Applejack and Rainbow Dash trotted up to the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, the small filly sleeping atop Applejack's back, the excitement had worn her out before the three of them had even began the long journey back from Trotsdale. Rainbow Dash softly nudged open the front door and flew ahead to prepare a spot for the still sleeping Pegasus to rest.
Rainbow Dash returned from setting up the guest bed upstairs when she noticed a large pile of envelopes near the door where Applejack had been standing. She floated over to them, scooped them up and moved them onto the kitchen table. The most recently sent envelope was stamped in bright red letters reading, 'Urgent Notice'.
Rainbow ripped open the seal and read silently as Applejack walked in, the gray filly no longer resting on her back, "What's that?" she asked.
"It's nothing." Rainbow said quickly, attempting to hide the papers.
"Tell me!" Applejack commanded.
Rainbow Dash frowned, "Bills…"
Applejack trotted over and looked at the paper, "Ah don't understand."
Rainbow Dash took a seat and scanned over the sheet once more, "I mean, I tried to keep everything paid for…" she let out a sigh, feeling ashamed for not having been able to have done better at managing everything, "But the orchards were ruined and weren't bringing in any money."
"So what, yah just stopped paying fer the land?" Applejack's voice began to rise in anger.
"I didn't have a choice!" Rainbow Dash cried out, defending herself.
Applejack slammed her hoof on the table, "Of course yah had a choice! What could've been more important than mah farm?"
"I'm sorry Applejack…"
Applejack glared at the slumped Pegasus, "Yah still haven't answered the question!"
"You were more important!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "I had to decide between paying the hospital bills or paying for Sweet Apple Acres and…" She shifted her head away hiding her eyes, "I chose you…" her breathing grew soft and her voice quiet as she tried to conceal her growing tears of shame, "They said you might never wake up Applejack, but there was still the slightest chance you would, and I wasn't going to give up on you."
"Ah'm sorry…" Applejack moved closer to Rainbow Dash, a dull aching setting into her head and the room beginning to spin as she moved closer. She began to wobble in her steps and soon fell to the floor.
Rainbow Dash hopped off her chair and lifted Applejack's head off the floor, petting her forehead gently, "Are you okay?"
"Ah'm fine, guess ah just wore mahself out from the trip is all…"
"Applejack, you need to relax, you don't need any extra stress, not after what happened last time." Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack off the floor and helped her towards the couch in the living room. "And don't worry about the bills, we'll figure something out."
"Ah know we'll figure it out but…" Applejack lost her train of thought when she noticed the filly across the room staring quizzically at them, "Ah thought yah were asleep sugarcube, everything alright?"
Raven Flame glanced at her hooves, "I was… but I heard shouting and it woke me up. What's going on?"
Rainbow Dash trotted over, "Don't worry about that, how about I take you on a tour around the farm!"
"Okay!" Raven said bouncing excitedly, she paused and looked over towards the couch, "What about you Applejack? Are you coming too?"
"Ah'd love tah sweetie, but ah'm plum tuckered out and ah need mah rest."
"Aww…" Raven Flame whined, puffing her eyes out at Applejack.
Applejack frowned at the filly's face she was making, "Ah'm sorry, but ah really can't. Y'all go on an' have fun without me. We'll go later."
"Promise?"
"Ah Promise!" Applejack said, poking her own eyeball with her hoof.
"Good!" Raven Flame hopped over towards Applejack and gave her a short hug, she thought for a second and finally said, "Bye… mom!" and ran away quickly towards Rainbow Dash who gave Applejack a wide grin.
"Bye you two, ah'll see yah later!" Applejack called out after them as they walked out the front door.
"So…" Rainbow Dash stared trying to think of something to say to keep Raven Flame entertained as she began the tour, "This… is a tree…" she said dumbly, pointing at one of the growing saplings.
Raven Flame giggled, "I know what a tree is you know."
"Well look at who's a smarty four-hoof over here!" Rainbow Dash said, prodding Raven in the stomach playfully.
Raven Flame prodded back, "Actually, I was wondering if you could…" she scraped her hoof at the ground bashfully, "maybe fly me around?" she crinkled her nose, "I'm still just a little tired is all."
Rainbow Dash grinned and knelt down next to the filly, "Hop aboard!" she shouted with new life. The idea of an aerial tour of the farm was something she could do, and it would definitely be much more interesting for the both of them than walking.
Raven Flame climbed onto Rainbow's back, wrapping her hooves tightly around the Pegasus's neck, "Ready!" she called out loudly, despite being only a few inches from Rainbow's ears.
Rainbow flinched and rubbed her ears with her hoof then began to flap her wings, ascending away from the ground. Only a few inches off the ground and Raven flame had tightened her grip around Rainbow's neck so much that she could barely breathe,
"You're… choking… me…." Rainbow gasped, she landed back on the ground and pulled at the hooves clinging to her throat.
Raven Flame quickly softened her grasp, "Sorry! Err, I didn't realize I was holding on so tight."
Rainbow Dash took a moment to recover her breath and lifted off once more, the filly's grip tightening again, but not enough to bother her this time.
Just as they were about take off Applejack called out to them from the porch, "Ah almost forgot, ah need tah talk tah yah two 'bout something!"
The two Pegasi let out an almost synchronized sigh. Rainbow Dash floated them back over to the farmhouse and brought them back inside.
"Sorry tah cut your little tour short."
"What is it Applejack? Rainbow Dash asked anxiously, wanting to get back to spending some time with the filly.
"Well, ah wanted tah let y'all know, that yer starting school tomorrow Raven.
"School?" Both the Pegasi cried out in unison, one in confusion and the other in disbelief.
"Yes, school."
"But Applejack, school is for eggheads!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"Oh hush!" Applejack waved her hoof at Rainbow then looked back towards Raven Flame who was still hanging onto Rainbow's neck, "That's okay with you, right sugarcube?" she asked sweetly.
The filly thought for a moment, the thought of school and all the other ponies that would be there frightened her a little, "I guess…" she said reluctantly.
Applejack smiled, "Alright, yah two can go now."
"Okay, we'll see you later!" Rainbow Dash said quickly, turning around and preparing to take flight again when her tail was grabbed.
Applejack turned the retreating Pegasus back towards her, pressing her lips against Rainbow Dash. Raven Flame let out a quiet sound of adoration beneath her breath. "Okay, now yah can go!" Applejack said with a grin after the kiss ended.
Rainbow Dash's desires to climb into the sky almost instantly vanished and were replaced with the want to cuddle up beneath a blanket with Applejack. However the filly atop her back continued to wring softly at her neck in anticipation for the trip she had been waiting for and finally Rainbow Dash launched off outside.
"So, what do I call you?" Raven Flame asked loudly, trying to push her voice past the rushing wind.
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "I hadn't really thought about it."
Raven giggled, "Can I call you 'Dashie'?" she asked even though she intended to use this nickname regardless of the answer she received.
"I'd rather you didn't."
Raven smiled mischievously, "Oh… well, take me over to the barn, Dashie!" she commanded, letting one hoof go of Rainbow Dash's neck to point in the direction she wanted to go.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash cried, but did as she was told and flew to the barn and landed on the roof. The farm began to grow dim as the sun slowly started setting, "It's getting late, and I guess you have a big day tomorrow, so I think it's time for you to go to bed"
"Aww…" Raven Flame duplicated the previous whine and facial expression she had earlier with Applejack even though Rainbow Dash couldn't see it.
"Sorry!" Rainbow said, flying back off the barn towards the large open glass window on the second floor of the house. She landed next to the bed she had set up earlier for Raven Flame and waited for the filly to climb off of her.
"Dashie, do you know any flying tricks?" Raven Flame asked as she hopped off of Rainbow and onto the bed.
"I know a few." Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound modest.
Raven's sapphire eyes brightened, "Will you show me some?"
"Of course, but not tonight though." Rainbow Dash ruffled the filly's fiery black mane, "I'll show you a couple of them after you get home from school tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay." Raven Flame replied sounding disappointed.
Rainbow Dash closed the open window and headed towards the door, "Good night Raven!"
"Good night, Dashie!" Raven grinned, "Good night Applejack!" she then shouted out as Rainbow Dash walked out the bedroom door and closed it. Now Raven Flame found herself alone to her thoughts, which she found were mostly on her growing terror of what school would be like. She tried not to think about it and instead she focused on what she thought of her new home.
The new place felt foreign and strange to her, but it wasn't in a bad way. It was an exciting and almost in some ways cozy sensation. For the first time in her life she felt she wasn't alone and that she was cared for and special. The warm feelings helped to cloud her rapidly tiring mind as she drifted into a much needed sleep.