Twilight Sparkle sprayed some of Applejack's home-brewed organic pesticide all around the base of an apple tree. The lavender unicorn was helping her cowpony friend to tend to the eastern-most patch of her orchard for the day. She clamped between her teeth a bottle full of the strong smelling liquid and gave its nozzle a little squeeze.
If the unicorn had had her way, they would have been done about an hour ago. She could have used a single spell to spread the pesticide over the whole orchard, effectively freeing up the earth pony's time for other farm matters to attend to. But Applejack's insistence on having 'an all-natural, no-magic, earth pony way' on her farm meant going back to simple, manual, time-consuming labour.
This time, though, she wasn't complaining about the unnecessary expenditure of time, or even the inefficient use of such a pesticide mix against much more effective chemical products that could be found in the market. In fact, she was rather glad to have something to do to take her mind off things, especially after the ugly episode that transpired the evening before.
However, the unfortunate thing about manual chores was that while a pony's hooves were hard at work, her mind was still free to wander and think, and even more so in Twilight's case, where her mind was always wandering and thinking anyway. The young mare kept replaying the scenes in her head: Rainbow's eyes refusing to meet hers, Rainbow's horribly pained face at her silly, stupid outburst, the strain in the pegasus' voice as she departed...
"Uhm, Twilight? Ah think you've done enough fer that tree."
Twilight blinked. Looking down, she realised that the base of the tree that she had been tending to was now darkened, soaked with the pesticide solution. She hastily set her bottle down, grinning nervously. "Eheheh...sorry about that. Guess I got a little too enthusiastic with the spraying."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Y'sure you're okay, sugarcube? You've been lookin' a little hazy in the head since ah bumped into you yesterday."
"Y-yes, yes I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Twilight put on her best poker face, but even then she knew the Element of Honesty saw right through that mask. Then again, Twilight was never any good at playing poker.
The orange cowpony frowned. "Really now? Y'sure it ain't got nothin' to do with th' quarrel you had with Rainbow Dash?"
Twilight froze. "Wait...how did you know...?"
"Mighty simple. 'Sides, it ain't like you didn't blurt it out a little."
Applejack was pulling her apple cart back to Sweet Apple Acres, humming a little tune to herself. The day's sales had been excellent, with the pony having sold all but a quarter of a bushel. She had been thinking about whether to stew the remaining apples or simply serve them sliced in a salad, when suddenly she found her vision obscured by a shock of purple mane. The next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the ground, tangled up with familiar-looking lavender limbs...
"Twilight!" she breathed, still a little dazed. "What in tarnation are ya running after?"
The unicorn hastily rose from the ground, shaking the dust from her coat. Her eyes were still fixated on the sky, as though she were looking for something. "Rainbow..." Applejack heard her mutter. Her face was wrought with worry; Applejack hadn't seen her like that since she completely messed things up during her first Winter Wrap-Up.
Then, it seemed as though Twilight realised that she wasn't the only pony present - she looked down, and seemed startled at the sight of Applejack still looking up at her, confused and a tad annoyed at her apparent dismissal of her presence. "Oh! I'm so, so sorry, Applejack!" she cried, quickly helping her friend up. "I really should watch where I'm going...oh, this is so embarrassing," she mumbled, righting the overturned applecart as well as levitating some fallen apples back into it.
"That's quite all righ' sugarcube, but...what's gotten y'all in a hot mess like this? An' what's up with Rainbow?"
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. "N-nevermind. Again, I really apologise for crashing into you like that, Applejack. I'll...I'll help you out on the farm tomorrow, if you'd like. I just...I really...I have to go," the unicorn finished lamely, before taking a quick glance up at the sky once more and hurriedly trotted away, presumably back to the library.
"Now, hold on just a sec-" began Applejack, but Twilight simply picked up her pace and ran off even faster than before, as if she wanted to avoid speaking to her. Applejack frowned. Clearly the girl had her cage rattled, even if she wasn't willing to spill the beans. "Ah guess dinner'll hafta wait just a little bit longer. Ah ain't no nosey-parker, but ah can't stand the thought of Twilight bein' like that," she said to herself, as she set off at a steady canter to find Rainbow Dash.
