Her stomach clenched with pain. "Ugh, this is so stupid!" She complained. "I'm so freaking hungry!"
She found herself flying over Sweet Apple Acres, right on the edge, where the trees were the biggest, and the apples were the juiciest. A dirty thought came to her mind, and she quickly flew down low, just above the trees. She swept her eyes around for any other ponies, but none were around. Stretching out a hoof, Rainbow Dash snatched a big red apple from a tree. Victory! Rainbow Dash bolted upwards and to hide in the clouds, so her crime could remain unseen. She landed on a cloud above the clouds, laughing.
"That was too easy! Why haven't I thought of this sooner?" She sat back on the cloud, crossing her hind legs, and ate the apple to the core. It was indeed delicious. And so juicy! She tossed the core between her legs and watched it poof away through the clouds. "Ahhh." She sighed happily, then began to look around.
The clouds around her seemed to be thicker than usual. Puffy and white, still, but also kind of thick. "Hmm," she thought aloud. "Rain isn't supposed to be on the schedule." She looked under her rump and poked her head through the cloud. The underbelly of the clouds were turning dark, swelling with water.
"Oh man, I forgot all about clearing the clouds this morning!" She pushed through the cloud and hurried back to Ponyville.
Ponies were out and about, walking the streets without a care. Nope, no rain today. It's not on the schedule until the weekend. Who cares that the clouds are turning black above the town? The weather has never been off schedule before.
"Oh man, oh man," Rainbow Dash worried, watching the storm clouds grow. "I gotta tell everypony to get inside in case I can't clear this up in time!" She went down and fluttered just above the ground, for she was much faster in the air. She glided to the nearest pony.
"Hey, Rarity, you gotta help spread the word- there's a storm coming and I don't know if I can clear it away before it lets loose!" Rainbow told her frantically.
"Oh my, really?" Rarity raised her hoof delicately. "A storm would be just awful for my new dress! Do you like it, though? I made it out of hand-spun cotton and-"
"Yeah, looks fine Rarity. Are you gonna help me or not?" Rainbow Dash interupted impatiently.
Rarity looked up at the sky, and her jaw dropped. "Oh dear! Yes, yes I shall. Oh, you better hurry, Rainbow Dash, darling!"
Rainbow Dash took off.
"And be careful!" Rarity called after her.
"I guess I don't have a choice." Rainbow relented. "I have to tell the biggest blabbermouth in all of Ponyville." She kicked open the door to Pinkie Pie's bakery and flew up to Twilight Sparkle's table, where Pinkie Pie was just now serving her and Spike each a slice of cherry pie.
"Guys, quick! I need your help. There's a huge storm coming and I-"
"A storm? What kind of storm? Like a hailstorm, windstorm, bee-storm? Oh golly, if it were a bee-storm I would totally freak out! I would be screaming, "hide the balloons, everypony!"" Pinkie Pie broke off with a giggling fit.
"I'm serious!" Rainbow Dash thumped her hoof on the table, upsetting Spike cup of tea.
"Hey!" Spike whined.
"Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said gently. "Now, what's going on?
"There's a storm coming and we gotta get everypony inside, quick!" Rainbow insisted.
"A storm?" Twilight looked at the calender on the wall. "There isn't supposed to be any kind of rain until this weekend." She looked back at Rainbow. "Are you sure?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. "Yes," she said bitterly. "And it's my fault. I was so hungry this morning when I woke up, I forgot to clear the skies. Now we have all of Ponyville wandering around in the streets right when there's about to be a massive storm!"
"Holy guacamole! She's not kidding, Twilight!"
Twilight turned around. Spike had his nose glued to the window. Outside, beyond Spike's head, the dark clouds were beginning to swirl.
Pinkie Pie rushed over to the window and mashed her nose into the glass beside Spike. "Wow! Those are some big rain clouds!"
"Okay." Twilight stood up purposefully. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. I'll take care of the ponies. You just do what you have to do."
"Thanks, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said sheepishly.
Twilight nodded. "Go."
Rainbow Dash dashed out of the bakery. The ponies in the streets were becoming confused. They stood looking up at the skies and watching the clouds swirl and thicken with curiousity. Many of them wondered why it was dark in the middle of the day.
"But it's not supposed to rain today," one of them said.
"But just look at those clouds!"
"Everypony inside, on the double now!" Rarity called, trotting down the street.
Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Spike came outside.
"Everypony, find your children and take shelter! There's a storm coming whether you planned for it or not!" Twilight ordered.
"Twitchy tail!" Pinkie Pie sputtered.
Fluttershy walked over, nose to the dirt. "Excuse me, Twilight, but... What's going on? My animals are real frightened."
"Have them get somewhere safe, Fluttershy," Twilight said, placing a hoof on the yellow pony's shoulder. "And go warn Applejack that a storm is coming. We need everypony to take cover."
"Oh my, but... But I can't fly through all that-"
"I'm not asking you to fly through the storm. Just fly right below the clouds. You'll be fine." Twilight smiled.
"No, I... I can't... It's... It's too... dangerous." Fluttershy hung her head with shame.
"But you're the only pony here who can-"
"I'll go," Rainbow Dash said, landing in front of Twilight and Fluttershy.
"But Rainbow, what about the clouds?" Twilight asked.
"Hah! Haven't you heard?" Rainbow Dash tossed her mane, which caught in the wind and spread out behind her magnificantly. "I'm the greatest flyer in all of Equestria! I'll make sure Applejack's safe and sound, then I'll back with loads of time leftover to kick this storm's butt!"
Twilight hesitated, but she wanted to trust her friend. "Okay, Rainbow Dash. Just be care-"
With a blast of air, Rainbow Dash took off. She wind pulled at her from all sides at the storm clouds gathered even thicker. She didn't think she could make it before the storm, but she had to try. The wind howled angrily at her as she fought to fly against it. "Come on, wings." She grit her teeth and pounded her wings harder, despite growing suddenly tired.
The clouds were heavy, and rolling. As Rainbow Dash reached Sweet Apple Acres, her tail kept getting hung up in the trees, for she had to fly really low to stay out of the blackening clouds. The ponies were still out tending to their crops, oblivious to the storm above their over-worked heads. The apple trees banged together in the wind, chipping bark and flinging apples free. The wind groaned through the trees like an angry bear.
"Applejack!" Rainbow shouted, eyes searching.
There! Applejack was unloading her saddleback into a wagon. She flew towards her, but the wind sucked her back and she crashed into the wagon. Splinters and shards of wood went flying, along with the few apples that didn't turn into sauce under Rainbow Dash's body weight.
"Rainbow Dash!" Furious, Applejack took off her saddlebag and threw it to the ground. "You're just tryin' to ruin my whole-"
Rainbow Dash limped out of the wagon mess, her left leg bleeding. "Ow," she winced. She saw Applejack and hurried over. "Applejack!"
"Looky there, you done hurt yerself." Applejack scolded. "Cain't say I never told you so-"
"Applejack, forget that. Look up! See that huge storm? Yeah. Now you see it."
"Holy moly..." Eyes up, Applejack took a step back, crushing one of the apples that fell from her bag.
"Applejack, you need to get everypony inside, quickly! I'm going to try to stop this storm!" Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground, and immediately her wounded leg felt better without having weight on it. She pointed her nose to the sky.
"Rainbow Dash, wait, I-"
But Rainbow Dash didn't want to hear it. She had no time to lose.
Up she went! Oh, the joys of flight! The freedom of the skies! None of those thoughts were on her mind as she reached the bottom of the black clouds. A rumble of thunder shook her whole body. She had only one thing on her mind: stop the storm.