NOTE: if you guys wanna see what happens next plz review i'll add another chapter if you guys want it
NOTE: whoever it was that pointed out all the cussing THANK YOU! i sent this to a friend for editing before upload and i didnt realize he added it so sorry. i think i got all of it but if there is anymore please let me know.
Stuck In the Middle
It was a bright, sunny day in Equestria. The children were playing, the adults were laughing, and a big cloud of smoke threatened all that lived there. Wait a minute, that's not right! Earlier that day, the Princess had told of a dragon that had decided to make a nearby mountain its home. She had sent her most faithful protégé, Twilight Sparkle, a purple unicorn, up to the mountain to talk to the dragon, and try to draw it away from Equestria to somewhere else, like a desolate wasteland, or a neighboring country. (Hehe, "neigh"bor.) She came with her 5 best friends, who were representations of the famed items called the Elements of Harmony.
Her friend Pinkie Pie, a fun-loving pony that worked at the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner, was bouncing up and down beside her on the trek across a plain of land on the side of the mountain. She was always there to bring the life to the group by making a hilarious joke, or the worst pun they had ever heard. She could be extremely annoying at times, but they could live with that. She represented the element of laughter.
"I simply can't understand why it would want to sleep here!" A white unicorn pony with a purple, luscious mane exclaimed. This was Rarity, a high class, but very loyal, pony with an obsession for perfection, who was born on the wrong end of life. However, she loved all her friends dearly, no matter what their flaws. Rarity represented the element of generosity, which she displayed in every charitable way possible. "This place is simply COVERED with soot." She looked at one dust covered hoof, and wiped it on her hankie in disgust.
"I agree!" a yellow Pegasus pony with a pink mane said, "We should all just let him realize his mistake and let him go home!"
This was Fluttershy, who was the shy animal keeper who tended to the many animals inside of Ponyville's hills and forests. She lived in a house where she kept the animals, and she was not-so-secretly a bit frightened by everything remotely scary. She was the element of Kindness, which was displayed by her immense empathy, and always being there for a friend, or anypony, for that matter, who was in need.
Suddenly Fluttershy jumped at the touch of a hoof on her shoulder, and turned around to see her friend, an Earth pony with a blond mane, an orange coat and a cowboy hat on her head.
"Don't worry a bit, sugarcube," said the pony called Applejack. She was a cowmare, working on the farm to provide the good folk of Ponyville with her delicious apples and apple related treats. Apple pies, apple crisp, apple cobbler, apple Danish, apple cider, apple apples, she had it all! She represented the element of honesty because she never told a lie, NEVER EVER EVER EVER! She shall be playing as one of two irreplaceable characters in our story.
Then suddenly, a streak of cyan swoops by, and stops to hover in midair. There sits a Pegasus pony, with a bright cyan coat and a short rainbow mane. Her name is Rainbow Dash, and she is Absolutely Awesome. She is the daredevil of the group, the center of attention, and the most loyal pony you will ever see. This is probably why her element was Loyalty! She is the second of the two mentioned before.
They were now walking a rocky path, with unstable ridges and walls.
"Careful," Twilight said, "This is a dangerous area. It is known for its frequencies of-"
"!" screamed Fluttershy
"Exactly! Wait… FLUTTERSHY!" Twilight screamed
The rocks started tumbling all around them. Pinkie Pie, using her keen Pinkie sense, dodged all the boulders and made it out to the side in time. Rarity had grabbed Fluttershy by the scruff of her neck and thrown her to the other side, after she sprinted out right behind her. This left Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash in the avalanche, which was raging.
Twilight got out just in time. Rainbow saw her exit, and went for it, until a big ass boulder clipped her wing, and sent her spiraling out in the path of a huge stone hurtling toward her body. Apple Jack got out, but then saw Rainbow Dash, sprawled out on the ground, in the path of rocky death. Applejack dove in and grabbed the teal Pegasus up, and out of the way of danger seconds before the rock hit the earth. Suddenly, an entire part of the cliff broke away, and encased the two brave ponies in a prison of stone.
Applejack opened her eyes to find herself thrown on top of Rainbow Dash. She got up quickly and jumped back, only to slam her head into a low, 6 foot ceiling of stone. She could hear Twilight outside…barely
"Applejack….alright? Take care…..going back to….. Get help…. 7, maybe 8 hours…..do your best…..survive."
The sound of hoofbeats, and they were gone. Apple Jack nudged Rainbow.
"Hey Rainbow Dash, wake up. Rainbow…RAINBOW DASH!"
She awoke with a start, "Wha—what happened? What's going on?" She jumped up and took in her surroundings.
The "cavern" they were trapped in was more or less a small hole. It was barely high enough for them to stand, and had just enough room for them to walk around. "Where are we?" she asked.
"It looks like the avalanche created a tiny cavern, but, if we try to move these rocks the whole thing will collapse, and crush us both," replied Apple Jack.
"Then what are we gonna do? We can't just sit around here and do nothing!" shouted the distraught Rainbow Dash.
"Will ya keep your voice down? We don't want to trigger another avalanche," whispered Apple Jack. "Twilight and the others went to get help so we're just gonna have to sit tight till they get back."