She didn't have to look for long. The faint streak of rainbow above the clouds that usually accompanied her pegasus friend hadn't faded off quite just yet, and left a clear enough trail that led Applejack to a cloud that had a pair of familiar blue wings poking out of its top. She unfastened the harness of her apple cart; she had a feeling this would take a while. "Rainbow Dash! Come on down 'ere fer a bit!" the cowpony hollered.
Applejack watched as the wings disappeared, only to be replaced with an indignant face emerging from the cloud. "What's up with everypony bugging me today?" she retorted loudly, frowning down from above.
"Nothin' that y'aint accustomed to either, by the looks of it. What's up with you buggin' Twilight?"
A ripple of worry crossed Rainbow Dash's features, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "That's none of your business!" she yelled, turning her tail towards her friend.
"Oh, so you DO have somethin' ta do with it," Applejack replied triumphantly. The blue pegasus reappeared once more, her face showing something resembling terror.
"NO! I mean yes- I mean…argh, what's it to you anyway? Just cause you're the Element of Honesty doesn't mean you gotta sniff every single piece of information outta everypony!" Rainbow Dash yelled back, trying to divert Applejack's attention.
"Well at least one of us Elements is actin' like they SHOULD be! Ain't loyalty supposed ta mean bein' the best friend a pony can have, and not upsettin' them close to tears?"
Rainbow Dash paused. "I…I made her cry?"
"Well…no, but she sure as hay looked like she was about to," replied the earth pony, much to Rainbow Dash's visible despair. "Now, ya mind telling me what happened?" Slowly, the pegasus descended from the cloud, settling in front of her friend. "I…I didn't mean to upset her like that…hay, I don't see what she's gotta be so upset over, either. She was the one who took a swipe at me first!"
"Well, whatever it was, it looked like she pretty much took it t'heart. C'mon Rainbow, you know she ain't all that when it comes to sortin' 'erself out. Remember when ah told you she was near burstin' at the seams trynna prove Pinkie's Pinkie Sense wrong, or when she drove herself crazy trynna drive them parasprites away, or when she ran away cryin' when ah told her she blew it at last year's Winter Wrap-Up-"
"Hey, that last one was YOUR fault."
"Yeah, ah know, and ah've apologized fer it," Applejack muttered, averting her gaze. "But all the more reason fer me to tell you tha'deep down, that mare's just a high-strung little filly, and that maybe y 'all were a little too harsh on 'er." The cyan pegasus simply stared at the ground. Applejack sighed and gave her a little shove with her front hoof. "C'mon Rainbow, ain't you the pony always goin' around braggin' 'bout how great and brave y'all are?"
All of a sudden, Applejack found herself forcefully pinned down on the ground by Rainbow Dash's front hooves.
"I AM NOT BRAGGING!"
Before Applejack could even open her mouth to protest, Rainbow Dash stepped off of her. "I was just telling the truth," she replied, regaining some of the swagger that the cowpony was used to. "And yeah, now that I think about it, maybe I was overreacting. Thanks for sorting me out, Applejack."
The orange cowpony merely stared back at her from the ground, mouth slightly agape. "Rainbow Dash, y'all are so random."
The pegasus chuckled. "Guess I am. Pinkie's totally rubbing off on me."
Applejack got up and dusted herself off. "So, ah guess yer gonna go make amends now? What in the hay did Twilight say to get y' all upset in the first place?"
"It's…a long story. And I'll probably go talk to her tomorrow. I've got a few more things to mull over in the noggin before I go. It's a pegasus thing," she added, with an air of finality to it.
Applejack sighed. "Well, if y'all insist. But y'best make sure you go on an' talk to Twilight soon! She seemed pretty darn dazed over th'whole issue," she said as she harnessed the apple cart, and then cantered back home, at a faster pace than before. There was still dinner to attend to, back at Sweet Apple Acres.
