Appledashery

by Just Essay

Hats Off To Ya

Even after nightfall, Rainbow's speed did not let up. She zipped from orchard to orchard, practically bucking each tree in the dark. Applejack had to scramble to catch up, laying baskets down for the pegasus' lopped fruit to fall neatly into. The two formed a nocturnal machine of rapid industry, and already two and a half wagons were filled up with freshly bucked apples.

About two hours into moonlight, Rainbow Dash finally felt herself slowing down, and it was only because she could easily hear Applejack's labored breaths from halfway across the farm. She paused, hovering above a line of unbucked trees, glancing back to where an orange shadow lingered besides several baskets that glistened in the moonlight.

Applejack paused to regain her strength. She leaned against a tree, shaking the cobwebs out of her blonde head. Her cutie mark shone like three tiny red beacons in the night.

Rainbow Dash blinked. She lowered until she felt the supporting length of a pair of forked branches beneath her hooves. Resting, she folded her legs beneath her. They still tingled with unnatural energy. Rainbow was thankful that the pills had taken their course, but she also felt a tiny bit remorseful over beating Applejack at every turn, not that this was a race or anything.

No, it wasn't a race. As soon as Rainbow Dash realized that, she exhaled gracefully, then leaned down against the branches, staring from a distance at the farm mare. The darkness gave Rainbow plenty of lease to gaze for a prolonged period of time, and she did so—unashamedly.

Applejack slouched, taking her hat off and fanning herself. The mare—usually vibrant and full of strength and energy—looked remarkably drained. Her features hung in melancholic tatters, and her mane was frayed in many places, almost bulging loose altogether from the red tie that kept her bundled blonde threads intact. Something glistened across her face, like twin emeralds shrinking away from the moonlight, and yet she stayed in place, as if anchored to the landscape, keeping the farm from floating away on a current of darkness.

Rainbow's breath left her. Her voice cracked into the leaves rustling overhead. "Why...?" She gulped. "Why are you so friggin' beautiful?" Her muzzle curved, and she nuzzled her own forelimbs with her blue cheek, all the while staring at the breathless mare from afar. "Even when you're sad, you're just... just so you." A shuddering sigh. "It'll be okay, Applejack. I don't even care if you're not... if you're n-not..."

But then Rainbow's face winced painfully. She bit her lip, and her eyes finally fluttered to the ground. Moisture escaped the edges of her sockets, and a slight sniffle issued from her nostrils.

"Awwww gul-darn it!"

Rainbow jerked up, hitting her head on an overstretching branch. "Ow!" She hissed through her teeth, rubbing her prismatic bangs. She glanced down. "Huh...?"

Applejack's hat toppled loosely down hill, carried by a moonlit breeze. She heard the pitter-patter of Applejack's distant hooves in the grass.

"Chillax, AJ!" Rainbow victoriously bellowed as she took a nose-dive off the branch. "I got it!"

In a blur, Rainbow touched down and snatched the hat up in her teeth. "Hrmmmf—You should staple this thing to your ears, I swear—"

"Don't touch that!" Applejack violently barked.

Rainbow jumped in place, scooting several inches back and trembling. The hat rolled upside down and came to a stop. Applejack plodded up, wheezing.

Her ears were folded awkwardly as she winced and said, "I... I-I mean... please, sugarcube, if you don't m-mind..." She gulped and swiped the hat up. She didn't instantly put it on, but rather felt around the inside with her hoof. At one point she froze, exhaled with relief, and finally plopped the thing back onto her crown. "Whew! It's just that... uhm... you see, I've got... uhm..."

Rainbow stared at her, wide-eyed, her heart beating savagely.

Applejack gulped a lump down her throat. "Right. Reckon th-that's enough apple buckin' for the day. Heh... t'ain't even day anymore. By golly did we get a lot of fruit basketed!" She twirled around and marched up hill. "Could use a lil' help rollin' the wagons in, darlin', if ya don't mind helpin' me just a sneeze more. There's a good filly."

Rainbow Dash stood in place, her ears still ringing with the sharp tone of Applejack's shouting voice just half-a-minute before.

"Yeah... s-sure..." Biting her lip, Rainbow trotted limply up the hill after her. "No pr-problem..."

Comments

[Tchernobog]

Betting there's a picture of Dash stapled in that there hat somewhere...

[Scohinyha Sanka]

3817968 For me personally I think Dashie has multiple sclerosis, which is a nerve illness causing the nerves to slowly( or fast depending case to case) deteriorate which can lead to paralyses and eventually death.
The problem I'm seeing with this is that the medication would be from the strong variant meaning that her overdosing on it( which lets be fair she is doing in the Shiny apple dream chapter and of course did in Running of the leaves. if I remember correct). That she already has caused damage to many of her vital organs (the medication for it so far I know is really no joke).

[Scohinyha Sanka]

3818244 Yeah, would explain her sudden outrage. Well that or AJ is taking drugs. I hope the first of the two:

[MellowMabari]

I'm telling you - blue feather. Or what Tchernobog said.

Secrets and lies - it's all secrets and lies with these ponies! I at least hope that if Dash herself doesn't tell Applejack about her issues and what she's up to that someone else will. It'd be pretty tragic if Applejack never knew how much she cared, in the long run.

Well, I still got me another ten-ish chapters to go - onward!

[zaponator]

Whoa.
I'm only getting more curiouser about the significance of the hat, be it simply deep sentimental value or a secret compartment (containing an embarrassing photo of Rainbow at the Christmas party).

[Spinner of Tales]

I agree. There's something related to Rainbow in that hat, I just don't know what it is. It's got to have substance, whatever it is, for A.J. to be able to feel it through the band on the hat.

And I do also think Rainbow has some form of M.S.. My second-best guess is simple muscle degeneration due to over-use of her wings, but I really dunno.

[Misspegasister_]

WHATS IN THE HAT?!?!?!?

[BabySkittleMonster]

4606748
Problem with the second theory is that Nurse Redheart said the illness was hereditary. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure muscle atrophy from lack of use is caused by means other than genetics. Unless the atrophy was stated as being an illness on it's own which it wasn't. That's just my two bits though.

I'm trying to find where I first started commenting the first time I read this and I still haven't found it. When on earth did I start? Did my previous comments disappear?

[Metal Aura]

5189578 Atrophy is accelerated in the event of disuse even in situations where the initial cause is hereditary. This applies to every component of one's body from brain, to leg muscles, to the immune system. Use isn't a cure for atrophy but instead an agent which works to slow the degeneration in most cases. That is why astronauts need specialized machines to exercise their muscles in a more normal manner to prevent muscle loss and putting someone in complete darkness for way too long causes blindness through the degeneration of the eye. Dashie is like an astronaut who doesn't exercise her limbs. The severity of the inherited condition must also be taken into effect. In some cases the condition can be reversed through use and other times it can only be slowed. The cause of this issue if inherited is most likely hormonal considering the treatment with pills instead of programmed viruses to repair the damaged strand. It's difficult to place equestrian medicine relative to our timeline due to the fact that it does not fit the match between emerging widespread steam technology and the industrial revolution presented by this story.

[arancaytar]

"Don't touch that! " Applejack violently barked.

Chekhov's hat.

There's totally something up with it that goes beyond just AJ being worried about it being dirty. Something that would embarrass AJ if RD noticed.

[Revan]

8445585

And then you don't find out until nearly 1100 chapters later.

I still don't approve of Appledashing, though.

[AppleTank]

ohboy I can't wait for vol 2