Don’t need wings to be a wingman!
So it had all started right after the six friends had danced themselves silly at the Fall Formal, followed by the weird but crazy awesome pony princess girl going back home through that magic portal thingy. The remaining five girls had soon decided that a sleepover would happen at Sweet Apple Acres. And Rainbow Dash was super stoked about that.
Oh sure, there had been a little more drama and awkwardness to things. It had started off with how Pinkie had launched herself into the already closed portal for whatever Pinkie Pie reasons she’d had, crashing to the ground for her troubles. Shortly after that nonsense, there had been a follow-up incident where Fluttershy had a brief total breakdown because of whatever Fluttershy reasons.
However, the most important thing—as far as Rainbow was concerned—was that everything ended up being cool anyway. That much became clear when the Fluttershy crisis had been quickly ended and followed by some hugging and stuff, not to mention a few shed tears. (Of course, Rainbow Dash never cried herself. No Siree! Nuh uh, no way...)
Regardless of how cool everything wound up, Rainbow still preferred not to dwell on unnecessary details too much. Not when the impending sleepover was easily the next best part of an already amazing night to suddenly look forward to!
To help speed things up for her part, as well as maybe spend a little extra time catching up with the one friend who she had missed the most, Rainbow happily took advantage of the privileges of being a team captain: keys. One quick sprint to a locker room was all that was needed, since she always kept spare clean clothes on hand.
Before long, Rainbow made it back to the student parking lot, her sling bag of spare clothes bouncing on her shoulder. Her bike had already been helpfully loaded up into the bed of Big Mac’s truck, lashed to one side by way of bungee cords. That would make her early morning trip back to town much easier tomorrow.
Applejack was leaning heavily against the door on the truck's passenger side, while her brother was already sitting in the driver’s seat, bobbing his head as he listened to the radio. Upon taking notice of Rainbow running up, the taller farm girl heaved herself up off the side of the truck. Applejack opened the passenger door with a sharp yank, then climbed on into the cab. Rainbow skidded to a halt at the open door. She came to a stop just in time to catch Applejack digging out the buried halves of her seatbelt from the crevices of the truck cab seat.
The farm girl snapped the buckle together around her waist, gave its loose tail a quick tightening, then promptly slouched down. With a heavy sigh that almost tipped over into a full-on yawn, Applejack tucked a thin wisp of golden blonde hair behind her ear. She then firmly tugged the brim of her massive fancy cowboy hat down over her face. The large rose that Rarity had sewn onto the hat’s front must have been heavier than it looked, as the brim sank even lower once Applejack had let go.
Just from the, well, everything about how that girl was moving, it was clear to Rainbow that Applejack was exhausted. Though after the past couple days—heck, from the events just from that evening alone!—who could possibly blame her? For her own part, Rainbow couldn’t help but stay hopped up and wide awake. Not even an hour ago, Rainbow Dash had actually flown. That experience alone had been so exhilarating, and it had felt so, so… so natural, Rainbow wasn’t sure she would ever sleep again! Not so long as she remembered something that fan-flipping-tastic!!
While Applejack was settling down into a buckled-up heap, Big Mac yanked the door closed on his side. With a glance at his younger sister, he reached to switch the radio off before fastening his own seat belt. Rainbow realized she had been standing there, watching her slouched-over friend and fidgeting while she did so. Before anyone could catch her, Rainbow promptly bounced herself up into the cab.
Bracing herself, Rainbow heaved her own door closed, hearing the piercing squeal of its grinding joints. It was actually a strangely satisfying sound. After all, it meant that Rainbow had remembered how the passenger door needed that extra bit of oomph to make sure it actually shut.
Despite the jarring metal clap from each door slamming shut, Applejack never stirred. Rainbow tossed a brief worried frown her friend’s way while snapping on her own seatbelt. Her eyes drifted up and briefly met Big Mac’s. Rainbow's breath seized as her lungs locked up. Oh no. Had she been caught—(gulp)—openly fretting?!
But all Big Mac did was silently nod his approval.
What. A. Relief.
Psssh, yeah, naw, it made way more sense that the big guy just, like, totally approved of Rainbow’s remembering how to handle that super tricky door. After all, she hadn’t dealt with it for months since falling out with Applejack. (Well, and falling out with the others, as well, of course.) Regardless, Rainbow's memory was pretty awesome, in its own small, no-big-deal sorta way.
She felt her eyebrows tuck down proudly as she nodded right back to Big Mac. “Thanks loads for helping load up my bike! Not to mention for the ride back to the farm!”
Both brother and sister popped back in perfect unison, “Ee’yup!”
Well, good to know some things never change.