"But it's freezing in here!" Rainbow Dash complained.
"Well there ain't anything we can do about it now," replied Apple Jack.
"Rainbow let me see your wing. You injured it earlier and I have some medical supplies. Leaving it unattended would make it prone to infection."
"All right," Rainbow mutters something to herself before sitting herself down in front of Apple Jack and holding out her wing. Apple Jack got to work dressing her wound. Good thing I took those first aid classes, if I hadn't who knows what would have happened to her wing.
Some time passes. Thirty minutes maybe. Applejack sits after finishing up the bandages on Rainbow's wing. Rainbow hugs her back legs to her chest with her forelegs.
"Apple Jack we have to get out of here! There's barely enough room to move, let alone fly! On top of that its freezing in here! What are we gonna do? We have to—"
Rainbow Dash started ranting, and it was all Apple Dash could to calm her down.
"Sssshhh…. easy there sugarcube it's gonna be all right, I promise, it's gonna be all right." Apple Jack tried to sooth Rainbow and eventually she did calm down.
"Are you okay now?"
Rainbow replied, "Yeah I'm okay thanks Applejack."
What Apple Jack saw next made her want to rant in the same fashion as Rainbow Dash, but many years working the orchard taught her to keep her cool. In the dark, cold cavern, ice was beginning to form on Rainbow's mane.
"Pegasus Ponies had to schedule a blizzard today, didn't they?" Rainbow Dash stuttered, hugging herself tighter. She couldn't stop shivering. "It's not even winter, and they decide an early snow is necessary."
Applejack said struggling to keep her voice calm, "Well we better do something before we freeze to death." After carefully considering all their options, she finally settled on the one that seemed most promising. She moves over to Rainbow Dash and leans into her. Rainbow Dash freaks out, and bolts to the other side of the room.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING AJ! ARE YOU CRAZY?" Rainbow Dash yelled a bit, which caused a quarter of the little space they had to cave in. She blushed madly, and backed up straight into a wall.
"Will you pipe down?" Applejack said, moving even closer to the Chromatic maned pony, which began to blush even brighter than the red in her hair. "I am trying to conserve warmth. You have ice coming off of you." With that, she snuggled in next to Dashie, and closed her eyes, trying not to move to better let the warmth sink in. She sat there with her, and still felt her shivering.
"AJ, I should be fine…" Rainbow said, a permanent blush stained upon her face.
"Oh shush sugarcube. It may be a few hours until help arrives, and I don't want to risk you freezing to death on me. Also, any more movin' around and we might get killed." She pulled Rainbow Dash into a hug, to keep her warmer.
"Don't quit on me now, Rainbow, OK?"
Rainbow began to think about the emotions she had. She had loved Applejack for the longest time. She tried her every best to put on the tough-girl façade every single day to impress her. When they fought, she died a little inside, every time. Now she was put in a sticky situation, her back literally against the wall, and was going to emotionally crack at some point. But for now, she just returned Applejack's hug.
Meanwhile, the others had alerted the rescue team, and they would be heading to the mountain soon. It would take them a minimum of four hours to get there. One volunteer rescuer, however, had headed out early. He wouldn't be able to move the rocks on his own, but he could at least try and take care of the dragon problem while they were trapped, as to stop the mountain from shaking and from them coming to untimely deaths.
"CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!" yelled Malachai the Pegasus pony as he rocketed toward the mountain at a breakneck speed. Malachai was a light aqua pony with a short brown and cyan mane, and he had a short cropped tail that matched his mane. His cutie mark was a heart entwined with a representation of a soul. His special talent, as it were, was finding the best qualities in people and bringing it out in them, not with magic, but simply by using his words. He was sort of the silent matchmaker as well, and worked for a higher power, that had him uphold the boundaries of love and peace.
"If I don't stop that dragon, it'll be the end of those two!" He cried out as he hurtled toward the mountain. "I hope I'm not too late!"
He arrived to find the dragon snoozing in its cave. Great, now how am I going to deal with that thing…AHA I got it! He very quietly picked up a largely adorned crown, and braced himself at the entrance.
"HEY YOU, LAZY BONES! GET UP!" He yelled at the dragon. The dragon awoke with a start. It scanned his vast hoard of treasure then turned his gaze to Malachai. His pupils turned to slits and smoke unfurled from his nostrils. Good, now time to lure him outta here.
Malachai took off flying in the opposite direction from whence he came, the dragon hot on his trail. However as the dragon crawled out of his cave and took flight, the mountain shook to its very core, which for our two heroes trapped inside the mountain, only means less room to breathe.
Their room shank another half its original size. Things were getting very tight in there, and they were getting farther and farther away from their freedom.
They were stuck now, Applejack on top of Rainbow Dash, their noses touching.
Rainbow Dash was on fire. It was now or never. She had to act now, before they died, or else she would never get her chance.
What surprised her is that she could see the blush mirrored in Applejack's own face. She went to say something, to make her move.
"Applejack, I-MMMPH!" She was cut off by AJ's lips pressing against her own, as her world crumbled down around her.
