//------------------------------// // Just Girls Talking About Chromism I // Story: Just Girls Talking // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// Applejack eyed her MyStable feed with a twinge of annoyance. Typical peachy, lol...so boring She blew on her bangs, her eyes narrowed in irritation. The comment was in response to a photo she'd posted of the Apples' prize red delicious tree, Bloomberg, who had a record crop of unusually large, ripe, shiny apples coming along. Bloomberg was her pride and joy, and she was especially pleased with the finest crop the old tree had ever produced. Yes, apples and farming were her passion. They were her life. She could understand how some might not find that very interesting, but that wasn't any reason to go off and call her boring. It damn sure wasn't cause to go off and call her boring for being a "peachy". "What's up, Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked, shuffling into the room. She glanced at Applejack's computer screen and winced. "Ouch." "Eeyup," Applejack said with a bored sigh. "Ah can't believe people sometimes, y'know?" Apple Bloom said, sitting down next to Applejack and crossing her arms and legs. "Me an' Taps are on th' outs 'cuz he got mad at me fer 'actin' yellah', whutever th' hell that means." Applejack frowned. "You're puttin' up with this kinda shit too?" "Eeyup." Apple Bloom sighed. "Hell's that supposed t' mean anyway, 'actin' yellah'?" "Damned if Ah know," Applejack snorted. "Ah personally know two, maybe three yellah gals, an' ain't none'a y'all act nothin' alike!" She frowned. "When'd this all start, anyway?" "Shoot, Ah dunno," Apple Bloom said. "We was doin' homework an' watchin' TV, then it jes' came outta nowhere..." "Hmm." Applejack pursed her lips. "Let's ask Fluttershy if she knows whut it means. She's so worried about ever' little thing folks say, she's bound t' know..." She pullled out her phone and put Fluttershy on video call. "Oh hello, Applejack! Apple Bloom. What's up?" "Fluttershy, whut's it mean when people say we're 'actin' yellah'?" Apple Bloom blurted out. Fluttershy blinked. "Oh. Oh my." Her irises contracted to pinpricks. "Is...is somebody saying that about you?" "Tender Taps," Apple Bloom said. "We're kinda fussin' right now." "Oh." Fluttershy blushed. "Um. How did that...start?" "Shoot, Ah dunno! That's why we called, see if we can figger out whut it might mean." "Oh. Um. Okay." Fluttershy ducked her head and coughed. "W-well. You know how pink-skinned people, especially girls, have kind of a reputation for being, well...out of control wild party animals?" Applejack chuckled. "An' at least one pink gal we know is exactly that," she said. "Well...yes...but I don't just mean what Pinkie Pie normally does. I mean, umm..." Fluttershy blushed. "The...the kind of party you have, umm...naked...and sometimes sell videos of it online..." "Oh," Applejack said, blinking. "Uhh...okay, that's a new one on me." "Oh yeah, that whole super-slut reputation pinks have," Apple Bloom said, nodding. "W-well..." Fluttershy coughed. "Yellows...we don't have, umm...that reputation? But, umm...there's kind of this stereotype associated with being yellow where you, umm...h-have a dirty mind. Like, a really dirty mind." She blushed furiously. Apple Bloom groaned. "Oh, is THAT whut it is?" She shook her head and sighed. "Taps is actin' all stupid jes' cuz Ah got mah mind in th' gutter? Ah thought it was somethin' serious!" She stood up and stretched. "Thanks, Fluttershy. That was buggin' me somethin' fierce." "Oh, umm...you're welcome," Fluttershy said. "Was...was that all?" "Yep, that's all, bye!" Apple Bloom waved. Applejack frowned, disconnected the call, and stood up. "Now you jes' wait a dang second!" she yelled. "What's this about you havin' yer mind in th' gutter?" "EEP!" Apple Bloom took off like a shot, her sister chasing her all over the house. * * * * * Flash winced at the comments on Applejack's MyStable post. "Ouch." He sighed and went back to changing his A-string. "Hey, uhh...Sunset? I'm not...I'm not boring, am I?" Sunset, who was tuning her guitar across from him, blinked. "W-well...not really?" She shook her head. "I mean, umm..." She coughed. "You play guitar, you're a good guy, you help people out all the time, you've got a cool car..." "Yeah yeah, but..." Flash sighed. "It just seems sometimes like I'm just in the background, like...like I don't stand out or anything." He scratched at his arm, frowning. "I just..." He winced. "Do people just see me as a boring peachy?" Sunset groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I swear to Celestia, I will never understand chromism." She shook her head. "These chromist stereotypes are just so stupid..." "W-well, yeah, but..." Flash took a moment to tighten his strings. "You gotta admit, they're not totally...I mean..." He frowned. "Look at Rainbow Dash and Trixie. I mean, they're both blue, and they're super showoffs. Y'know, like people say about blues." Sunset groaned. "Sugarcoat from Crystal Prep is blue and she isn't a super showoff." "Yeah, but their Lemon Zest is kind of a crazy party girl, and, well..." Sunset winced. "Okay, you know? I'm not even gonna argue about the pinkist stereotypes, because..." She deflated. "I honestly can't. I mean, every pink girl I know is kind of a party animal. I mean, not the super slut stereotype party animal, but..." She frowned. "Wow, I'm trying to say chromism is stupid, and here I am proving it's..." She bit her lip. "Gah." "See what I mean?" Flash exclaimed. "I hate these chromist stereotypes, but...but they kinda stick sometimes. I mean, I'm a peachy and I feel like I'm...pretty dull and bland. I look at Rainbow Dash and I see all the blue stereotypes." He shook his head. "I don't know what to think." "I know what to think," Sunset said. "You shouldn't expect a person to act a certain way just because their skin is a certain color. You have to understand everybody for who they are, regardless of what they look like, and accept them for their own uniqueness." She blinked, then chuckled. "Wow. That got preachy." "A little, yeah," Flash said. "But you're right." He sighed. "I'm just being stupid about this. I guess...because lately I just feel like I don't matter." Sunset walked over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You do matter, Flash," she said. "And you're not boring! Not you, not the Apples! Don't let anybody convince you otherwise, got it?" Flash smiled. "Yeah. Thanks." The door to the music room opened, and Fluttershy peeked in. "Sunset? I wanted to—oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh my. I'm sorry. Um. I'll go now." She started to close the door, then paused. "Do you two, umm...need any protection? Or lotion? Or...or anything? Are you good? Are you—" "FLUTTERSHY!" Sunset yelled, face flaming. "We're just working on our guitars, not—GAH!" "Eep! S-sorry!" Fluttershy closed the door quickly, her face flaming. Sunset and Flash sat awkwardly for a long moment, refusing to look at each other. Flash coughed pointedly. "So uhh...do I even need to point out—" Sunset groaned and facepalmed. "Don't," she said. "Just...don't." A loud shout drew their attention to the window. Pinkie Pie ran by outside, completely naked.