Snowed In- A Humanized Appledash Fanfic- Chapter Three
"R- Rainbow?" Applejack's voice shook as she whispered into the athlete's ear, delicate, bony fingers tracing her thighs.
The bedroom was dark, lit only by stray strands of moonlight breaking through the cloud cover above. Despite the icy snowflakes that fell against their bodies, Applejack couldn't help but think about how warm she felt, as if her body was covered in small flames. Above her Rainbow Dash was a dark silhouette in the night, heavily pressing down against AJ's frame.
"Yes?" Rainbow lowered her lips to Applejack's collar bone, leaving a small trail of kisses up the side of the blonde's neck. "Is something wrong?"
Yes. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong, but Applejack couldn't quite place it. Between the weight of Rainbow's body upon her own, and the raspy breaths escaping her own mouth, the farm girl could barely think straight. A light nip on the ear caused her whole body to jerk, enticing a light giggle from her assaulter.
"I..." Applejack forced herself to ignore the wandering fingertips as they traced her hips. "How did we get here?"
"We came right after our relaxing hot tub adventure," said Rainbow as she brushed lips with her friend, pulling a heavy gasp from AJ's lungs. "Your heart sure is racing."
"No! That's wrong!" Applejack fought back in frustration, attempting to push Rainbow from on top of her. "Something distracted us!"
"Something?" Rainbow ignored Applejack's struggling, furthering her furry of kisses across the girl's shoulders. "Like what?"
"Like..." Applejack's body struggled to resist her temptation. "Like..." Her mind was beginning to go blank, filled with thoughts of the rainbow-haired athlete.
And then it hit her.
"Like a body!"
Suddenly everything stopped. In the blink of an eye the delicate snowflakes morphed into a horrifying blizzard, smashing down against the house with deadly force, and the door to the bedroom shot open like a bullet, revealing a deadly figure. Broad shoulders, raising and falling in heavy succession as the figure grew closer with heavy and forceful steps. In it's hand, a wicked looking knife.
Rainbow's screams were cut short as the knife found a new, fleshy sheath.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled down the rainbow haired girl's pale skin, and fell onto Applejack below, each drop a hot coal on her body, burning to the touch.
...
...
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Applejack's scream split the silence of the homely bedroom as she shot up from her sleep, drenched in sweat and fear. Her body felt as if it was on fire, and in a panicked flailing she quickly found herself free of the constraining blanket. But she was alive. And safe. And the disgusting smell of blood no longer lingered in the air.
A dream.
Applejack's heart pounded like a hammer against her chest as she took in her surroundings. Her bedroom. A quick glance around the room revealed that everything was as it should be.
As the frightened girl began to calm down, her senses began to regulate. The first thing she noticed was the constant pounding of the blizzard, testing the house's durability. Slowly her breathing evened out once again. Just a dream...
"Applejack?" Rainbow's voice pierced the darkness. "Is something wrong?"
After a mighty fine debate, Applejack was the one who claimed ownership of the bed, Rainbow resorting to a makeshift mattress of blankets on the carpet floor. It was from her resting place that Rainbow peeked over the mattress, at her mess of a friend. Across Rainbow's face was still plastered the silly expression of a sleepy girl rudely awoken.
"Just nightmares," Applejack slowly crawled to the end of the bed, making her way onto her feet. Behind her, Rainbow did the same.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm just going to go check on our... guest," Applejack started making her way for the door, but a firm grip on her wrist demanded her to stop in place.
"Apples," Rainbow spoke in the same way a mother would to a frightened child. "This must be the tenth time tonight. He's not moving. The man is out cold."
"But-" Applejack began to speak, but couldn't find the words.
Images of the body flooded her mind. Crimson blood, thick and pungent. Heavy, raspy breaths, begging for life to hold on just a little longer. The large, bear-like figure of a man out for blood and, of course, the large gash across his lower neck, blood pooling like a fountain around his face-down corpse. Last, but certainly not least, the wicked, jagged, bloody knife held in tight grasp.