As the trip to Sweet Apple Acres got underway, something about the drive felt weird to Rainbow. For one thing, unless totally tired like Applejack, totally quiet like her brother, or totally distracted by something even more mind blowing, who could possibly sit still after a night like tonight? A night that had been filled with things like a crazy awesome magic-based fight, followed by the even crazier awesomeness of actual flight! And that was all before the dancing and best friend fun times!!
…Okay, so maybe the quiet drive was really just weird by comparison? Y’know, given how super stupid exciting the rest of that night had been. Rainbow’s leg started bouncing for lack of anything else to do.
Ehhh, okay, so the more she thought about it, maybe the drive wasn’t ‘weird’ exactly. Still, with literally nothing else happening, Rainbow just felt the moment was a whole lot like some of her least-favorite scenes in a Daring Do novel. They were those frustrating ones, where total action packed pages gave way to those less exhilarating moments, and where it seemed like Daring Do couldn't actually do anything but look around and think. Those were the parts of a story when it was loaded with descriptions of places, characters, or other details. All the things that would be way more exciting to actually see than simply read about.
Worse though were those moments of deep inner thoughts that Daring Do could find herself trying to cope with. Yet unless Daring Do was working out how to crack some mysterious riddle or ancient puzzle, those last kinds of—Rainbow Dash barely kept a sigh in check—introspective moments were especially her least favorite of all!
Things happening just felt better to Rainbow somehow.
As the truck rumbled past that hat store Applejack always liked to duck into, Rainbow found herself surprised by just how overall antsy she realized she felt at that moment. After all, she was actually going to be back at Sweet Apple Acres again, and real soon. So maybe it was antsy in a good way?
Under the swooping yellow glow of a street lamp, Rainbow gave another glance to her left. With Applejack looking asleep already and Big Mac being the notorious non-conversationalist that he was, she decided that perhaps the uneventful silence might actually be oddly comforting instead.
As Big Mac turned right onto Quill Street, the chirps of the rickety truck emphasized just how quiet it was. Rainbow could feel her eyelids starting to relax. Yeah, maybe this silence really wasn't any kind of problem at all. After all, she only had to be quiet until they all got to Sweet Apple Acres, right? Then they would all gab the whole night away together! Pssh, yeah, naw, Rainbow could totally handle being quiet for now.
As the Sugarcube Cafe and Sweet Shoppe passed them by, Rainbow peered inside its dark, empty interior, trying to spot the table where they had made plans to get that Twilight Sparkle girl elected Fall Formal Princess. Thinking back over the memories of the past couple days, Rainbow felt a broad smile sweeping across her face. Yeah, in fact, this was a welcome kind of silence. After all, being able to feel good like this, even while nobody was talking, was arguably the mark of spending time in the presence of a real friend. Besides, when it came down to it, Rainbow could imagine feeling just about the same if she were sitting in the same kind of silence, even with all five of her best friends!
…Whoa, super weird. Rainbow realized that meant she already thought of that Twilight girl as a best friend. And that was despite barely knowing Twilight for all of two days. The silence began to turn a little sour again for Rainbow, as she recognized an increasing sense of already missing Twilight had started to grow in her.
Missing Twilight felt a lot like how losing the other four had. But somehow not exactly the same. It was almost worse in a way, because the numbing ache wasn’t spread across several individuals. Worse yet, despite how that numbing ache was now gone with the other four, it didn’t seem fair that the price they all had to pay had been to lose their newest friend. And not just any friend, but the girl who had moved like a team captain in getting them all to get over each other and start talking again! No, more than that: who had gotten them talking again, and about what really mattered. Heck, that Twilight girl had even gotten them to work together—and by extension, to be together—once again.
Too bad there was probably no way to send texts, phone calls, or even letters across the dimensional planes or whatever. After all, Pinkie Pie’s running face first into an already closed off portal proved just how much that interdimensional door was definitely closed.
Still, Rainbow Dash would do anything for that Twilight Sparkle girl to visit again. Because she would do anything for any of her best friends, really. Rainbow cast another glance over to Applejack sleeping. She felt a smile leak across her face. Yes, Rainbow was sure: she would never let anything make her abandon her friends again.
As dense neighborhoods started giving way to bigger yards surrounded by more trees and crop fields, Rainbow finally did sigh, though as quietly as possible. She was pretty sure Big Mac’s truck was generally grumbly and squeaky enough to offer her cover as she did so.
Still, something about those last thoughts of commitment to her friends had given Rainbow a weird sensation. One that continued to lightly buzz, but was quickly fading. The sensation was kinda, sorta, but not exactly like the sensation of the wind in her face. A lot like the one she had felt earlier that evening, while Twilight’s weird horse magic had given her wings.
If she really thought about sticking by her friends, the sensation could flare up from a brief tingle that was like an itch between her shoulders into something more, something ever-present, but not really there. It was difficult to describe how the sensation seemed to work. The closest thing Rainbow could think of was how it was a lot like heat from a campfire ember that was blown on; the sensation of increased warmth was there only as long as breath kept it going.