So this is what it feels like… She wondered as she felt Applejack tighten her hold on her.
Pure bliss… well, if I'm going to die, I am going to die happy. For the first time in her life, Rainbow Dash truly felt at peace.
"Alright you damned abomination," Malachai said, floating in midair, staring down the approaching dragon, "Let's see how potent your fire really is." He chucks the crown in a nearby cave, and gets the hell out of there.
Meanwhile a streak of blue and green blazed an outline of the now setting sun, the wind pushing her ever faster. This pony was a very rare one indeed, a Pegasus and a unicorn, an Alicorn with a coat of dark blue and mane of green. Her cutie mark is that of a tornado. She possessed powerful wind magic and could essentially control the wind itself. This was Windwing.
Following right behind her were Dr. Hooves and Derpy Hooves carrying Big Macintosh and Twilight Sparkle. "Where are they Twilight? I need to know where to start digging." asked Windwing.
"It should be just a little higher than your current position," Twilight replied.
After a little searching Windwing found what looked like a shallow dip in the rubble and, with Twilight Sparkle's confirmation, prepared to do her thing. Her horn began to glow, and the wind whipped around her. She hovered above the boulders and pointed her horn right at it. The wind centered around Windwing, creating a small cyclone around her. With this mini-tornado, she began to drill through the mountain.
Apple Jack, hearing Windwing's drilling, pulled out of the kiss. Rainbow Dash sat dazed for a few seconds then asked, "What is that noise? It keeps coming closer."
Apple Jack replied, "I don't know Dash, maybe it's the others trying to get us out. So, before they get here we need to talk about us."
"What is there to talk about AJ? We obviously care about one another." Rainbow Dash replied, not without a blush.
"I know but are you ready to share that with Ponyville? I don't know what ponies reactions will be if we're together. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into." Apple Jack finished.
"I don't care what people think as long as I'm with you," whispered Rainbow Dash, "I love you."
"I love you too Sugarcube," replied Apple Jack. "But till then, let's keep it down low. Best not to let them know jus' now. We'll cause more clamor than need be."
"I see what you mean," Rainbow Dash said, pondering what was happening.
At this point the noise was only a few feet from their location. The loud noise quieted to a mere hum and then disappeared altogether. Suddenly, a small beam of light began to shine through a small hole in the wall.
"Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash! Are you two okay?" Asked Windwing.
"We're fine!" Apple Jack replied.
"Ok, just hang on. We're getting you two out of here," Windwing said. She carefully began to dig with her hooves and slowly the opening grew until it was large enough to walk through.
"Come on, the others are waiting," Windwing said. Carefully they took a few steps, and then broke into a gallop. They were so eager to get out of here. Outside waited Twilight Sparkle, , Derpy Hooves, Big Macintosh, and Malachai. Big Mac gave his sister a bear hug as soon as she walked out. Malachai walked over to Rainbow Dash, smiling.
"I see you're all in one piece, tiger." He chuckled, ruffling her mane.
Rainbow Dash smiled. "No thanks to you." She giggled, wincing in pain. "Aw god, it hurts to laugh."
He laughed softly, gently patting her back. "Who do you think drove that dragon away?"
"Oh please, We've fought off dragons before." She scoffed, knocking him in the head with one hoof.
"Yeah, WE." He snickered. "I got to jet Dashie. Urgent business in Canterlot with Princess Luna. With that he lifted himself in the air, and took off as fast as he could. As he left he thought, Mission Accomplished. This brought him one step closer to redemption
Dr. Hooves quickly looked over Apple Jack and seeing as she wasn't hurt moved to examine Rainbow's wing. "It doesn't look too serious, could you hover for me for a moment?"
Rainbow Dash did as she was told. Her wing hurt but she thought she could bear it until they got home. "It's fine Doc, really."
Dr. Hooves then said, "Ok then, you can fly home. Windwing, I want you to carry Apple Jack. I don't want Rainbow Dash straining her wing." We all nodded and got ready to take off. Windwing picked up Apple Jack and took off.
About half an hour later Windwing said to Apple Jack, "How you holding up?" When she got no response she looked down to find Apple Jack fast asleep. She chuckled to herself, Aww, she's asleep. She must be really worn out. They flew slowly so they didn't push Rainbow too hard.
They didn't arrive back in Ponyville until morning. Pinkie Pie, seeing us coming, shouted for everyone to get up and come see. Everyone gathered in the square. The crowd cheering our names. Since Apple Jack was still asleep Windwing flew her home and Big Mac took her into the house. Rainbow Dash, obviously as tired as Apple Jack, flew home and went straight to sleep.
"Okay everypony, they've been through a lot so let's let them rest." Windwing shouted over the rejoicing crowd. Slowly they dispersed to their various houses.
"We should get some rest too. Windwing, you are welcome to stay with me for the night." Twilight offered.
"Thank you Twilight, I would love to." She lead Windwing to the library and brought out a bedroll, a blanket and a pillow. She indicted a spot for her to lie down. No sooner had she curled up in bed did the exhaustion of the night's events hit her. She was asleep before she could even say "Good night."
THE END