The farm girl, despite the strong face she always put on around her friends, as if nothing in the world could bring her down, began to shake. Violently. Before Applejack had time to speak, or do anything at all, Rainbow had released the tight grip of her wrist, and instead wrapped two strong arms around Applejack in a warm embrace.
Despite her best efforts, Applejack's fears got the best of her, and salty tears began to roll down her cheeks in streams.
"Shh," Rainbow whispered lightly. "It's all right. It was just a nightmare."
Slowly, keeping Applejack held tight, Rainbow made her way over to the girl's bed, escorting Applejack, and as calmly as possible, seated the farm girl on the edge of the mattress. And there they sat, wordless for some time, Applejack crying her heart out into Rainbow's shoulder.
"It's not just a nightmare..." Applejack cried. "It's real! He's real! And... Alive."
"He can't hurt you." Rainbow's fingers brushed through Applejack's golden hair soothingly.
"But-"
"He can't hurt you." Rainbow's grip tightened, forcing Applejack's head into the cradle of the sporty girl's neck.
"I-"
"Shut up."
That seemed to do it. Wordlessly the two friends remained there, still, quiet, contempt. It took a moment for Applejack to recognize where she was, but soon, as she noticed the touch of Rainbow's fingers on the back of her neck, AJ's heart began to quicken yet again. With each heavy, calming breath the unmistakable scent of Rainbow Dash crept into the farm girl's head.
She was so close. Applejack could feel her lips brushing against Rainbow's neck, and it shot thrills through Applejack's spine! But why?
"Come on," Rainbow whispered before standing, and forcing Applejack to do so as well.
"Where are we going?" the farm girl already missed the scent, but would never admit it.
"Well," Rainbow loosely grabbed Applejack's hand. "Seeing as you keep waking me up every time I close my eyes, I figure there's no point in going back to sleep, so I thought you and I could spend a little quality time together."
Even in the shadowy bedroom, AJ knew that across Rainbow's face rested a sly smile. She was thankful that Rainbow Dash couldn't see the cherry red blush forming on her freckled cheeks.
"I-" Applejack was speechless. "You- but- huh?"
"Hot chocolate," Rainbow spoke, ignorant of Applejack's less innocent thoughts. "In front of the fire. Come on, we can pull an all nighter, and you won't have any more of those nasty nightmares."
Without waiting for an answer, Rainbow turned, and made her way into the hallway, pulling Applejack along behind her. Both were careful to step over the crimson stain leading from the front door to the next bedroom over on their way into the living room.
The room was exactly how it was left hours ago. Several bowls of tainted water littered the kitchen counters, bloody rags resting in each. The first aid kit placed above the sink had been all but emptied as Rainbow Dash attempted to tend to the man's wound, whilst Applejack prepared one of the bedrooms with spare sheets that could get a little messy. Even after the lapse of time, an irony sting still lingered in the air to assault Applejack's nostrils, though Rainbow seemed to hardly notice.
The fireplace still burned on several embers, luckily, running as the only source of warmth in the blizzard-forsaken cabin. While Rainbow maneuvered her way through the messy kitchen, Applejack re stocked the fire with a fresh supply of wood. Before long the sweet smell of chocolate dominated the lingering blood.
"Ah'm sorry," Applejack called across the room, not willing to make eye contact with Rainbow.
"Don't be," Rainbow laughed back. "Who needs sleep anyways."
The living room seemed off to Applejack. For so many years she had visited this cabin, and each year it was always the same. Until now. What bugged her most was the eerie silence, filled only by the constant assault of an angry snow storm. Turning to the old antique radio, Applejack flicked it on.
"Good eve.... to all of ......ne folks out ..ere!" the radio voice cut in and out of it's excited speech. "And what an evening it is... This ...st in, th... ... ... ... and officials are sayi... ... ... ... ... ..t's all fo... ..."
Static. Of course.
"The radio's out, huh?" Rainbow Dash made her way over to the fire and placed the two steaming cups onto the carpet. "No matter, we'll just have to enjoy each other's company. Which really shouldn't be so hard, with someone as interesting as you."