A pot hole sent the whole truck bouncing in squeaky protest. Rainbow checked that Applejack was still comfortably asleep before she even realized she was doing it.
Bah, Rainbow should really try and focus on anything else. After all, Applejack didn't need Rainbow fretting about her. There wasn't much for Rainbow to do right then to make that cute girl more comfortable anyway.
…Rainbow’s eyes silently flared wide at a passing empty tire swing.
No need for her to have added that word like she had. Where had that word ‘cute’ even come from? Rainbow knew the answer to that, but preferred not to think about it. For one thing, still too many hang-ups about how things had seemed to fall apart at the end of last school year.
Bah! Rainbow licked her lips then swallowed, her bouncing leg picking up speed. She really should distract herself with just about anything else.
For lack of any epic riddle or puzzles like Daring Do would’ve distracted herself with, Rainbow tried to work out a better sense of that weird but still awesome sensation she had just briefly poked at. It was definitely something new since earlier tonight. Twilight’s horsey magic may have gone back with her, but it clearly left some kind of mark. So wait, did that mean that maybe the other girls also had something like it? How could Rainbow even try to describe this strange sensation, even if she felt confident enough to try without sounding, well… childish? What exactly was it that she kept feeling, whenever she thought of staying by the sides of all her besties?
Rainbow gazed out the passenger window and over the sparse moonlit suburban landscape flickering by. She let her mind wander. Squinting at nothing in particular, Rainbow tried to hone in on anything else familiar in her life that the peculiar, possibly literal magical sensation could be tied to. The sensation briefly flared up after a quick glance back over to Applejack. Rainbow quickly realized what she was doing, and put the kibosh on that silliness, swiftly snapping herself to face back out the window. She focused instead on what she would do if asked for help from Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or even Twilight. There! That same sensation like wind in her face kicked up again, but not actually on or against her face. No, it was more like…—Rainbow rolled her eyes, but let the honest thought continue—more like it was in her soul.
Rainbow Dash kept puzzling the sensation over. If she was going to have any chance actually talking out loud with the others about this, she needed to be totally confident in her words. The last thing Rainbow wanted was to babble on, like Pinkie Pie on a sugar high, and still hope to be taken seriously.
Maybe the sensation was less like the rush of air from flying, and more like the rush of air against Rainbow’s face as she ran down a field for a goal? Or maybe when she was sprinting for the win in a race? No, not so much like the rush of air itself. Maybe more like the feelings that always accompanied the wind?
Hmmm. That seemed more right somehow.
Almost like Rainbow being at her best was so tied to the wind in her face, they might as well be one in the same for her. And so then, somehow, that feeling of the wind and being her best self was tied to how she felt and thought about the other gir—!!!
The seat belt harshly snagged against her waist and torso from a sudden, sharp lurch. Tires squealed as Big Mac made a sudden, brief swerve hard to the left. Rainbow’s wandering thoughts all came crashing into a piled up mess.
Rainbow had begun to snap her face over to the road to see what was wrong. But before she could get started, a large decorated hat, denim dress, and flushed skin crashed into her left side, coming into direct contact along her bare shoulder and face. After the taller farm girl had been so haphazardly flopped over onto Rainbow from Big Mac’s sudden swerve, her sudden weight pressed the shorter athletic girl up against the passenger door. Even through the elbow-length gloves that were part of Rainbow’s dress for the dance, the fall weather chill crept in by way of the armrest and metal frame of the door. The cold stood out in sharp contrast to the awkwardly pleasant warmth from Applejack’s crumpled, exhausted form.
Rainbow had been about to ask what happened. But words were gone, while her heart spiked from the, er, well… everything of her circumstance. Looking down at where her left arm was pinned, she then felt the hat dig a little deeper into her bare upper arm and shoulder, as the farm girl’s head stirred.
Rainbow glanced down over the lethargic figure that had been tossed against her. She couldn’t help but gulp, her face suddenly burning. The problem was Rainbow had already thought that Applejack had looked, um, well… honestly, the girl had looked really, really amazing tonight!
But even admitting to that, there were still the sudden realities of this moment which Rainbow found herself dealing with. For one thing, Rainbow briefly worried she was letting herself start to think certain thoughts as though she were some kind of serious creeper.
…Then again, it was difficult not to, given how Rainbow had suddenly found herself very so close and personal with this particular girl. Not to mention the fact that Applejack was dressed like she was, in her very classy, yet also very form-fitting outfit for the dance.
The only coherent thought Rainbow had left that didn't seem completely dirty was a single concession: when it came to Rarity having made them each customized dresses, that girl really did know her stuff!
