//------------------------------// // Escapist Literature // Story: Cuddling // by cooopercrisp //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Escapist Literature Rainbow Dash woke up comfortably nestled in between Applejack and Twilight, and this time she had absolutely no desire to move. She yawned, and the motion stirred Applejack, who turned around and smiled at Rainbow Dash. “Sorry,” Rainbow Dash whispered so as not to wake Twilight. “Ah was already up,” Applejack said. “This was really nice.” “So now you’re just fine with it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes ah am. Ah reckon you slept just as well as ah did.” “Probably better, but I’m a really heavy sleeper,” Rainbow Dash said. “Ah know. You snore somethin’ fierce.” “I do not!” Rainbow Dash protested, just barely remembering to keep her voice to a whisper. “Scootaloo told me your snorin’ kept her awake when we went out campin’, but ah didn’t believe her.” “There was a lot more keeping her up than just my snoring,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “And what pray tell was that?” Applejack asked. “Nothing, forget I said anything,” Rainbow Dash said, hoping to cover for Scootaloo’s recurring nightmares. She was sure the young pegasus didn’t want it going around that she had been spooked by a few ghost stories. “Okay, whatever you say,” Applejack drawled. Suddenly there was some motion on the other side of the bed and a sound as Twilight mumbled. “Are you awake, Twilight?” Applejack asked. “I am now, thanks to you two,” Twilight said snidely. “Sorry. We were trying to be quiet,” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s all right,” Twilight replied, “it was about time for us to be getting up anyway. I think Spike is just about to start dinner. Do you two want to stay here and eat?” “If it’s Spike’s cookin’, ah’m all fer it,” Applejack said. “Yours? Not so much.” “Hey!” Twilight exclaimed. Applejack laughed. “Ah’m only teasin’, Sugarcube,” she said. “Very funny,” Twilight muttered. “Oh, lighten up, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “Applejack jokes with me all the time about my cooking.” “No no, Rainbow Dash, yer cookin’ is the joke,” Applejack said with a smile. Rainbow Dash playfully punched her in the leg. “Well, I’m going to let Spike know to cook for two more,” Twilight said. “Feel free to come downstairs and read some books while we’re getting dinner ready.” “No can do, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “There aren’t any new Daring Do books for me to read.” “You can read far more than just Daring Do, you know,” Twilight said. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Oh, you’re impossible,” Twilight groaned. Applejack started laughing. “Maybe you can show me one of these Daring Do stories, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said. “If they’re really as good as you say they are, then ah feel like ah’m missin’ out on somethin’ important.” “Okay, I guess I can show you the first one,” Rainbow Dash said. The three ponies started heading downstairs, where Spike was already beginning to cook. “Spike,” Twilight said. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack are staying for dinner.” “Way ahead of you, Twilight,” Spike said. “I figured they’d be staying, so I took out the big bowl so I could toss a salad for the four of us.” “That sounds delicious,” Twilight said as she went to the kitchen to help him. “You really are my number one assistant.” Somewhere on a perch, Owlowiscious hooted. While Twilight and Spike prepared dinner, Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat down in the main room of the library. Rainbow Dash was already pulling down a Daring Do book off the shelf. Applejack looked at the long row of Daring Do novels and whistled. “You’ve really read all of those?” Applejack asked. “They’re short and pretty easy,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can blow through one in like a day. “So, this is Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone,” Rainbow Dash explained to Applejack, showing her the cover. She flipped to the book’s first page. “It’s the awesome tale about how a maimed pegasus escapes the dense, tropical jungles with a precious artifact. We start off with Daring Do lost in the thick jungle, having broken her wing in a crash landing.” Rainbow Dash flipped through the pages of the book as she explained the story to Applejack. “She’s grounded for a few days because of it.” “Hold on,” Applejack said. “What’s the point of havin’ Daring Do get her wing injured? Isn’t the big deal about pegasi that they’re supposed to fly?” “You would think so,” Rainbow Dash responded, “but here’s the genius. With her wing