Twilight sank down to the ground after having heard Applejack's account. "You actually went to confront her? Why on earth did you do that, Applejack?"
"Like ah said, ah can't stand just sittin' back on mah haunches when mah friends aren't gettin' along. 'Sides, it pretty much worked out, didn't it?"
"Yes, but this is something a pony needs to tread on lightly!" she cried, promptly getting up and began pacing back and forth. "Not that you're insensitive or anything, but having an incomplete education is a very sensitive subject!"
"Hold on just a darned minute…y'mean ta tell me Rainbow Dash here never finished school?"
Twilight looked as though she had just swallowed a rotten cupcake.
"Oh no. No, no, no no no nono! I didn't know you didn't know! Oh, that sentence didn't even make any sense! Aaaargh!" Twilight repeatedly stamped her hooves on the ground in frustration. "Why can't I keep my mouth shut? Applejack, you are not to tell anypony, not a single soul, about this. Do you understand?"
But it seemed as though she was better off telling nopony. Applejack was caught up in her own world. "That snotty lil' buzzard! An' she's got the nerve t'poke fun at mah ack-cent an' upbringin'! Ah ain't got no ack-cent, anyhow!"
"This isn't the time to be fussing over that now! Applejack, you weren't supposed to know that. Now could you please swear to me that you'll never disclose that information to…to…"
Twilight's voice trailed off as a small patch of blue in the sky steadily made its way towards their direction. "Applejack, you didn't tell me she'd be helping you out today!"
"Ah didn't, and she ain't. Ah did tell you she said she'd come round t'patch things up."
"But I can't just…you can't…oh, I didn't want to have to face her so soon!" Twilight cried, desperately looking round for a tree to hide behind.
"Well, it ain't like you've got a choice in th'matter, anyhow. Here comes Rainbow now," she replied, walking towards the pegasus who was steadily making her descent into her orchard.
Rainbow Dash touched ground and immediately trotted towards her earth pony friend. "Hey, A.J., is Twilight around? Spike told me she'd be here to help you for the day."
"Never mind that fer now; y'never told me you were a flight school dropout!"
Rainbow looked taken aback. "Wha- wait, what? I didn't drop out! And I never told you about that!"
"I did," spoke a small voice from behind an apple tree. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as Twilight Sparkle emerged, looking thoroughly forlorn and guilt-ridden.
"Now before y'all kick up a big fuss again, it was an honest mistake," Applejack interjected, trotting up to Twilight. "She let slip, and ah simply caught on from there."
"No, Applejack; you don't have to cover it up for me," said Twilight, holding a hoof up. She trotted slowly over to her pegasus friend. "I'm just not good at keeping secrets, I guess. And I won't blame you if you've lost your trust in me, Rainbow Dash. I just…hope that you can forgive me for this," the unicorn whispered, lowering her head down in shame.
She waited for a brash retort, a loud outburst. Some strong reaction typical of the pegasus that she knew would sting her on the inside, as was a fitting retaliation. But seconds passed, and none came. Instead, the unicorn's ears pricked a little, feeling the breath from the other as she whispered her name:
"Twilight."
The lavender unicorn looked up. The Rainbow Dash that met her eyes was one of cheeriness, and not blistering anger. "You can stop being so gosh-darned grim over the whole thing. It's cool," the pegasus replied, giving a small but reassuring grin.
"R-really? Are you sure about that, Rainbow?"
"I'm positive. After Applejack came over, I had the rest of yesterday to think about the whole thing. I don't really stop to think about stuff like that; I mean, it never really mattered anyway 'cause nopony ever brought it up until yesterday. I guess…it just…shook me up a little." Rainbow Dash scuffed the soil with her hooves.
Applejack glanced from one pony to the other, watching their exchange. "Well, um…ah s'pose ah'd best leave you two to work things out on yer own," she said, a little louder than normal as she slowly retreated from the two.
