Crashing Into You
By Nikkel
(c) to Lauren Faust and Hasbro Studios

Autumn leaves crushed underhoof. Applejack trotted down the leafy path winding through the forest, pulling a towering cart of Red Delicious apples and breathing in the cool, crisp air that came with the changing of the seasons. She didn't have a favorite season, but the single thing she loved about autumn was the long, relaxing walks she could take through the apple orchard.

The country was so different from the city. Here, the leaves fell with a soft rustle and the wind wrapped around her golden mane, and all was peaceful. It wasn't until she had been in the city a few months ago did she realize how much the countryside meant to her – it was her home, her real home, and the young filly couldn't have been any happier.

Applejack looked up into the clear blue sky, cloudless as ever. It was then that something peculiar caught her eye.

"Well I'll be," she chuckled. "If that ain't a rainbow on a clear day like this, I don't know what."

Random rainbows were becoming something she had noticed lately over Apple Orchards and Ponyville. She knew that pegasi were responsible for the weather patterns, but bright, colorful rainbows on days like today seemed... out of place.

"Guess I'll just have to ask Big Mac about that later," she said aloud, and continued along without another thought.

Suddenly, breaking through the quiet music of the forest, there was the ripping sound of a jet tearing through it. Applejack slapped her hooves to her ears to drown out the racket, the leaves rattling from the trees, and the apples in her cart bouncing out of place. She groaned, wondering what in the world the ruckus could be, and cracked open an eye to see something big and blue speeding towards her.

CRASH!

Applejack toppled backwards, the hitch of the cart coming loose, and apples flying everywhere. She was thrown onto her back and a heavy weight landed on top of her, the smell of sweat, dirt, and smoke filling her nostrils.

"What in tarnation –"

Applejack kicked her front feet up and pushed whatever had landed on her off of her. There was a shout and more apple-toppling, and then a cyan-hued pony popped up with her eyes spinning and a large, red bump on her head.

Applejack stood up. All of the apples she had collected for the farm were now bruised, meaning that all of her hard work was ruined. She glared at the pony.

"So where's the fire?" she snorted. "You really gotta be somewhere right now that you gotta knock other hard-workin' ponies down?"

The pegasus blinked. She stared at Applejack for a minute, and then a big – almost insane – grin broke out on her face.

"That... was... AWESOME!" she yelled.

Applejack raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Didn't you see that?" the pegasus shouted, flapping her wings and jumping up in the air, doing a small flip. "First it was the takeoff, with the cold wind rushing all around me – then it was the cloud-diving, like surfing in the skies – then it was the climb into the stratosphere, and then the drop back to earth – and then that very split-second moment that I turned away from face-planting the earth, and then, boom! I ran into..."

The pegasus stopped, realizing what had just happened, and why the earth pony before her had a very disgruntled expression on her face. Her ears dropped. "Oh. Whoops."

"Darn right about that," Applejack said, turning away from her and nudging the wooden cart upright. She'd have to start all over again, and it was obvious that this pegasus would be of no help to her. She kicked the bruised apples to the side and inspected the ones that weren't, hoping that they were still good. When she turned around, she was surprised to see the pegasus still there, hovering with her head tilted. "What?"

"What... What are you doing?" the pegasus asked.

"Pickin' up after you, that's what."

"No, I mean... With all of those apples?"

"Well, usually I take 'em back to the farm for a good wash, and then me and the fam' sell 'em at the market or make stuff with 'em."

"What kinda stuff?"

"Oh, y'know – apple pie, apple cider, caramel apples, apple fritter – pretty much anythin' and everythin' that involves apples in a recipe, or so mah Granny Smith tells me."

"Mmm," the pegasus licked her lips. "That sounds delicious!"

"Why, yeah, it is," Applejack chuckled. Her hot temper seemed to be fading away, but she wasn't sure how or why. The pegasus pony landed on the ground, the leaves swirling around her cyan feet, and she looked at Applejack with nothing but pure curiosity, magenta eyes shining through a shaggy mane of rainbow hair. It was just then that a thought occurred to Applejack: "Say... You haven't been the one makin' all the rainbows in the sky, have you?"

"Huh?" the pegasus looked up to see the criss-crossing patterns of rainbows darting in different directions in the sky. "Oh! That is me! I totally forgot I could do that?"

"How could you forget?" Applejack asked, another brow raised. This pegasus was all kinds of interesting now.

"Haven't you ever gone so fast that you don't look behind you?"

"Naw, can't say that I have."

"Well... That's me. And sometimes I forget to look ahead of me, too, and, well... I guess you know what happens then."

"Yeah," Applejack snorted. "You crash into us hardworkin' earth ponies."

"Okay, okay," the pegasus sighed. "I'm sorry... I've been much more of a Rainbow Crash lately than a Rainbow Dash."

Applejack felt a twinge of guilt – she knew that some young pegasi often had trouble flying, and the crash had been a pure accident. "Aww, don't worry 'bout it, sugar cube. You'll get good at flying some day."

"Some day?" the pegasus scoffed. "I already am good! I just gotta get good at flying really fast, y'know? Then I can join the Wonderbolts!"

"The whoodawhat now?"

"The Wonderbolts!"

"Uh... Sure. Anyways, I gotta get goin', and get me some apples before sundown," Applejack said, and finally started her walk again, the empty cart rolling behind her.

"Hey, wait!" The pegasus filly appeared at her side. "I never got your name!"

"Oh..." Applejack blushed. "The name's Applejack. How 'bout you, lil' missy?"

The cyan filly puffed out her chest and grinned. "Rainbow Dash! The fastest, bravest pony in the sky!"

"Sure thing, sugar cube," Applejack snickered.

Rainbow Dash frowned and stomped her foot. "I am!"

"Hey, not sayin' I don't believe ya," Applejack said. "Now, I'll tell ya what. Help me collect some apples, and we can head over to my place and make us some nice apple pie. Sound good?"

"You betcha. I'll get those apples in ten seconds flat!"

"I'll hold ya to that."

And then Rainbow Dash zipped through the forest, apples dropping into Applejack's cart left and right. She watched the pegasus tear through the woods, and couldn't help but smile. As silly, rambunctious, and hyperactive of a pony Rainbow Dash was, she had the feeling that it was the beginning of a very special friendship.

Author's Note: Not too bad for my first MLP fic, is it? And it's been a while since I've written anything... Lemme know what you think, please! Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated!