow Dash should have beaten him to a pulp. She should have gotten revenge on him for hurting AJ like he did. Six months ago, she would have. Not now. 

“No, I wanna know what happened. Why did you hit her?” She too, stuck her hands into her pockets and leaned against the door frame of the barn door.

“What’s to tell? I was drunk, I was angry, she was all up in my face so I hit her.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, like it was an everyday thing. 

“That’s it? That’s all you’ve got to say? No big explanation or excuse to try and cover up your jerk ass?” Rainbow’s voice raised slightly, annoyed at how modest he was being. 

Caramel shrugged again, not fazed by Rainbow Dash’s voice raising. “Aren’t you at least sorry? You’re just gonna do that and not even be sorry for it?” Caramel rolled his eyes at Rainbow Dash, turning them on her angrily. 

“Of course I’m sorry, idiot! I never meant to hurt her! There’s a big difference between not being sorry and knowing there’s no point denying it. Of course I’m sorry, I love her for Luna’s sake!” Rainbow Dash’s gut did a little flip at his words, hating the very sound of them.

Caramel noticed her reaction and scoffed at her. “You know what I find hilarious, Rainbow Dash?” He started to saunter over to Rainbow slowly, his eyes filled with humor. “What’s funny is the fact that you can’t even admit your own feelings, yet you despise anyone else who does.”

Rainbow’s heart raced in her chest, her eyes locking with Caramel, shock filling her system 

How did he know that I… 

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow turned away from him and went to head out of the door, only to be stopped by a hand grasping tightly onto her upper arm, making her flinch as memories of other hands contacting with her body flashed in her mind. Turning back to Caramel, she saw an anger so raw in his eyes that it paralyzed Dash to the spot. Making her unable to move, unable to look away from him. 

“If you do anything, anything, to jeopardize what me and Applejack have, I swear to Celestia I will ruin everything you have.” He spat the words at Dash, fear spreading through her as the voice reminded her of the gruff voice from her time at the academy.

Caramel’s soft voice had changed to the one that belonged to her abuser, harsh, sour and angry, always angry. Snapping herself out of the trance of fear, Dash yanked her arm from Caramel’s grip and backed away from him, eyes not leaving him. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t need to. You’ve done that on your own just fine.” She ambled down the path then, turning her back on the angry farmer. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to keep her cool until she turned around the corner of the house where she lent up against the side of the house and slid down to sit on the green grass.

As shaky sobs racked her body, she put her face in her hands and tried to gain control of her fear. The sudden reminiscence of the flight academy had been too much, impacting her greatly, breaking the jet pilot down to tears. 

‘I can’t go on like this, I-I need to get a grip. Stop it, stop remembering and just block it out! Control it, control the fear, damn it!’

“Rainbow?” A small, high pitched voice reached her ears, making her look up.

Applebloom stood just in front of her, a bucket of water in her right hand, a towel in the other, her eyes full of concern and confusion. “A-are you okay?”

Taking a gulp of the apple flavored air that surrounded her, Rainbow Dash nodded uncertainly, not sure what to say to the young crusader. Applebloom placed down the bucket and sat down against the house next to Rainbow Dash. Handing her the towel, Rainbow Dash wiped her wet face, her heart starting to slow down simply due to the presence of the young girl.

“Is ma sister gonna be staying with you fer a while?" Applebloom pulled in her legs, resting her head on her bare dirty knees. "Ah saw what happened yesterday… Me, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo did…”

Clearing her throat Rainbow Dash wiped her face again before placing her hands in her lap.

“Y-yeah, she’s gonna be staying with me for a little bit. Is that okay with you?” She turned to Applebloom who nodded slightly in reply.

Rainbow Dash considered asking Applebloom if she wanted to go see Applejack, but decided against it after contemplating how Applebloom might react on seeing her sister’s face.

“Why were ya cryin’? Ah don’t think ah’ve ever seen ya cry like that before…” queried the young farmer as she absentmindedly pulled at chunks of the green grass beneath them. 

“I-It was nothing. I’m just… w-worried about Applejack. She’s hurting pretty bad, you know?” Rainbow Dash wiped her nose with the back of her hand before standing up, sticking her shaking hands in her pockets. “I’m gonna head back to my place, see if AJ is alright. But can you do me a favor first?” Applebloom stood up as well, picking up her bucket and towel.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Can you grab me a few things of Applejack’s, just some clothes and stuff? I’ll take them with me. Oh, and can you also mention to Granny Smith where AJ’s staying? No doubt she’s probably worried sick.” She started to walk towards the door of the farmhouse, Applebloom close on her heels. 

