Appledashery

by Just Essay

Generosity Takes a Holiday

Rainbow Dash sat at a table... alone... eating a muffin.

She took her sweet time, not fussing too much through each bite—or else make an embarrassing mistake like dropping the morsel from her numb forelimbs.

For the better part of an hour, she sat there, allowing a modicum of strength to return to her body—slowly—one sip of orange juice after another.

At some point—beyond the comings and goings of multiple patrons—she spotted a pale splotch of a figure shuffling daintily inside. She looked up, then returned to her muffin.

"... ... ...!!!"

Rainbow Dash glanced up again, blinking wide.

Rarity stood calmly at the counter, finishing her order. When Mrs. Cake showed up with a cup of coffee, the unicorn smiled, hoofed over two bits, then levitated the beverage in her magical grasp.

Rainbow Dash opened her muzzle with a smile—but lingered. She sat on the edge of her seat, wing muscles twitching. One hoof raised up... but only half-heartedly waved.

Rarity turned about, taking a sip of her coffee. She caught Rainbow Dash through the corner of her vision and instantly jolted to a stop, saddlebags flouncing. "Mmmm...!" She tilted her lips back from the hot cup, gulping. "Rainbow Dash! Good heavens! It's delightful to see you!"

"H-hey, Rarity. How's it hoofin'?"

"Marvelously. It's... blessed Celestia... it's been a good many days, hasn't it?"

"Yeah." Rainbow gulped. "Crazy week, eh?"

"Yes... crazy..." Rarity's eyes narrowed. "You... you do know that Apple Bloom has fully recovered...?"

Rainbow froze in place. "I... I heard that. Yes."

Rarity blinked. Her ears twitched, and she shifted from side to side. "Rainbow... have you...?" The elegant mare grimaced, then pivoted towards the door. "Erm... never mind. Uhm... m-much to do today."

"Rarity...?"

"It was... nice seeing you, though." And Rarity trotted off.

"Wait!" Swisssh! Rainbow Dash flew over, blocking her way. "Rarity, is... is there something wrong?"

"Well, that's the question of the hour, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

Rarity sighed. "Rainbow... darling..." She looked up with a calm, positively parental smile. "Are you doing quite alright?"

Rainbow fought a lump in the back of the throat. "Oh... you know m-me..." She smiled crookedly. "Just as... awesome as I ever am!"

"Truly..." Rarity exhaled. "...you know, it was truly... truly magnificent what you did over a week ago. I mean... if you hadn't flown into town so swiftly and warned Zecora, Twilight, and the others... Applejack's poor sister would never have made it."

"Well hey..." Rainbow shrugged. "I do what I can."

"Yes, well..." Rarity gulped, avoiding the mare's gaze. "You know, Rainbow... there's more than one way to... to do things for a pony. Even when a situation seems hopeless... even lost... just simply being there for someone else is a generous gift in and of itself. Now... n-now please... please don't take this as my coming down on you..."

"Coming... down on me?"

At last, wincing, Rarity braved a direct look at the pegasus. "I... know it's not easy dealing with... grim and disturbing things. Like... the inevitable death of a loved one. But sometimes courage requires us to cast aside logic and just... show how much hope and sincerity we have to give. And I-I know you have lots of both. But... but even still..." She gulped, her ears folding back as she struggled to form the words. "...it boggles my mind that every one of Applejack's friends was there to give her company and support during Apple Bloom's frightful battle with the snake venom. Every friend—but her most loyal one..."

Rainbow's lips parted.

"Maybe... maybe you don't understand how important it was... it is... for someone like Applejack. But... but..." She sniffled, glancing aside. Blinking her eyes multiple times, the mare cleared her throat, regaining composure. "Alas... everything turned out swimmingly in the end. Apple Bloom is trotting on all fours. Zecora and Mr. Noir have fashioned a priceless antidote. Experiments with the Trottingham Science Commission can now resume as normal. It's... it's all for the best."

Rainbow gulped. "And... and Applejack...?"

"Well, Rainbow, I could very well tell you my assessment of her at the moment, but..." Rarity quietly made her exit. "...I think we both know you're asking the wrong pony. Now, I have many busy things to do. I'm... uhm... c-certain you can understand."

Rainbow Dash turned, gazing at her. She opened her muzzle... but no words came out. Hovering in place, the pegasus hugged herself... scarcely feeling a thing.

Comments

[RoboRed]

Well, way to go, Rainbow. Your excessive attempts to make yourself anon have just colossally bitten you in the ass.

Facing AJ just got a lot more fun.

[MidnightReflection]

Rainbow Dash sat at a table... alone... eating a muffin.

And this sums up Appledashery.

No, but seriously, it's going to be hard for Rainbow to come up with an excuse as to why she wasn't there for Applejack. "Yeah, uh, I know AB was super terminal or whatever, but, like, I had some stuff that I had to do, so..."

[Khao]

Well, fuck, I was scared that this was gonna happen if Rainbow didn't want to take the credit for the flowers. I really don't think Applejack's gonna take it well.

Goddammit Rainbow, you really should have delivered those flowers yourself.

I get the feeling that this is what the last "Appledashery"-titled chapter was referencing. This won't go well.