On top of some of Applejack's certain, er, features which Rainbow felt she could now, like, better… um… notice for the first time, there was also the matter of Applejack’s physical… presence being all around much more, like… noticeable? How could it not be, since all of it was literally weighing on Rainbow’s own smaller frame?
Which wasn't at all a bad thing!
Rainbow's face flushed hotter yet from that last excruciating thought having popped in uninvited.
Applejack suddenly adjusted her neck slightly, the top of the hat scratching lightly and almost intimately against the left side of what was Rainbow's undoubtedly super deep purple face. Thankfully, the farm girl still didn’t stir from where she lay draped. Rainbow’s breathing seized; had she really just included the word ‘thankfully’?
“Wuh wuzzit?” Applejack’s sleepy drawl asked from under her hat, “Sum’ possum, Big Mac?”
Rainbow finally looked over to the driver himself.
“Ee’yup,” Big Mac responded.
Then, with a twinkling, sideways flick of his eyes towards Rainbow, his face still studiously locked onto the road, Big Mac raised a single finger pointed straight up. He then set that finger onto his lips. The gesture synced to a wink he gave the road with his right eye.
Rainbow silently blinked in response.
Wha…?
Oh.
Wait…
—Oohhh!
Rainbow found herself giving the briefest, tight up-and-down nod in response, barely suppressing a grin. To keep her face from getting any hotter, she quickly shifted her gaze back out the passenger window. Just as well, since Rainbow felt a smile imminently taking over her whole face. As the farm girl stirred one last time, Rainbow took notice of the tension she was holding in her own body. She forced herself to quietly breathe again, following the ways she would do so along with stretching before any sports practice. After all, maybe Rainbow’s loosening up would help Applejack’s neck get more comfortable.
But Rainbow found herself with a new question: what exactly would prompt Big Mac to do something like that?
Not that Rainbow was complaining.
Heh, nope, nope, nope. Not. At. All!
It just seemed completely unexpected. And given his, er, interpersonal tendencies, it’s not like Rainbow had ever made much of a connection with him. She stared out, watching night covered houses, yards, and occasional barns passing by. Rainbow’s mind wandered as she glanced over the passing shadow-drowned rural sights.
A large, rusty, decorative horseshoe nailed onto a fence reminded Rainbow of an afternoon last school year, a couple weeks before the Spring Fling. While she and Applejack had been playing a few rounds of horseshoes, the farm girl had begun to talk about the time her brother had carried out some elaborate plan to ask a girl to one of the dances.
Frankly, neither Rainbow nor Applejack thought much of the idea. The two of them had already agreed they didn't think it likely either of them would get asked to the dance that year. Something Rainbow admittedly wondered at the time if she maybe shouldn't take advantage of…
But even if someone would ask one of them to the dance, there was nothing appealing to either of them about being asked like that. Not in such an embarrassing and over-the-top way, with a whole guitar-backed song-and-dance number! Although, Applejack had then added, their youngest sibling, Apple Bloom, along with her little friends had all thought Big Mac’s antics had been 'sooo sweet'.
Much to Rainbow’s satisfaction, she and Applejack had immediately shared mutually disgusted eyerolls over that. But then Applejack had gone on to explain a little bit about her brother. For one thing, he may seem quiet, introverted, even aloof. But deep down he was really more like a sponge when it came to emotions, and apparently a total romantic for it.
With that, a connection was made to exactly why Applejack’s brother must have swerved like he had. Before Rainbow could help herself, the realization prompted a very nervous, a very gleeful, and—(darn it all!)—frankly a very teenage giggle to escape from her. Rainbow's heart lurched in panic. She would never in a bajillion years have guessed she was even capable of sounding what was uncomfortably far too much like Fluttershy doting on cute animals.
“Wuz so funny?” the sleepy drawl still warmly nestled on Rainbow’s shoulder asked.
“The…” Rainbow hesitated, cheeks somehow managing to flush hotter still from her having acted so… so… well, so girly. Desperately needing an answer fast, Rainbow said the first thing that popped into her head. “The word ‘possum’. That’s all.”
A slow, single laugh gurgled up from under the tipped down hat. “It is, ain’it?”
Rainbow’s arm was still pinned. But as far as she was concerned, it was pinned in the best way possible: under the full weight of the single girl who, over these past few awful, lonely months, Rainbow had missed the most. Not to mention the person who Rainbow still felt closest to, no matter what.
The passenger window was rolled up against the cold fall air, and only the floor vents piped heat into the cab of the rickety truck as it drove towards Sweet Apple Acres. But somehow knowing her friend dozed comfortably on her shoulder despite Rainbow’s own discomfort prompted the sensation of wind rushing against her face to crash through Rainbow Dash again.
And a single, unseen blue spark quietly zapped just between her shoulders, where a pair of magical wings had bloomed from friendships old and new just a few hours before.