Dropping the bucket and towel next to the door, Applebloom stepped inside and ran up the staircase leading to the second floor of the house, telling Rainbow to wait for a moment.  A few minutes later and the young adventurer returned with an overnight bag stuffed with clothes and a few other belongings of her sister’s. Thanking Applebloom, Rainbow Dash left the house and headed back in the direction of her apartment block. Thoughts of everything that had gone on in the past six months rattling inside her brain.

Would they ever just leave her be?

------------------------------------------

“Ya’ll ready to go?” Applejack handed the light blue backpack to Rainbow Dash as she finished slipping on the leather jacket over the top of her Wonderbolt uniform. Taking the backpack from the waiting farmer, Dash slipped it onto her back and opened her front door, leading out into the apartment block hall on the third floor. 

“Just about. So I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Dash asked turning to Applejack who stood in the doorway to her apartment, leaning against the door frame. She smiled at her flying friend genuinely before stepping away from the door and wrapping her arms around her.

“O’course ya will! Ah can’t wait to finally be able to see you perform as a Wonderbolt! You must be over the moon!” Applejack thought she felt Rainbow Dash’s shoulders slump a little so she pulled away to take a look at her friend.

Rainbow Dash seemed to have a genuine smile on her face, but something seemed off about her features. She seemed almost disappointed. Brushing it off for nerves, Applejack lightly patted Rainbow on the shoulder and smiled right into Dash’s eyes, instantly seeing the ‘nerves’ dissipate as her good friend returned the grin.

“Ya’ll be safe now, ya hear?” She smirked at Rainbow Dash, who mirrored her expression with humor.

“Of course! Oh, hey, don’t forget, you have VIP passes so make sure you and the gals head straight backstage to see me before we load up, alright?” Applejack gave a quick nod of comprehension, still half smirking, half smiling at the high flyer in front of her. “Okay, well, I better get going; don’t wanna miss the train. Catch ya later, AJ!” Applejack waved after Rainbow as she headed down the staircase of the apartment block. 

“Would ya believe it? She finally got 'er dream.”

------------------------------------------

“Dash, you’re late.” Rainbow Dash quickly jogged over to where the ten other members of the Wonderbolts were stood to attention in front of a stern looking Spitfire. Quickly removing her jacket, Rainbow slung it over onto a bench situated in the middle of the changing room along wither her backpack where the Wonderbolts stood. 

“Sorry, ma’am, my train got delayed and I-“

“I don’t wanna hear excuses. Just stand to attention and listen.” Mumbling an apology, Rainbow Dash hastily stood next to the Wonderbolt named Misty Fly and focusing her eyes forward, lifted up her chin.

She placed both her arms parallel down to her sides and pushed back her shoulders, locking her booted heel together in a military fashion. 

“Now, like I was saying, I don’t want to hear any whining or complaining about how inconvenient this tour is. This tour is essential to our public image. We are representing Cloudsdale in the annual Peace Festival. Now would someone remind me what’s so special about this particular festival.” Rainbow heard someone hit their foot hard against the tile floor, turning her eyes sideways, Dash could see Soarin had left his ‘attention’ position to have separated his feet to line up with his shoulders, his toned right arm was lifted high into the air whilst his left was placed behind his back, the elbow bent to make a sideways V shape with his arm, his hand clenched, resting against his lower back. 

Spitfire acknowledged Soarin, prompting him to speak up. 

“The Annual Peace Festival is the celebration in which we rejoice in Princess Celestia’s rule and the peace she bestows upon Equestria. Er- Ma’am!” 

Smiling to himself, Soarin resumed his previous position of attention, obviously proud of his explanation.  Spitfire simply raised a brow at the second-in-command, just as much stunned at his irregular use of vocabulary as everyone else was. Regaining her composure, Spitfire started to pace in front of her flying team. 

“Exactly. So, does anyone know what that means?” When no one seemed to know the answer, Spitfire stopped in front of Dash and looked right into her eyes. “Do not. Fuck. This. Up.” 

------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash slung her backpack up onto the top bunk of the bunk beds before hanging her jacket over the banister of it. Just as she was about to clamber up the metal stairs, the door to her dorm opened revealing Misty Fly, Fleetfoot and another new recruit named Wingspan. Frozen in place, Dash watched as the three Wonderbolts stepped into the small room which contained two bunk beds, one on either side. Dash continued to watch them as they inspected the sleeping space, backpacks and overnight bags slung casually over their shoulders. Fleetfoot threw her own overnight bag onto the opposite top bunk as Misty Fly pushed hers onto the bottom bunk underneath Fleetfoot’s bunk. Wingspan timidly scooted past Dash and plopped herself down onto the bunk underneath Dash’s upper bunk. 