[Shipmun]

6609570
Not enough explosions in that summary

[MidnightReflection]

6609583 That muffin was an explosion in itself. A sad, lonely explosion...

[Lightning Bearer]

I hope you're happy, Rainbow.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Well Dash....it must royally suck when the only creatures who know that you are the one who saved Bloom are yourself, Scootaloo, Discord and Sunset.
And all your insistence on remaining anonymous has just hurt the one you love more than her sister being cured helped her.
To echo everyone else's sentiment, really should made the delivery yourself.

They do say, the bigger the lie, the easier it is to believe.
so what's wrong with saying that you couldn't accept that the flower was extinct, and you went off to search for yourself? You didn't pack a map so you can't remember where you found them.

...oh Dash...

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

At this point, I don't even care. I know I should, but I don't. Rainbow didn't want any of the credit? She got what she asked for. She doesn't want her friend to know how much she does? They don't.

I wonder how they're gonna react when they learn she's dying and is one step away from losing her house?

I wonder how Batpone protagonist 1 is gonna react when he learns everything?

I wonder how Scoots is doing?

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Rainbow, keeping yourself in the shadows is just going to hurt you. And then it is going to hurt everyone that you care about.

[Autumn Rush]

Uggghh...

Rainbow, pleeeeaaase tell me you're going to come clean about the flowers. I'm already scared about what's going to happen the next time you talk to Applejack.

[Hestia]

For a moment I'd forgotten that only THREE people, four if we count Dash herself, know what she did for Apple Bloom. Nobody else knows what she sacrificed, how she almost died, what went down in those dragon infested lands. NO ONE knows.

And that makes me want to scream

I'm not sure if I admire Dash's determination to be an unsung hero or if it makes me want to tear my hair out.

[Aatxe360]

6609653

Three? Gilda, Sunset, Discord? Did Sunset really know her motivations out there?

Also, where is that particular pony from Dash's past that she dated? I forgot the name, but it wasn't a well-received one.

[Autumn Rush]

6609944

Listing Breeze?

And Sunset knew. Rainbow mentioned it during their conversation before the two of them and Romulus got inside the castle.

[Typoglyphic]

6609652 This wouldn't be Appledashery if she did though, would it? At this point, I don't think Rainbow is ever going to be able to open up to Applejack. If anything changes between them, it'll be because of a third party. Or AJ just figuring it out, I guess.

On another note, her paralysis seems to be getting much worse. I have a feeling that it's going to be the tipping point for Rainbow's double life. Once her friends (beyond Fluttershy), learn about her condition, they're going to be able to start piecing things together.

[JodiePonyPuddinAndPie]

All this effort to stay anonymous is pointless RD. As soon as Sunset gets up the courage to talk to Celestia about what happened in the dragon lands, Celestia will put two and two together. And do you think Scoots will be able to stay silent once the rumour mill starts saying nasty things about ya?

Come clean!

[Autumn Rush]

6610007

Meh. I know.

I'm just dreading all of the inevitable negative feels for this arc.

[TwilightUCrazy]

This story is really

MAKING ME MAD AGAIN!

[zaponator]

Ah jeeze. Rainbow is gonna go and make this way more painful than it needs to be for no reason, isn't she?

[Hestia]

6609944 Scootaloo knew Dash was off to find the cure if I remember right.

[Khao]

At this point, I don't even think admitting that she got the flowers would be very credible. They'd just start asking why the fuck did she hide herself, and where the fuck she was the past week. It just wouldn't add up to them anymore.

But you know, she could just tell them that she actually tried looking for the flowers, but failed miserably.

It's like the perfect excuse. It doesn't makes her look like a freaking jerk, it doesn't give her credit for the real flowers. I think it'd work well enough.

Buuuuuuuuuuut I guess that'd be just way too easy. Just keep punishing yourself Dash, okay.

[Appledash_Gurl]

Man, Rainbow, if you don't explain why you keep disappearing, then your not going to be a hero in anyone's eyes, but a terrible friend.
6606734 oooooh yeah, thanks!

~ADG

[BabySkittleMonster]

Aaaand here comes the depression again. Just when she was starting to recover. Excellent, Rarity, excellent.

[LucyHorseThing]

Might as well get the tears out.

[Seraphimus]

6671333 Say what you want about Rares, it's dash's fault. All she had to do was bring the flowers inside herself, and instead she hid and then she ran away and then she locked herself in her house for a week. Didn't Go check in on AJ of AB, Nothing. I know what depression does to a person I've been there, you blame yourself for a lot of things, for everything and it's important to hear that it's not your fault... but the fact is, Dash isn't getting out of this spiral for a long time yet because it's Actually her fault and she knows it.

And the worst part is, Just like all the other times there is no good reason for it. She's so determined to be the martyr and take no credit for all the amazing things she's done, and in doing so she's brutally hurt the one pony who matters most to her by abandoning her in her time of need. Even if she didn't take credit and just let AJ know she was Trying, it'd be okay. AJ would have had that comfort of knowing that Dash was doing something, that Dash cared, and the damage to their friendship would have been nil.

[arancaytar]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[bronyheat]

I hope Sunset blows the lid on Rainbows anonymity and starts a chain reaction, because Cleary by this point and about a million words in, Dash will not do it herself. F'naaaaaa!

I know Skirts is doing something right when he can make me rage in the deep recesses of my shriveled soul because of a fictional character.