"Oh wait! Applejack, your trees…"
"Don't worry yer pretty little head over it, Twi. Ah think you've done enough fer th'day as is," replied the earth pony brightly, picking up the two pesticide bottles with her teeth and trotting away. "Srr yull sewn!"
The unicorn and the pegasus then found themselves alone in the middle of a very large orchard.
Twilight shifted uncomfortably within herself. She wasn't one for confrontations that nagged at her insides like this, all nervous and prickly-feeling. True, Rainbow Dash had been her friend long enough now, but never had she actually seen the pegasus in such a state of vulnerability before. It was a jolt to her previous notions of her friend, of whom she'd always thought was the epitome of bravery, although recklessly so sometimes.
And this...quiet. Twilight knew, despite Rainbow's assurances before that she was to blame for this strange, unnatural silence that currently hung between the two of them. Her probing had broken a gap through the mask that her friend always wore, the one that painted the picture of the fearless, awesome, all-around cool Rainbow Dash. And now that she had broken through that barrier, it would most probably be strange to traverse the old route in relating to each other, thought Twilight. Here was a flaw - or at least, as far as Dash was concerned - that she had uncovered, one which she had avoided revealing for so long. It must have mattered to her very much, thought Twilight, and she felt all the more worse for reacting the way she did.
She glanced over at Rainbow Dash. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who seemed to wish Applejack didn't just suddenly make her exit like she did. The pegasus eyed her back, as though anticipating a response from the unicorn. It was just as well. The unicorn opened her mouth to speak.
"Erm," began Twilight. Her mouth felt a little dry.
Rainbow immediately perked up, looking almost thankful for the break in the overwhelming awkwardness. "Yeah?"
"You were...saying? I mean, before Applejack pretty much left us stranded in Sweet Apple Acres mid-conversation."
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. "Heh, yeah. She sure knows how to make an exit. Anyway," the pegasus began, sitting back on her haunches, "like I keep having to tell everypony, I didn't drop out. I just quit."
Twilight moved to sit next to her friend. "Well...why was that?"
"It's a long story, and I don't think I'll be doing it any justice by telling it all in a small explanation. Let's just say I had to earn my bits real quick, and well, flight school wasn't really helping in that sense," Rainbow replied, and Twilight was smart enough not to probe any futher. "But the real question here is - what's gotten you so interested in helping me?"
Twilight stared at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"Um...in case you haven't noticed, flying's kinda my thing. And well, you've never really taken any interest whenever I practised. Hay, I never thought anything could tear you away from the love affair you had with the library," the pegasus added cheekily.
"Oh, ha-ha. Well, if you must know, it sort of started after the Best Young Flyers competition in Cloudsdale. Watching all the pegasi perform and show off their very best reminded me of when I was taking my entrance test for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The anxiety I felt, the excitement...all because that one moment could make or break my future in magic!"
Rainbow nodded. "I guess when you put it all together, how I feel about someday possibly being a Wonderbolt's kinda like you freaking out over being the princess' student as a filly."
Twilight blushed. "Well...yes. Just like that. Anyway, after seeing how ecstatic you were after winning the competition, it dawned on me just how passionate you were about flying. And, well...it's not that you were lousy. Like I said, your techniques could use some work. I figured with my knowledge of flight science and your...well, being a pegasus, you'd be on the Wonderbolt's rosters in no time!"
Rainbow Dash stared back at her in amazement. "You'd do all that...for me?"
"Well, whyever not? You're one of my closest friends, Rainbow. And if it was within my hooves to make sure you reach your dreams, I'd be with you all the way."
The pegasus' eyes were full of a kind of curious wonder, as though trying to figure out some complex puzzle behind this statement. "That's pretty awesome of you, egghead," she finally said. "It's just that...nopony's ever done anything of the sort with me before. I mean, coming over to help me on their own accord."
Twilight simply smiled. "Well, it's not like you're apt to showing them anything besides 'Rainbow Dash, Best Flyer in All of Equestria'. Maybe if you let down your guard a little..."
"Aw, hey, you trynna butter up The Dash?"