Still frozen in place, Rainbow Dash’s heart rate kicked up a notch as Fleetfoot and Misty Fly shared a knowing look before directing their attention to Dash. They sauntered their way over to her and each placed a hand on one of her shoulders, making Dash instantly tense under their touch.

“So Dash, you miss us?” The raspy voice of Fleetfoot asked mockingly making Rainbow Dash let out a shaky breath. 

“Yeah, miss us? We certainly missed you” Misty Fly commented sarcastically, her hot breath tickling Rainbow’s ear. “Still remember what we taught you? Or do you need another lesson?”

Rainbow Dash felt their hands tighten on her shoulders, their touch paralyzing her even further, soft whimpers escaping her lips, not quite audible to the ears of her bullies. And that’s exactly what they were. Bullies. Simply there to punish those who stood as a threat to their position and strength. Fleetfoot removed her hand from Dash’s shoulder to grab her chin, painfully turning her head so she was looking directly at her. Dash closed her eyes, as not to look into the sharp green eyes, afraid of what she would see.

“Answer us!” Dash worked up enough will power to open her eyes, still not looking at Fleetfoot, but looking down at Wingspan who sat peering at Dash with sympathy.

Looking into the eyes of the recruit who was even newer than she was, Dash opened her mouth and spoke.

“I don’t need another lesson, thanks.” Before Dash had even finished whispering her sentence, she felt a blow to the stomach, making her double over with a slight cry.

As soon as she had made a move to recover, Fleetfoot grabbed her by her short hair and pulled her over to the wall at the top end of the bunk beds, swinging her around and bashing her back against it, making Dash’s head slam quite hard against the wall. Pulling her close by her uniform, Fleetfoot whispered humorously into Dash’s ear.

“I see you still got a bit of attitude, huh? Maybe you haven’t been fully taught after all,” Slapping Rainbow across the face, Fleetfoot laughed before turning around and facing Misty Fly “What d’ya think, Fly? Think we should educate her a little more?”

In response to this, Misty Fly strolled over to Dash, looking her in the eye briefly before grabbing her shoulders and kneeing her in her stomach, making her double over once again. Misty kicked Rainbow’s feet from underneath her, making her fall to the ground before kicking her square in the face, making her tilt sideways as Fleetfoot started to join in on the abuse, continuously kicking her in the stomach as Misty lifted up Dash’s bloody face by her hair and punched it, making even more blood flow from Rainbow’s nose. 

Wingspan covered her face with her pillow, attempting to block out the pain filled cries of Rainbow Dash and the grunts of effort from Fleetfoot and Misty Fly. She was not going to interfere, the last time she did, she had gotten the same treatment. Maybe not as bad, but still, it was not something she would want to experience for a second time. So she lay there, tears running down her pink cheeks as the sounds of Rainbow’s cries reverberated around the room, making Wingspan flinch. 

“This’ll teach you, you’ll be fucking sorry by the end of this.” Wingspan pressed her pillow harder to her ear, trying to block out Fleetfoot’s harsh words.

A small cry escaped the young girl’s lips as the sound of something hitting the wall reached her trough the pillow. The sound of flying fists stopped for a moment, the only sound coming from a whimpering Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, Wingspan’s pillow was removed from her head by a heated looking Misty Fly. She grabbed the new flyer by the back of her neck and hoisted her up to meet her gaze, making her gasp in shock. 

“You have something you wanna say, little girl?” She snarled in Wingspan’s face, making her wince slightly before promptly shaking her head.

With a small hmph, Misty dropped Wingspan back onto her bed and headed back to Rainbow Dash, for the ‘lesson’ to continue. Wingspan accidently looked at Rainbow Dash to see she was looking directly at Wingspan from her place on the floor, her head slightly lifted covered in blood and dirt, a small puddle of the monochrome flyer’s blood was gathering under her face. Fleetfoot’s boot broke their eye contact as it connected to Rainbow’s chin, throwing her whole body backwards. Wingspan resumed her position curled up, her pillow now discarded on the floor by Misty Fly, she tried to block out the slowly quieting cries of Rainbow Dash and the laughter and grunts from Misty and Fleet.

Another few minutes passed before Wingspan heard the dorm room door open and then close, leaving a sobbing Rainbow Dash on the floor. 

