Nothing much had changed in the months that passed since the incident of the fire. The wind had grown colder, and the sun shortened its visits to the above world providing little warmth through the thick winter clouds that filled the sky. A light snow had fallen throughout all of ponyville, while the fillies and colts delighted in the powder; the older ponies sheltered themselves away inside their homes.
The trees of Sweet Apple Acres no longer bore the shining red fruit that the farm was known for, as they had shed their golden autumn leaves in preparation for the long winter. The orchard was silent, as it always was whenever this season approached. The critters that resided on the fields fled for the upcoming months, or now rested in a deep slumber in their tiny burrows.
Most of the residents of the farmhouse had left to visit family outside of town. However, two ponies had stayed behind. An orange earth pony and a sky blue Pegasus nuzzled each other on the small brown couch that had remained there since the house had first been built. The room was dimly lit; there were no sounds, other than the occasional crackling of the fading fire that warmed the house.
The orange mare pressed herself against the blue Pegasus as she gazed into her partner's rose-quartz eyes. They always seemed to be in a state of sadness, but behind all of it, a glimmer of hope also always stayed right with it. Applejack ran her hoof gently through the Pegasus's frazzled rainbow mane, which constantly smelled of the fresh air of grassy field after a rainstorm.
They rarely had a chance to be alone together, as they had yet to tell anyone other than their four closest friends about their relationship. They were scarcely ever apart, when they were time crept forward slowly, their hearts longing to be close again. However, the two lovers always had to show their affection in secret, keeping it hidden from the rest of the world.
The embers finally gave out, and darkness filled the room. The two ponies still lay there, holding one another tightly, enjoying every moment of the other's warmth and loving embrace. As the darkness shrouded over them, so did a calming sleep, which the two welcomed, letting it take over as they cradled each other.
Rainbow Dash awoke on the sofa alone. She looked around for her companion, but instead spotted a small note on the table.
"R.D, I went to town to pick up a few things, didn't want to wake you. Be back soon, love you!"
The Pegasus stretched out her upper hooves, and sat up. The large white cast she once wore on her hind leg had been replaced with a sturdy black brace that wrapped tightly around her limb. She placed her hooves onto the wooden floor beneath her, taking extra care as she did so with her fragile hoof.
Rainbow Dash limped over towards a mirror down the hallway, examining herself. Her rainbow mane was sprawled in every direction, and her eyes still slightly glazed from the vacating sleep. She looked at her wing, and attempted to extend them. One of them, as always, had shot out with no difficulties. The other, however, did not. A fading scar was visible just below where her wing attached itself to her body. Pushing herself harder, the wing nudged a little, as each day passed, it spanned out further, not noticeable at first, but after months of strain, she could see the change.
Rainbow Dash had not told any pony else of this yet, she didn't want to get any pony's hopes up in case this was the extent of what her wing was capable of. Still, the feat she accomplished daily filled her with pride and hope that helped keep her going each day.
After readjusting her mane into its usual hold, the Pegasus turned away from the mirror and headed near the fireplace in the corner. Grabbing a log with her teeth, she pushed it in, and lit it with the candle that sat atop the mantle. Satisfied with the growing flame, she approached the wall near the door, pressing a hoof down on each floor board, until one let out a creaking sound.
She slowly knelt down, avoiding as much pressure on her hind hoof as she could. Once close enough, she pushed one side of the loose board, and it popped away from the others. Inside, a dark blue box rested, which she removed.
Rainbow Dash had been saving her bits she had earned doing simple tasks around Ponyville. She tipped open the lid gently, and peered inside, making sure it's contents still remained. A silver anklet, tiny green emeralds encrusted its edges, and in the center a diamond cut to the shape of an apple was embedded into the shining metal. On the inside of the anklet, there was a small engraving that said nothing more than "Eternal love".
The Pegasus had intentions to give this to Applejack as a gift for Heart Warming's Eve, which was only a few weeks away. She returned the box to its hiding place, and pushed the board back in its spot. As Rainbow Dash stood up, the front door opened, a strong cold wind blew in, an orange pony entering with it.
"Wooh-ee", Applejack exclaimed when she spotted the Blue Pegasus across the room. "Sure is getting mighty cold out there. It's gonna be a tough winter to wrap up this year." She walked towards Rainbow Dash, and met her with a small kiss on the cheek, then reached her saddlebag and pulled out a book. "Ah found this at the library, ah thought maybe yah would want to read it."
"Daring-Do and the Journey through the Rotting River" The Pegasus read aloud, "Ohmygosh ohmygosh!" She said excitedly, snatching the book away with her teeth, and hopped over to the couch the best she could. Applejack chuckled as she watched her mare-friend bounce away joyfully.
Rainbow Dash pried open the cover of the book, and cast her eyes upon the first words of the page. She was hardly able to contain her excitement; she had been waiting for this to be released for almost a year now. She had finished the others in the series quite quickly, as she had lots of free time now that she could no longer fly.
"Ah'm gonna go do some work in the barn if yah need me sugarcube!" Applejack called out, but her words fell on deaf ears as the Pegasus was already deeply absorbed into the pages of the book she had just obtained. She rolled her eyes, and headed back outside into the cold.
As Applejack walked down the trail leading to the snow covered red barn, she couldn't help but glance across the farm at the dead forest. The place had haunted her lover's dreams most nights as she slept, always causing her to wake up shivering in a cold sweat, no longer able to sleep as her fears and memories filled her mind.
The orange pony wished desperately that she could do more than just be a comforting hoof to Rainbow Dash. It pained her deeply whenever she witnessed the episodes; all she could do was assure the Pegasus everything was fine, but that was rarely enough.
Rainbow Dash had put up a strong front, but the blue pony let her guard down when she thought no one was listening. Many nights she heard the Pegasus sobbing into her pillow, as she dreamed of returning to the sky. It crushed Applejack to hear such sorrows, and not be able to do a thing to help.
Often times she found her companion staring into the sky, trying to grasp at the sky, hoping to join with it once more, staring so deeply with the same eyes she had seen the first time the Pegasus was awake inside the hospital.
She sighed heavily, and continued towards the barn. Rainbow Dash could love her with all her heart, and she could love her back, but that would never be enough to fill the Pegasus's void, the craving and the need to return back to the sky where she truly belonged.
Author's notes
Hey guys, I've actually been getting a lot of questions asking about my writing background. I'm actually quite amazed at how good people think it is. So for those of you who have been wondering, No I am not a published author, I am a High-school dropout who failed every last English class. I took the GED when I was 15, and barely scraped past the English section with one question more than the required to pass it. Also, in all honesty, I only started writing a month ago. Every time I receive any kind of praise, it lights up my day, as I have struggled with any kind of writing my entire life. Thank you all for such kind words, I'm glad so many of you enjoy my work, and I'll keep working hard.