"What's wrong with that? One can be sensitive and still be awesome. Sure worked for me," the unicorn replied slyly, smirking just a little.
"No way! There's only one pony fit for that title, and that's this one right here" Rainbow exclaimed, puffing out her chest and wings for added effect.
Twilight giggled. "Yeah, yeah. Here comes the fat-headed Rainbow Dash I know." She took a glance skywards. "You know," she began, turning to Rainbow, "there's still a lot of daylight left. Enough to maybe run through a few things you read in Jet Halifax's book."
Rainbow Dash broke out into a wide grin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Positively."
"Race you to the library!" she hollered, and before Twilight Sparkle could say another word, she had begun flying across the sky over to the unicorn's place of residence.
"Oh, come back here, you cheat! No flying!"
"And this isn't the Running of the Leaves! Fair game!" the pegasus' voice echoed through the sky. Twilight rolled her eyes; half exasperated, half amused at her friend's playful ruthlessness. As much as she hated to admit it, it was one of the things about Rainbow Dash that simply grew on her.
Twilight Sparkle stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. Sunlight was streaming in from her bedside window, making it impossible for her to go back to sleep peacefully.
She moved her hooves under the covers. Only moments ago she had galloped on dream-soil with…with a certain pegasus, only to have it replaced with soft bedding. A tiny part of her ached, even though she knew it was silly. "Time to wake up, Sparkle," she whispered to herself. She yawned, stretched out her sleep-stiffened limbs and slowly sat up on her haunches, pushing her bedcovers aside as she did so.
Spike appeared, holding up a tray with a bowl of apple slices in yoghurt, a glass of orange juice and a smaller bowl of semi-precious gems on it. "Breakfast time, sleepy head!"
"Thanks, Spike," the unicorn replied, smiling brightly. The purple dragon set the tray upon Twilight's bed, and carefully clambered on to join his guardian for breakfast. "I took the liberty of sorting out the books in alphabetical order while you were still asleep," he quipped, taking his bowl off from the tray.
"That was nice," replied Twilight, as she picked up an apple slice to eat. There was very little that she could say, her mind pacing back and forth as to whether she should share her thoughts with Spike; Twilight sensed that her young assistant was well-aware of something preoccupying her thoughts. The little dragon watched Twilight in anticipation as he crunched on his gems, as though he had been waiting for her to speak for a while now. Eventually she decided to, pausing purposefully to sit up straight and wipe the corners of her mouth with a napkin that had been folded neatly on the tray.
"I had another dream of her."
Spike's claw froze between his bowl of gems and his mouth. "Ah," he replied, after a pregnant pause, placing the gem back in his bowl. "Well…d'you wanna tell me what it was about?"
"It…wasn't anything new, or weird. Just an old memory of us back on Applejack's farm." She gazed out her window, a rather faraway look plastered on her features. "Things were still good in the dream…and it was rather vivid, I should say. I never even thought that anypony could dream in such precise detail...it almost felt as if I relived that small moment."
Spike allowed her a little more time to delve in her thoughts before drawing her attention back to him. "Ahem," he coughed, causing Twilight to turn her head. "You've been having a lot of those kinds of dreams lately. You think it's got something to do with…her…coming back this week?"
A frown crossed the unicorn's features. "Wait, did you just…this week?"
Spike's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you didn't know? Wow, Twilight, it's been the talk of the town! The Wonderbolts are returning to Cloudsdale after a whole year of touring Equestria!"
"I've been busy as of late, doing new research remember?" She hurriedly leapt out of bed, and almost broke out into a full gallop towards her wall calendar. "Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh, don't tell me it's already been a whole year since…since…"
"…since she left?"
Twilight winced a little. For a moment she felt thoroughly annoyed at herself; anypony would've thought that three hundred and sixty-five days apart would be sufficient enough time to not elicit that kind of response any longer. "Yes," she murmured, gazing at her calendar, which had a small red cross on a day sometime that week, with tiny words in familiar hoofwriting scrawled beneath it:
The very best Wonderbolt EVER comes back today!