“Ugh- Wi- Wingspan...” Rainbow whispered in a husky voice, attempting to lift her body up, only to collapse once more to the floor in a spasm of pain. “P-please… hel…”

Her voice died off as unconsciousness took over, sending Dash into a dreamless state, one side of her face resting in a constantly growing pool of her own blood. Wingspan did nothing. She just lay there. Listening to the unsteady breathing of her fellow Wonderbolt. 

She did not help. She only listened.

------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash winced as the warm shower water dribbled over her bleeding and bruised face, washing all the blood and muck away. She’d woken up alone in her room, no sign of any of the three other Wonderbolts ever being there. She stepped out of running shower and grabbed a towel, turning off the shower by the chord that hung from the small bathroom ceiling. Catching a glimpse of herself in the small mirror, she saw that she numerous cuts located all over her face with a few bruises to go with them. Stepping back, she could see her rib cage and stomach were severely bruised along with the tops of her legs.

Damn. They really went all out this time…

Rainbow gingerly dressed herself into her Wonderbolt uniform, being sure to go careful around her mid-section. Before heading down into the small mess room located on the Canterlot Wonderbolt Barracks. As she stepped into the room, there was no sign of Fleetfoot or Misty Fly. Currently in the mess room was Soarin, Spitfire, Blaze, Silver Lining, Rapidfire and… Wingspan. Rainbow Dash looked away from the young flyer, who was currently eating a protein bar whilst reading a book and headed to the other end of the mess hall, to the vending machines. 

Soarin watched intently as the Rainbow haired Wonderbolt seemed to stagger over to the vending area. He noticed the way she covered her stomach with her right arm, like she was about to be sick, the way she was hunched over and the numerous cuts and bruises on her face.

“Hey, Spit?” He addressed his Captain and friend who was sat opposite him, reading a magazine.

“Ya-huh?” She mumbled in response. Soarin leaned in close to her and entwined his fingers on his knees. 

“I think there might be something going on with Rainbow Dash. She looks like she’s being… well you know…” He prompted in a hushed voice, as not to be heard by anyone who may be listening in. 

“Erm… yeah… what?” Soarin pulled the magazine from Spitfire’s hands, getting only a little protest before Spitfire crossed her arms and leaned back against the hard wooden chair upon which she was sat on. “What, Soarin?” 

“Look!” He gestured with his head to Rainbow Dash who was currently resting her forehead against the vending machines, clutching her side in what appeared to be pain. Spitfire turned back to Soarin with a confused look on her face.

“What?”

“She looks hurt!” 

“Well, yeah…” Spitfire rolled her eyes and tried to snatch back her magazine, to which Soarin dodged her grab and threw the magazine on the floor behind him, earning an agitated sigh from Spitfire.

“What do you mean ‘well yeah’?” Spitfire simply shrugged, sucking on her bottom lip. “Do you know something?” 

“Yeah… Fleetfoot and Misty Fly have been giving Dash a bit of a hard time is all.” Soarin gaped at his Captain, shocked at her heartlessness.

Soarin knew Spitfire outside of being a Captain, and to be this uncaring about a fellow teammate being harmed was not the Spitfire had come to know.

“Wha- why don’t you stop them!? You know we don’t allow fighting on the team!” Spitfire shrugged again, not meeting Soarin’s eyes.

“I told them to do it.” 

“WHAT!?” Soarin stood up from his seat, earning the attention of everyone else in the room. Quickly, he sat back down and brought himself face-to-face with Spitfire. 

“What do you mean you, 'told them to'?” He hissed, surely he had heard her wrong.

“I don’t know. She was being too cocky, trying to own the squad. So I simply told Fleet and Misty to show her who's boss.”

Soarin simply shook his head. Disgusting. He got up and left the room. This was not the Spitfire he knew. Not at all… 

------------------------------------------

The roar of the crowd could be heard from the changing rooms. The first show of the tour was two hours away and the show ground was already filled to the rim of people coming far and wide to watch the spectacle flight show of the Wonderbolts. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight weaved their way through the waves of people in search of the private changing rooms where Rainbow Dash told them to come straight to. Finding the private quarters wasn’t too hard since that is where most of the crowd stood, hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrities. 

Applejack pushed her way to the front of the crowd, followed by her friends and handed over her VIP badge to the security guard situated in front of the door. After inspecting each badge carefully, he grunted loudly and gestured for the group to follow him. He opened the door and let the girls slide inside first before coming in after them, attempting half successfully to hold back the screaming fans. Once the door was slammed shut, he walked down a long corridor, the girls in pursuit not far behind him. They chatted excitedly about the show as they entered what they presumed was a lounge room for the flyers. In the room were the twelve members of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash included. On hearing the sound of approaching people, Rainbow Dash turned her head to the door and to her delight, found her friends excitedly looking around the room for her. 

