//------------------------------// // Midnight In the Garden of Apples and Insomnia // Story: Appledashery Vol. Two // by Just Essay //------------------------------// Applejack wasn't the type of pony to take long showers, but tonight was different. It wasn't because she was on vacation either. For minutes on end, the mare stood limply, her fuzzy forehead pressed against the tile of Twilight Sparkle's shower stall. She gazed directly into the linoleum as she felt warm water cascading all around her. She couldn't shake the last few words that leapt out of Pinkie Pie's muzzle. And whenever she thought she was finally in the clear, her mind wandered to the sight of Rainbow Dash under cold street lights. She looked so small... so melancholic... so devoid of the usual warmth and daring and bravado. On one hoof, it had been a long night of trotting across the city, drinking shots at multiple bars. On the other hoof... Applejack clenched her eyes shut. She sighed once... several times. At long last, she summoned the strength to wash herself clean, dry off, and shuffle lethargically out of the bathroom. Applejack was the first to retire. She lay on her back atop her sleeping bag, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers that dotted Twilight Sparkle's bedroom ceiling. In the distance, through the door, she could hear several giggling voices emanating from the far end of the apartment. Her friends' breaths were warm and mirthful—as was the thin amber light peeking in from beneath the door. Applejack focused on the thin orange line, hoping it would fade to static and fill her eyes with slumber. That wish did not come true. Grumbling under her breath, Applejack turned over and forced her freckled cheek deeper into her pillow. She closed her eyes again. Sleep eluded her. The mare opened one eye... then the other. She was surrounded by empty sleeping bags... but her eyes fell on one mat in particular. It featured a white cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt... ...but no Rainbow Dash. Clenching her jaw tight, Applejack shut her eyes... ...and tried again. Nearly two hours had passed. Yawning... teetering... smiling deliriously—the rest of Applejack's friends had all shuffled in and collapsed into their respective sleeping spots. All but one. Applejack knew this because she spent the whole time bright-and-awake, staring with bloodshot eyes at the empty mat between her and the rest of the girls. The farm mare breathed in... breathed out... The colors of Rainbow's sleeping mat seeped through the abject darkness of the bedroom. Applejack bit her lip. She had seemed so sad.... ...so lonesome... ... ... ...just like Apple Bloom after a bad day at school. Pathetic lil' varmint... She looked like she needed a hug. She needed... Applejack raised her forelimbs and gripped her head. "Rrnnnnnnngh..." She tightened her eyelids shut. Her teeth gnashed. Then... at last... Two emerald eyes popped back open. "... ... ...consarn it." Applejack practically leapt to her hooves. Hesitantly, she shuffled across the room, careful to avoid stepping on her slumbering friends. At last, she reached Twilight's bedside. Applejack fidgeted a bit... then finally leaned in to perform a drawling whisper: "Twilight... Twilight? Yoohoo, darlin'... I'm so very sorry to bother you..." "Mmmmmmm..." A lavender unicorn scrunched her lavender muzzle and curled her lavender body into a fetal position. She reached out in her sleep—finding Spike's scaley figure and hugging the sleeping dragon closer. "Mmmmmmm-Applejackkkkk...?" "Yes, sugarcube. It's me. I... uhm..." Applejack grimaced, glancing towards the window into Canterlot lamplight. "...I'm terribly sorry. But I'm worried for Rainbow Dash. It's so late, and the dang mare isn't back yet. And I'm gettin' the nasty feelin' that she ain't her proper self... at least not accordin' to how I saw her last. So... uh... I'm gonna go out and fetch her right quick. Is that okay with you? I dun want y'all gettin' worried or nothin'..." "Mmmmmm... it's okay, Applejack..." Twilight smiled in her sleep. "...only a precise hit... will set off a chain reaction... hee-hee... book smuggling pirates... zzzzzzzzzzz..." Applejack blinked. Her muzzle lingered open. "... ... ...well, okay then." She saluted, turned briskly, and made to gallop out the bedroom entirely. She paused halfway, though. After a few seconds of contemplation, she rushed to the window... and cracked it partially open. Then, taking a deep breath, she grabbed her hat and exited briskly. Soon she was out in the cold streets of Canterlot, running at full sprint.