Return To Everfree: A New Legend Arises

Chapter five

Enjoy :)

Pinkie carelessly plopped her tray of food onto the wooden table, getting the attention of the rest of the group at their table. She sat down on the bench, immediately gobbling on her burger. She looked up at Twilight, who was giving her a scolding look.

"I'm just saying, I didn't think it would explode! Not my fault! If it was flammable, someone should've put a warning on it."

Twilight scoffed, exasperated.

"It did have a label!" She exclaimed. "I told you it did. You said that it would be fine. Now, we're not allowed to be alone in the camp kitchen."

Pinkie giggled at the annoyance on Twilight's face.

Sunset, who was listening, spoke up.

"Actually, Gloriosa said Pinkie isn't allowed in the kitchen alone. The rest of us can't make stuff explode with magic, so we're fine."

Okay. They had to admit that was fair. Pinkie pouted sadly.

"Don't worry, Pinkie. I'm sure there'll be more opportunities for ya to bake." Applejack assured in between bites of her own lunch. "Though, I wouldn't recommend the horses for the rest of the day."

The other girls looked at Applejack, curious.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked. "Did something happen?"

Applejack thought back to what'd happened with her and Rainbow Dash.

"I'm not exactly sure. Rainbow and I were riding horses and it was fine at first. All of a sudden, Rainbow's horse started acting weird. It was neighing and jerking about like it was spooked by a snake or something."

"Really?" Fluttershy said, looking just as surprised by the information as the others. "I hope no one was injured. A spooked horse can end in terrible injuries or even death if the rider falls off and the horse kicks or stomps on them from moving around so frantically."

She turned her head to look at Rainbow Dash, who was sitting across from her. Rainbow Dash didn't seem to be listening. She was staring off into space, her crossed arms on the wooden table. Her food was untouched. She seemed uneasy, her brows furrowed in thought, her teeth occasionally worrying her bottom lip. Fluttershy looked to the other girls for help, not wanting to be the person to shake Rainbow out of her thoughts. Luckily for her, Appljack was sitting right next to Rainbow, and wasn't afraid of calling her out.

Applejack watched her for a moment, seeing the uneasiness as well. She cleared her throat.

"Hey, babe." She said.

Rainbow Dash perked up, looking at the girls for the first time since they'd sat down. She looked around, reading the room.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"We were just talking about the horse incident." Applejack filled her in. "Pretty weird, huh?"

Rainbow nodded, unfolding her arms. One stayed on the table, the other on her lap.

"Yeah." She agreed, her voice drifting off at the end. "Real weird." She muttered.

Rainbow was uncharacteristically quiet. She seemed to go back to being lost in her own world. It was very unlike her. Applejack couldn't help but be a little worried. Had the horse incident spooked Rainbow more than she was letting on? Applejack snuck a hand underneath the table. She found Rainbow's hand. It was twisting and playing with Rainbow's shorts, almost nervous?

Applejack laced their fingers together, forcing Rainbow to let go of the fabric. AJ gave a gentle squeeze. She ducked her head close to Rainbow's.

"Are you alright, sugarcube? You seem kinda off."

Rainbow exhaled through her nose, straightened her back. She nodded, meeting Applejack's gaze. She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes.

"Just kinda tired." Rainbow said, with a small one-shouldered shrug. "I guess the horse incident really brought the mood down. Not a good way to start of our trip."

Applejack smiled sympathetically. Looping her arm while still holding Rainbow's hand, around her shoulders, she pulled the petite, athletic teen close to her. She pressed a firm and loving kiss to Rainbow's temple.

"I understand. I'm sure it'll get better by tomorrow. Since when have you ever let one mishap ruin a whole day?"

That's true. Since when was Rainbow so distracted and nervous during a school trip? Applejack did find it odd, but chalked it up to not getting enough sleep the last 24 hours. The excitement of the whole occasion had them all chatting for days, up late planning what to pack. Everyone knows how grumpy Rainbow got when her sleep time was shortened.

Rainbow hummed. She smiled, leaning her head on AJ's shoulder.

"Yeah. Maybe I need a nap." She suggested, rolling her eyes. "I haven't had one today."

Applejack rubbed her thumb over the back of Rainbow's hand. That solution satisfied her, but she decided to keep an eye on her. She then noticed Rainbow's untouched tray of food. That was something to start with.

"Eat something, baby. No one likes a hangry camper."

Rainbow Dash snorted at the lame joke, but released Applejack's hand to pick up her own burger. She hummed, seeming to have realized how hungry she was. Rainbow and Pinkie looked the same, practically chomping away at their food, not giving themselves time to breathe, unless the others forced them to slow down.

Somethings never change.

Pinkie finished her burger first, gloating cheerfully, though it wasn't even a race. Rainbow was too focused on her food. She lifted her head suddenly.

"We should definitely eat outside tomorrow." She commented. "It's perfect weather out here."

The girls looked at each other, coming to a decision by the looks on their faces.

"Sure, Rainbow." Twilight agreed. "I don't see why not. So, what are you girls planning on doing after lunch? I was hoping to see the dock we built last time we were here."

Rarity tsked.

"I think you mean the runway." She corrected.

That was of course, not what Twilight meant. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"No. It's a dock, Rar. This is a campground after all. Not a fashion boutique."

Rainbow raised a brow. "Uh... didn't Pinkie destroy that dock, like, when we were about to leave?"

Twilight deflated a bit, remembering that little, important detail. Fluttershy, Sunset and AJ giggled at the memory. The look on Rarity's face when it exploded had been priceless. The girl literally fainted! Overdramatic if they'd ever seen it.

"Right." She said, monotone, giving Pinkie a pointed look.

Applejack gave a dismissive wave of her hand. Twilight was such a negative Nancy at times.

"Don't worry, gals. I'm sure we can fix it up again, just like last time. We did a pretty neat job first time 'round." She guaranteed. "We can talk to Gloriosa and Principal Celestia bout it. It'll definitely give us something to spend our time on for a day or two."

They all agreed to it. Rainbow Dash had to smile. Things weren't so bad after all. As long as they kept Pinkie away from the nails.

So yeah! Lemme know what you think :)