“Girls!” She hurriedly rushed over to them and was instantly engulfed in a big group hug. “I am so glad you could make it before the show!” As she pulled away from the group, she was shocked to see them all gawking at her in a mix confusion, sadness and curiosity. 

“Um, Rainbow Dash?” The timid voice of her dear friend Fluttershy drew her attention.

As she turned to face her, Fluttershy flinched back slightly. Rainbow Dash could guess why. “Um, what… happened to your face?”

Yup, there it was.

Rainbow Dash had tried her best to cover up the bruises and cuts on her face with concealer but they were still quite obvious. She didn’t want to tell her friends what they were really from, it would only worry them. Knowing Twilight, she would probably try and convince Rainbow Dash to either say something or leave. She didn’t want to do either. 

“Ahh, it’s nothing, I fell down the stairs this morning and my face got the worst of it. Still look as sexy as ever though, right?” She ruffled her hair jokingly, hoping that her simple lie was enough to fool them. All of her friends rolled their eyes, calling Rainbow out on her clumsiness. “Hey, you guys better go get your seats, we’ll be starting our warm up before the show soon.” 

They all gave Rainbow one last hug wishing her good luck before heading off to find their seats in the VIP section. Rainbow Dash was about to head back to the chair where she had been sat when a voice made her stop.

“Hey, Rainbow.”

She turned round to see Applejack stood in the doorway the others had just exited out of. Turning back to her friend, she smiled genuinely but it soon faltered once she saw Applejack’s gruff expression. Applejack walked up to Rainbow Dash and grabbed her chin, inspecting her face carefully, much like Rainbow Dash had done with Applejack after the Caramel incident. Applejack’s bruise was now a mere shadow under her eye, having nearly cleared up completely.

“Wh-What’s up, AJ?” 

“These don’t look all too fresh.” She peered closer at a bruise on Rainbow’s right cheek. “You said this happened this morning, yet they look at least a day old if you ask me.”

Rainbow thought for a moment, desperately searching for a new excuse, “O-oh, did I say this morning? Ahhh, I meant last night. Sorry, my mistake, hehe…”

Applejack stared sternly into her eyes, raising an eyebrow slightly. Releasing Rainbow’s face, she stepped back and folded her arms.

“Ah don’t believe you.”

“You--what? Why? I-It’s the truth!” Applejack’s face didn’t falter at all, the stern expression fixed in place, making Dash uncomfortable.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t look at her friend any longer, she hated lying to them. Especially when it came to Applejack. She turned away from her friend and headed over to the vending machine which was positioned to her left. She busied herself by looking at the contents inside. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her to the side, dragging her out of site of the other Wonderbolts.

“What’s the big idea, Applejack?” the farmer pushed Rainbow up against the wall, making Dash cry out at the impact on her sore back.

Seeing her pain and discomfort, Applejack’s eyes softened a little, worry filling her more than irritation. 

“What’s really going on, Rainbow? Ya know you can talk to me ‘bout anything.” She spoke softly, placing a hand under Rainbow’s chin, caressing her lower cheek, sending static all over Rainbow’s body at the slight touch.

Looking into the eyes of her friend, Rainbow Dash knew she couldn’t lie to her anymore. She just couldn’t!

“I’m… I’m just having a bit of trouble with a couple of girls on the squad. It’s nothing major, just a bit of a disagreement.” She looked into her friend’s green eyes, desperate to tell her how bad it really was. But she still couldn’t. Not if it meant possibly losing her position as a Wonderbolt. 

Applejack sighed and rubbed her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days. She looked back at her friend, properly seeing her for the first time since she had got here. The individual bruises on her face, the tired look in her eyes, the lack of colour in her cheeks, she looked truly ruined.

“Rainbow Dash… y'all need ta tell someone. If this is a constant thing, ya can’t let it jus’ carry on.”

“N-no! I-I can’t let anyone on the squad know! I could get kicked off for it! Fighting’s not allowed in the group, no matter if it’s you being beaten or you beating, they don’t care! You fight and you’re out! They can’t ever know, Applejack! Ever!” The begging look in Rainbow’s eyes was enough to tear Applejack in two. She didn’t want to do this, but if her friend was being hurt, she wasn’t going to just sit by and let it happen.