Applejack turned to see her friend, noticing her strange pajamas for the first time. Typical for Rainbow Dash, she wore a bright cyan sports bra, with matching undergarments, poke-dotted in tiny rainbow colored lightning bolts. Applejack fought to stifle a giggle.
"You get comfortable," Rainbow motioned to the carpet in front of the fire. "I'll be right back."
Applejack happily did so, crossing her legs before the fire and cradling her hot chocolate in her hands. The flames, taking form across their new source of fuel, licked hungrily at the wood. Warmth radiated from the fireplace, wrapping like a blanket around the farm girl's chilly shoulders. Staring deep into the relaxing flames, Applejack's eyes glassed over with thought.
What was with those nightmares? She understood the fear of death part, with the knife, and the wounded man. But what came before... Her cheeks reddened at the thought of Rainbow Dash. Why was she thinking such things!
Deep in thought, AJ didn't even notice Rainbow's return until the Rainbow haired girl dropped a heavy blanket across Applejack's shoulders.
"You were shivering," Rainbow placed her plot next to AJ's on the carpeted floor, picking up her own chocolatey elixir of deliciousness. "You okay?"
Applejack turned to see a set of wide, worried magenta orbs staring back at her. Rainbow wasn't simply asking to be polite, but rather seemed to be legitimately perplexed as to her friend's condition. It only intensified the farm girl's already dominating blush.
"I'm..." Applejack paused to take a sip of sugary goodness, and to pull her eyes away from Rainbow's. "Yeah."
"Nightmares, huh?" Rainbow downed a swig of her own steamy beverage of awesome.
"Yeah."
"So," Rainbow nudged Applejack's side lightly. "Why don't you tell me about them. Maybe I can help?"
Applejack coughed in surprise, almost releasing the contents of her mouth into the hungry fire. No. Oh God, no!
"Applejack?"
"My nightmares..." AJ cursed silently to herself. She always was a terrible liar. Maybe, just maybe if it were someone else she would be able to make something up, but Rainbow had known her for too long. There was no fooling her. "I don't really know how to describe them. I mean, they always ended with that man... Breaking into the bedroom, and..."
Applejack felt the pinch of tears on her eyes, but she forced them back. A soft hand fell upon the centre of her back, supporting and soothing.
"And what?" Rainbow pushed the question farther, and Applejack knew she wouldn't give up on it.
"Well, he had a knife," AJ whispered the words. "And- and he came in, and..."
"Stabbed you?"
"No," Applejack laughed a little under her breath, realizing that the conversation was going to get really weird really fast. "He stabbed you..."
"Me?" Rainbow scooted a little closer as Applejack began to shake again. "I was in your dream?"
"Yeah."
"What was I doing in your dream?"
"You, uh..." AJ could swear her cheeks were on fire as she diverted her eyes to the other side of the room, as far away from Rainbow Dash as possible.
"Come on," Rainbow rested her arm across Applejack's shoulders to stop the farm girl from avoiding her. "You can tell me. I won't bite."
"I don't know how to explain it." Applejack thought back to the light ear nibble in her dream.
"Come on," Rainbow wiggled her way under the blanket with Applejack, and put on a puppy dog face. "Pleeeaaase tell me?"
Sighing heavily, Applejack turned to face her friend. She was so close.
"You really want to know?" Applejack's heart quickened as she planned her next words- or rather, actions- carefully.
"Yes!" Rainbow's pout morphed into an excited smile.
But Applejack really didn't know how to explain it. The way Rainbow's fingers traced her body, and the thrill of hot breath on her neck. No, there was only one way to really show Dash what her role was in the nightmare.
Taking a deep breath in, Applejack reached a hand up the broad of Rainbow's back, finding a comfortable hold on the back of the rainbow haired girl's head.
"Apples," Rainbow spoke cautiously. "What are you-"
But Applejack didn't give time for Rainbow to finish her sentence, as that would mean time to second guess her decision, and she would have none of that. Quickly, and without hesitation, Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash forward, meeting her best friend's lips with her own.