//------------------------------//
// Conquer What You Fear 
// Story: Creature Comforts 
// by Long Long Way From Home 
//------------------------------//

	Camp Everfree was filled with activity in the aftermath of the evening’s campfire, the night atmosphere buzzing with teenagers happily chatting about scary stories and plans for the following day. As campers wandered back to their tents to turn in for the night, two girls in particular were being a bit more rambunctious than most. A rainbow haired girl laughed before punching the blonde next to her in the arm, hard enough to knock the girl’s stetson hat askew. The other girl let out a large guffaw in response, and casually adjusted her hat back to its original position.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack had waved their friends goodnight back at the bonfire, and were walking with each other back to their tent, joking with each other as only two best friends could. Upon reaching their tent, Applejack smacked the tent flap open lazily and stepped in, her blue skinned friend following in behind her. The farmer walked over to her bed before turning around and sitting on it heavily. She leaned back on her arms to regard her friend on the other side of the room.
“Boy, that story Timber told sure was something, eh sugarcube? I ain’t never heard something so ridiculous as Gaia Everfree.” Applejack said with a grin. Rainbow, however, appeared to jump at the mention of the monster, stiffening up uncomfortably where she stood by her bed.
“Uh, y-yeah, it sure was something alright.” Rainbow stuttered a bit in reply.
Applejack’s grin fell slightly, caught somewhat off guard by her friend’s response. It seemed slightly out of character for the brash girl.
“Y’all know it was just a story, right?” the farmer asked.
“Of course! Totally! I’m not scared or anything, heh.” Dash replied, just a little too loudly.
“Is that a fact...” Applejack raised an eyebrow, mindful that Dash didn’t sound like she was completely listening.
“Y-yeah! Of course! Why would I be afraid of some stupid story anyways?” Dash said with a grin. Or was that a grimace?
“Well, if you’re sure, I think it’s best we get some sleep, don’t you sugarcube? Wouldn’t wanna be out at night if Gaia Everfree is wandering the woods.” Applejack finished with a smirk, hoping to get a rise out of her friend. Dash, however, wasn’t biting it seemed.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll, uh, see you in the morning.” Dash hurriedly turned and began tugging off her boots.
Turning to give Dash a modicum of privacy, AJ began removing her own boots, albeit at a more relaxed pace. She slipped out of her shorts and exchanged them for pajama bottoms, then pulled back her covers to slip into her bed. Turning to look at Dash again, she saw her friend was already curled up in bed facing away from her, the covers pulled tightly around her. Writing it off as nothing to worry about, Applejack closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.
“...Hey AJ?”
Applejack opened her eyes. She saw her friend sitting up and looking at her with a worried expression. AJ suspected Dash was more worked up over the story than she had been letting on.
“What’s up Dash?” she said, the corners of her mouth quirking upwards in a barely restrained smile.
Dash fidgeted a bit more for a moment and avoided her friend’s gaze before responding.
“Would you, uh...would you mind if I maybe slept with you tonight?”
Applejack laughed loudly into the tent. She couldn’t help herself. Seeing the brash girl she was sharing a tent with get so worked up over a little story was just ridiculous. It was so hilarious that it was a few long moments before she calmed back down again, and was able to look at Rainbow Dash.
Dash looked devastated. All the humor quickly left Applejack when she saw her friend. The poor girl across from her looked about ready to cry. Applejack couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen her in such a state, and immediately felt guilty about what she had done.
“I’m mighty sorry about that sugarcube.” Applejack said softly while sitting up, as if she were speaking to one of Fluttershy’s animal friends and trying not to scare it away. She saw a single tear roll down Dash’s cheek, which was quickly noticed and wiped away as the athlete turned her face away in shame. Rainbow didn’t respond.
“That wasn’t right of me, Dash. I shouldn’ta laughed at ya. I’m really sorry about that. Truly I am. Y’all can come on over if ya want.” Applejack scooted back and held open her covers, an open invitation for the girl to join her.
It was a few moments more before Dash turned back to Applejack, though she was still unable to meet Applejack’s concerned gaze. She quietly slid herself out from under her covers, daintily picking her legs up and placing them on the ground. She held her arms tightly, standing up and timidly shuffling towards Applejack’s bed. She laid down close to the edge of the bed with a quiet ‘thanks’, and turned to face away from Applejack.
Still feeling guilty, Applejack pulled the covers back up over both of them. It didn’t seem like Dash wanted to do anymore talking, though Applejack was now much more awake than she had been before. Thinking that it might be best if Dash was given some space, Applejack turned over to face away from her friend. The two lay back to back quietly in the single bed, waiting for sleep to take one of them.
The tent was quiet. The night atmosphere seemed to get louder, with the call of night insects and the gentle winds rustling through the trees filling the gap in conversation left by the two girls.
After a few minutes spent staring at the back of her eyelids, Applejack felt an ever so slight tremor coming from the mattress. She wasn’t sure she had actually felt it at first, until it came again a second time. She turned her head to regard the only other occupant of the bed, just in time to see a few silent sobs shake the body of the girl next to her. Applejack’s heart sank. She had really messed up.
Applejack turned back to her side, facing Dash’s back. She reached forward without hesitation, wrapping her arms around the surprised girl and pulling her firmly into her chest. AJ held Dash tightly and buried her head into her shoulder.
“AJ? What are you doing?” Dash asked with a strained voice. She tried to play it off like there was nothing wrong, but Applejack immediately could tell that she had been crying.
“What I shoulda done in the first place.” Applejack spoke with conviction. There had been nothing funny about making fun of her friend like that, and she was determined to make up for it.
“I shouldn’t have laughed at you. When I thought it freaked ya out I thought I could hold it over yer head...but I guess I didn’t really think about how you felt. You deserve better than that. You deserve a better friend than that.”
Applejack finished her point with a squeeze, hugging Dash tighter in her strong arms. She worriedly hoped her friend would accept her apology.
There were a few tense moments, broken up only by a few stray sniffles from the blue girl before she finally responded.
“It’s ok.” Dash emphasized her point with a squeeze to AJ’s strong arms, and snuggled more deeply into the farmer’s embrace.
“Thanks for letting me sleep with you, AJ.” The rainbow haired girl whispered, though with an unmistakable hint of a smile on her face.
“Ain’t no problem at all sugarcube. And don’t you worry none about no forest spirits. You’ll be nice and safe with me tonight.” Applejack spoke lovingly, sensing the change in tone from Rainbow’s voice.
Applejack closed her eyes and curled her body against Rainbow’s, forming a protective shell around the smaller girl. Her nose pressed into the back of Rainbow’s multi colored hair, filling her head with the familiar airy smell of her athletic friend. She waited until she felt the rising in Rainbow’s chest slow, indicating that the girl had finally fallen asleep. Applejack finally relaxed, feeling the fatigue she had from before wash over her again. Happily, she let her mind drift off to join her friend in the comforting embrace of sleep.