“Rainbow Dash! Ah won’t stand by and let my friend be beaten like that! Ah know the Wonderbolts mean a lot to ya, Rainbow, but you mean more to me. Ah won’t stand by and watch you get hurt.” Applejack made a move towards the remaining Wonderbolts in the lounge area only to be pulled back by Rainbow Dash whose eyes were tearing up slightly, begging Applejack not to say anything.

“Please, please don’t do this, AJ!” Applejack looked from the loitering Wonderbolts’ back to her friend, then back to the Wonderbolts.

She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t do that to Rainbow Dash. She knew it was the right thing to do, but the look in Rainbow’s eyes was too much.  She yanked her arm from Rainbow Dash’s grasp and narrowed her eyes at her, shaking her head. 

“Yer a fool, Rainbow…” She started to walk away, towards the door the others had left from, looking back to see Rainbow Dash stood with her head against the wall, fists clenched at her side. “What’re you doin’ to yerself, RD… What’re you doing?”

------------------------------------------

The Jets took off with a mighty roar, zooming high into the sky as the audience watched in awe. Rainbow Dash followed the lead of the others in her section, following the routine she knew off by heart.

A loop. Ninety degrees turn. The twist.

“GAH!” Rainbow Dash quickly pulled her joystick to the left after nearly colliding with Soarin’s jet. “Uh, sorry Soarin, came in a bit early there…” She spoke into the headset each team member wore to keep communicated with each other.

“S’alright Dash, just watch yourself, okay?” The chilled voice of Soarin replied, relaxing Rainbow Dash a bit.

“Don’t mess this up, Dash! Remember why we’re here!” Spitfire’s sharp voice shouted in her ears, making her wince slightly as she accelerated into a counter spin with Blaze’s jet.

“Sorry, ma’am.” She mumbled as a reply. 

Yer a fool, Rainbow…

Applejack’s voice made her jump, making her lose grip for a moment, causing her to finish her twist early. She shook the thoughts away mentally and continued on into the out-of-plane maneuver.

You’ll be fucking sorry by the end of this!

Rainbow’s heart raced in her chest, as the events of the night before suddenly rushed back to her. 

You miss us, Dash? Still got a bit of attitude, huh?

Memories of the flight academy returned to her in one gulp, clouding her thoughts, making her lose her balance.

“DASH, LOOK OUT!”

Before she could regain control, Rainbow Dash’s wing collided with another jet, sending her off pattern. Her jet twisted round and round, at first continuing upwards due to momentum, but soon enough the jet started to head downwards towards the stadium below. Rainbow’s jet spun out of control, making Dash unable to tell up from down. She desperately tried to regain control, but the jet was too far into free fall to get anywhere.

“GET OUT OF THERE! EVACUATE! YOU’RE GONNA COLLIDE! MOVE YOUR ASS!”

Many voices screamed into her ears at once, making her panic, causing her to scream in frustration. Dash reached over her shoulder to pull on the emergency chord which would open up her hatch and parachute. She pulled on it hard. And again. And again. It was stuck. She was going down and she was trapped.

Applejack watched as the jet plummeted towards the ground, screams from the audience and her friends echoed around her. 

“Why doesn’t she eject!” A voice asked her, but she didn’t recognize it. The jet was free falling to the ground, almost ready to hit.

400 ft. 300 ft. 100 ft.

“RAINBOW!” Applejack’s air left her lungs as her scream was covered by the sound of the jet hitting the ground, sending it up into flames.

Medics and firemen rushed to the jet, already working on getting the fire under control and the pilot out safely.

Applejack’s world went dark in one moment.
> Numb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The steady beep of the cardiograph let Applejack know that Rainbow was still holding on as she sat silently at the bedside of her fallen friend. She just passively held her friend's hand wishing that she could have done something more, but it was a miracle that Dash had survived the crash at all that day. The emergency response team was on top of the incident within mere seconds, and had found the pilot gravely injured but holding on. Her uniform being flame retardant lined had saved her from a majority of the burns, and the safety cushioning that had somehow been forcibly activated also minimized her injuries.

She had suffered multiple broken ribs, a fractured knuckle, a broken arm, a sprained ankle, and a damaged collarbone. Not to mention the major burns on her lower legs, and some minor burns on her hands, face, arms, and chest. To have escaped such a fall with less than a body cast seemed to be impossible, but here Dash laid in defiance of that belief. The doctor seemed to have given a new level to the despair of the situation only moments before.

"She's suffered from a major concussive force trauma, and has slipped into a comatose state that we aren't sure when or if she will pull out of..."

Applejack stroked Dash's hand gently, "Doc doesn't know what he's talkin' 'bout. She'll be outta this lickety split."

