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Headache1,507 words

Headache

Rainbow Dash woke up in a tree. Live, uncomfortable wood dug into her back as she leaned forward with the smell of fresh juicy apples gracing her nose. Taking a deep, deep breath in through her nose, she rubbed her eyes lazily. As she exhaled, she began to release a mighty yawn, and with it, a mighty feeling that she had been hit by a train. Rainbow quickly wrapped her hooves around her poor throbbing head in pain and resided back to her former position laying in the tree. She opened her eyes with some difficulty and rubbed her temples, looking around her. Trees riddled with bright red dots lined neatly around a rundown dusty path.

She knew precisely where she was.

“And just what in the hay do you think you’re doin missy?” Applejack glared at the brightly colored winged pony in her tree. Rainbow groaned and rubbed her temples some more at the introduction of noise in the new day.

Rainbow slowly pushed herself up into a position where she could sit, face AJ, and rub her fiery head with her hind legs hanging off the side of the branch, “wha...?”

“Oh I see what happened,” Applejack let a southerney guffaw escape at the sight of a hung over rival waking up on her property.

“Shtop laughing AJ I had a reason...” This only allowed Applejack to let out a pleasant “Yeeha” and a fit of laughter.

“Rainbow, he he, what in tarnation made you think it was a great idea to nap in my trees ya airhead?”

“I don’t know,” Rainbow rubbed her head some more, “What made you think it was a good idea to wake me up you mud roller?”

“No seriously, heh, Rainbow why were you drinking?” Applejack hasn’t seen her friend hung over this much since she once was told she could never reach her goal of being a Wonderbolts by some butt-head stallion that her friends chased out of town.

“Promise not to tell anypony?”

“Ah pinky promise Rainbow,” Rainbow then proceeded to tell her orange friend the details of what had happened the prior day, well, as much as she could remember. When she got to the part where she bolted off Applejack stopped her there.

“Think ah get what’s goin on Dash,” Rainbow looked at Applejack with anticipation to see if her friend could answer her problems, “You’re arachnophobic, aren’t you? And you are too high up and too self-praised to admit it.”

Rainbow Dash reeled back in the tree in disapproval, “I am not!” Applejack just rolled her eyes, “AJ, if I was arachnophobic I would almost never land on the ground. I mean having a fear of something is intense enough to make you do things like that, right? The only ponies I ever see scared outta their skin are Fluttershy and Rarity.”

“He he, not everypony expresses their fears the way they do. See, I’m afraid of heights yet remember when you asked me to help ya with a stunt during apple bucking season and ah had to jump off that high platform, I didn’t complain.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean anything, you were a sleep deprived zombie mare then. I could’ve asked you to buck yourself in the face and you would probably have tried it,” Rainbow countered with a small chuckle.

“Fine then, what if ah told you that Big Mac was terrified of the dark? Ah don’t see him complaining.”

“Applejack...” Rainbow began.

“Mah cousin Braeburn is actually scared flankless of large birds, yet his friend is a hawk breeder and they hang out almost as much as you and me,” Applejack ranted.

“Applejack where is this going?” Rainbow dash asked, rubbing her forehead firmly.

,,,

“Dash what I’m saying is that you gotta overcome this fear of yours,” Applejack told Rainbow Dash, Sliding a mug of nice hot dark coffee made from fresh ground coffee beans grown right there at the farm. Rainbow Dash knew this because the last time she questioned why it was so fresh Granny Smith went off on a rant about how nopony appreciates how well the Apples can grow pretty much anything and how other ponies put miniature stereotypes on the Apple family that they only grow apples. Currently, Granny Smith was napping in her rocking chair beside the window in the next room over, but Dash decided to play it safe and keep her mouth shut.

“Overcome my fear...” Rainbow Dash resounded, spacing out slightly at the idea. She had never had to do that before. Was it hard? Did it take time? Does she have to touch Rica or something? Rainbow took a deep breath though her nose, enjoying the strong scent of her coffee the color of spruce tree bark, and putting a lid on the sputtering, bubbling pot of boiling water that was her brain and preventing any drops to fly from it as simple questions. Instead she lets one big drop fall out that was every other question combined, “So, how does one “Overcome their fear” so to say?”

“Well dash I will let ya drink your coffee first then I’ll see what I can do for ya, if ah can’t, well then I guess ah would leave you a list of what to do. Or you could go see a therapist, I doubt your fear is as bad as others but I’m sure they could at least try to help you through your condition.”

“Wait so you’re not going to help me?”

“Ah have to see if my schedule can match yours sugarcube, but ah will try to the best of my ability to help you Rainbow. Now drink your coffee and hustle on outta here, unless ya wanted to help me and Mac plow the east field today,” Applejack stood on all fours, picked up her empty mug, placed it in the sink, and trotted up the stairs.

Rainbow proceeds to gulp down the delicious hot dark liquid and exit the Apple family residence.

,,,

Fluttershy rushed down ponyville main street saying “Sorry, I’m in a big hurry!” to almost everypony she bumped into. Her saddlebags only contained one thing while on her crusade to every single one of the element’s households, minus her and Rainbow’s of course. So far every house was a bust with no sighting of Rainbow Dash. Worried about her dear friend, Fluttershy picks up her pace as she rounds a corner off main street and on to the dirt path that led to Sweet Apple Acres. Ahead, she saw the red barn and crème house atop two different rather dusty knolls

Approaching the house at a slower pace, Fluttershy began to raise a hoof to knock upon the white door.

Caught with her hoof half way to the door, the door opened seemingly by itself to reveal a curious looking cyan pegasus, “Oh, hey what’s up Fluttershy? I totally forgot about our meeting, sorry.”

“Oh it’s okay Rainbow Dash I just got a little bit worried is all. We could make up for it right now if you’d like.”

“Sure lets head on over there,” Rainbow Dash smiled, a bit sobered up and feeling much better thanks to the coffee.

“Of course, but this time little Rica gets to go first, okay?”

“S-Shure, heh,” Rainbow Dash replied nervously, taking flight with Fluttershy to head on over to the clearing somewhere in between their houses.
,,,

Fluttershy begins to open her saddlebag to reveal the hairy arachnid when Rainbow Dash tells her to stop, “But what for?” asked Fluttershy, closing the bag.

“Look, Fluttershy, I’m going to be straight forward with you okay?”

“Okay... About what?” Fluttershy asks nervously.

“I’m... Arahnoimumba,” Rainbow trails off into a barley audible mumble at the last word.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?”

“I’m Arachnosmelborp...” Rainbow mutters again.

“Rainbow?” Fluttershy asks, concerned.

“Look, me and AJ were talking and, we’ve come to the conclusion that... I’m arachnophobic,” Rainbow muttered, audible this time, while looking in the distance with and upset and furrowed brow.

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy says, a bit crestfallen for poor Rica.

“Fluttershy? Its okay, I know it sucks, but AJ and I are going to be trying to get me over it. Look,” Rainbow put a hoof around her friend’s shoulders, "If worst comes to worst I can go see a therapist, though as of right now the best pet games tryouts will be postponed.”

“Okay Rainbow,” Fluttershy agrees, choking back a light sprinkle of tears.

“Okay, now look,” Rainbow pulled away from Fluttershy slowly, “I have some work to get done so let’s set this audition week back a bit okay?”

“Okay,” Fluttershy wasn’t holding tears for Rainbow Dash, though she did feel for her friend, she was holding back tears because was wondering if poor little Rica waould ever find a home.

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