Deep down she didn't know if she herself believed that, but she had to hope it was possible. Lest she would have to face the fear of her never coming back again, never speaking to her ever again. She lamented in the plain cream coloured room that had already bore witness to a get well bouquet Pinkie had managed to put together in mere seconds, as if by magic. It was nice to sit here in the room alone with Dash, and she found herself tracing the lines of her friend's face with her eyes.

Wh-What in tarnation? Am I admirin' her look while she sleeps?

She began to feel a slight bit awkward towards the thought in her mind, but the heat she felt in her cheeks suggested it was a possibility. She shook her head to clear the thought, and instead just wondered what Dash might be dreaming about right at that moment. Maybe she was dreaming about flying high in the sky like a bird, absolutely free from the worries of the world below her.

------------------------------------------

Two Months Later...

Dash groaned as she blinked her eyes open slowly adjusting to the soft morning light filtering into her room from her bedside wall. She began to notice that this was not her bedroom, nor her bed, nor her home. A beeping sound began to grow in repetition to her side as her eyes opened wide in fear. Looking to her side slowly she saw monitors, chords, IV's, and a plethora of other medical looking equipment.

A-Am I in a hospital?

Then it came back to her in a flash. Voices screamed to her, pulling the emergency cord to no avail, and the fear that surged through her as she plummeted toward the ground. She almost resigned herself to death before she saw Applejack's face in her mind smiling, and it caused her to remember the other fail safe's equipped on the jet for situations just like this. She had realized quickly that she could deploy the emergency shock absorbing cushioning, but it was the hardest thing to get to without the proper equipment. Not having a second to spare she located the encased button and began trying to break into it.

With all the turbulence of the falling jet it was impossible to get a strong grip, and so she sacrificed her hand balling it up into a clenched fist and punching with all her might. Once, twice, thrice, and then the fourth hit broke the barrier as well as her knuckle. She didn't care a bit with the adrenaline in her veins, and she slammed the button just seconds before the crash. Her head still slammed into the front panel that had all of her electronic gauges and radars. She felt blood dripping from her forehead, an intense heat near her legs, and the world spinning around her as it went black moments later.

"It's really quite a shocker isn't it?" a strong tom-boyish voice brought her back to reality.

Dash sat up slowly and looked across the room to see Captain Spitfire sitting in a chair next to the door calmly reading a magazine.

"M-Mam!" Dash uttered with a scratchy and hoarse voice.

"Surviving your first crash is never an easy experience Dash." she continued solemnly setting the magazine aside.

Dash felt like a sheepish recruit before her idol and mentor, unable to respond she simply nodded. Yet she felt a curious question working its way to the surface slowly. In her time training with the Wonderbolt, she had never once known her to be an affectionate person. Spitfire had always seemed so cold and distant.

"Captain, why?" was the only thing that managed to come out when she gave her feelings a voice.

She chuckled, "Well I guess you would be curious as to why I'd be here when I've never done much to show you the care necessary."

Spitfire's demeanor shifted at that moment, regret began to shadow every feature on her body. It seemed as if she had been carrying one heavy secret, and the consequences of it had taken their toll on her. Even her imposing leather jacket didn't do much to build up the aura of the deflating leader.

"Everything that you've gone through at the academy has been my fault, and I'm not referring to the top notch training. No, what I'm referring to is the worst crime a leader can commit...and that crime is betrayal." Dash listened intently, even with the voices of Fleetfoot echoing in her mind. "I was the one who set Fleetfoot and Misty Fly on you."

Dash felt her eyes widen and jaw drop in shock at this revelation, but she remained silent knowing there was more to it than that.

"At first, I felt that your cocky arrogant attitude needed to be put in check...like you needed to be reminded of your place." Spitfire slouched over in her chair and looked at the ground in shame. "And as they laid into you and your attitude shifted you made such great progress; even graduating at almost the top of the class. They were supposed to only lightly rough you up till you graduated...but I now see how blind I've been."

"You're serious..." Dash felt a rage build in her that needed to be let out before she burst. "Since you didn't directly control this situation I'll have you know that they beat me to a pulp almost nightly, tormenting me whenever the fancy hit them! They've only gotten more and more brutal as time has gone on, even going after every new recruit in our dorms! And all of this is a consequence of you trying to manipulate me with fight--"

A realization dawned on her in that moment. If Spitfire knew about this then what about her place on the Wonderbolts? Was she going to be fired now that Spitfire had admitted to knowledge about this whole thing? Spitfire was looking up intently into her eyes she noticed as if willing her to finish the statement. That wasn't her choice words though.

"Why didn't you step in and stop it Spitfire?"

She blinked rapidly in surprise at the change in subject before replying, "Well, at this point they are going outside my orders...so I need proof that they are provoking or engaging in assaults on other team members in order to give them the boot. As of current though I have no substantial proof, even with the wounds you've suffered they could still rebuke them. I'm so sorry for failing you so terribly Dash."

"Proof, proof?" She exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? Was my bruised and beaten face not enough? What about the time I was in the infirmary with broken ribs huh?"

"You never reported it as anything but your own fault Dash!" the fiery eyed woman retorted. "You say anything otherwise and a jury would call you a liar! What can I do when you cornered yourself?"

The rainbow haired girl was taken aback and seriously thought about things before calmly asking,"Well what kind of proof would you need to get them at this point Ma'am?"

"Well video, pictures, or audio recordings would do the trick, but you know those things are forbidden in the dorm rooms and every room they have assaulted you in I presume." Spitfire seemed defeated by the storm she created.

Dash knew that this had to be solved for her and Spitfire's sake. She had resolved herself to an idea that may hurt, but would get them what they needed to fire Fleetfoot and Misty Fly legally. It was reckless and would probably get her fired too...unless...

"I'm pretty sure I've got a plan that can fix this whole problem, but it will require you to use your reputation to shield me this once." the rainbow haired woman looked at Spitfire seriously. "Can I trust you to have my back on this one Captain?"

"If it will make up in the slightest for my mistake, then you can count on all of my support cadet!" Spitfire vowed.

"It will have to wait a while though, seeing as I'm still in the hospital healing."

The two then laughed heartily as if they had never been distant, as if they had always been friends. Dash heard a sound from beside the bed, and looking over she saw Applejack laying on the couch sleeping soundly. She had been there the entire time, and it touched her heart to know she cared so much. She could feel her cheeks heat up as Spitfire excused herself from the room wishing her one last get well soon.

Is there really any hope of us being together?

The one thought crossed her mind and then went on its way again. Truthfully, not knowing the answer scared her to death, but knowing the answer could kill her just as well. She just had to keep going forward, maybe she would be happy at the end of this.

Happiness is always a possibility, but how long will it last?

------------------------------------------

A few days later...

"Come on Apples you can't just spend all of your time here!" Caramel sounded off gruffly.

"Don't chu call me that, and after what happened t'ween us y'all can't expect me ta jus' act like nothin' happened!" Applejack was riled by Caramel's insensitive approach to where they were.

They both stood in Dash's hospital bedroom, and he had the audacity to try to drag her out of her friend's room for himself! Not to mention he still hadn't done a damn thing to apologize to her for his behavior from two months ago. Well he had tried, but always made things worse with his attitude.

"Ah think you should leave C. This ain't the place for this conversation."

"I won't Apples, you know as well as I do this fight between us is tearing me apart inside." the man returned with emotional conviction in his voice.

The utter hurt in his voice caught the farmer totally off guard. He sounded like he was about to emotionally break down here and now over just the thought of being parted from her. It touched her heart deep down, and her logical reasoning slowly melted away. She was willing to look past things depending on his next answers.

"Will y'all promise me a few things then?" Applejack negotiated.

"Anything!" Caramel practically wailed.

"Work on yer drinkin' habbits, as well as that vicious temper of yers and that's a start." Applejack declared crossing her arms. "Next, y'all need ta start listenin' ta me when ah tell you to let me handle things, or to stop yerself from talkin'. Sometimes ah have a reason for saying things to hun."

The two began slowly walking towards one another sheepishly.

"I know you have your reasons." Caramel said sweetly. "Sometimes I just get too caught up in my emotions."

"Ah know shug, but can ya work on that fer me?" she said entwining their hands.

"If it means having you, I'll try my best." he answered pulling her close.

------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash heard raised voices in her lucid sleeping state, and though she was worried she wished they would go away and let her sleep. She slowly became more aware of her consciousness coming back to her which meant waking up. She also noticed the voices had changed in tone, it sounded much more affectionate now. A voice in the back of her mind screamed at her, but she didn't know what it wanted. It sounded like it had said, "Applejack." but she couldn't be sure. She groaned as she sat up opening her eyes.

She now knew what the scream was trying to warn her of, and in that moment she felt her very core shatter into a million pieces. Applejack and Caramel were kissing at the foot of her bed. It was over, every little hope and prayer she had was broken. What did she expect though, it wasn't like Applejack would ever notice her over Caramel. Deep inside Dash felt her heart grow cold and dark, it hurt so much. All she could do was let it all fall away into nothingness as she became utterly Numb.