broken, Daring Do is a wounded hero. The odds are against her, and that makes it even more exciting when she makes her way past the danger lurking around every corner. “Now, deep in the jungle, predators lurk behind every bush. Suddenly, she’s attacked by a tiger! Daring Do narrowly avoids becoming that cat’s dinner, but that’s not the end of it. No, she becomes surrounded by a tiger, a panther, a lynx, a cheetah, and a housecat.” “Hang on a minute,” Applejack interrupted. “What’s a housecat doin’ in the middle of the jungle?” “That’s an easy one, he’s…wait a minute…they actually don’t really explain it. It just makes it funny, I guess. Anyway, she leaps over the housecat and escapes to relative safety by swinging over a gorge, but that’s before she discovers the temple she’s been trying to find for two months!” “Doesn’t that seem a bit too convenient?” Applejack asked. “There was no indication she was ever gonna find the temple, so how can she just stumble upon it now?” “Okay,” Rainbow Dash said, shutting the book. “Are you going to just sit here picking apart every last detail of the book, or are you going to sit back and enjoy the story?” “Ah’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but there’s just too many improbable things happenin’ for me to get immersed in the story.” “It’s an adventure story,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re supposed to get lost in the excitement and the thrills. Twilight calls it ‘escapist literature’.” “Ah guess ah just can’t get lost in a story that makes no sense,” Applejack said. “You know, this is my single greatest series of books you’re trashing on here!” “Don’t you mean your only series of books?” “I…gah…well what do you read then, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing a hoof at Applejack. “I never see you pick up a book!” “Ah do plenty of readin’,” Applejack said. “You just don’t see me do it ’cause ah don’t read a book when ah’m around mah friends.” “Whatever,” Rainbow Dash said with a sigh. “And who are you to accuse me o’ never readin’? You weren’t no fan of readin’ until there was absolutely nothin’ else you could do,” Applejack protested. “Ah know you’d rather be flyin’ around tryin’ all of them fancy tricks o’ yours than sittin’ at home and readin’ a borin’ old book. And ah like a good book once in a while, but ah’d prefer to work on Sweet Apple Acres. There’s nothin’ wrong with it, it’s how we are.” “You’re missing out on some fantastic literature,” Twilight called from the kitchen. “You’ve been quiet,” Rainbow Dash called back. Twilight walked into the main room and sat down with the other two ponies. “I’ve been trying to help Spike in the kitchen, but I keep making things worse,” Twilight said. “I can understand complex magical theories and perform mesmerizing spells, but I can’t chop tomatoes to save my life.” “Don’t worry about it, Twilight,” Applejack said. “We all have our weaknesses.” “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “And Applejack’s got like at least nine.” “Don’t you start gettin’ all high and mighty, missy,” Applejack protested. “You seem to have a pretty big weakness for Darin’ Do. It’s like you’ve got the hots fer her or somethin’.” Rainbow Dash started to blush and looked away from Applejack. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think, Applejack?” Twilight asked. “Aw, Rainbow Dash knows I’m just pokin’ fun, right, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked her friend. “Well, I don’t have the hots for Daring Do,” Rainbow Dash said, “but I do want to be just like her. I guess I idolize her or something. Is that okay?” “Of course it is, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “It’s great to have somepony to live up to, even if it’s a fictional character.” “Hey, there’s worse ponies you could look up to,” Applejack said. “Take the Flim Flam brothers fer instance. Some ponies might look up to ’em as business ponies, but that’s just askin’ fer a world o’ trouble.” “Thanks guys,” Rainbow Dash said. “Dinner’s ready!” Spike called from the kitchen. The three ponies trotted into the kitchen and saw that Spike had already set four bowls of salad along with the proper silverware. He had also filled four cups with water and placed them alongside the salads. “This looks delicious, Spike,” Twilight said. She took her seat closest to the main room of the library. “Just in time, ah’m starvin’,” Applejack said, sitting to the right of Twilight. “Looks great, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said, taking the seat to Twilight’s left. Spike sat down on the fourth side of the table, at the salad that had been sprinkled with gem shards. The ponies and dragon tucked in and began to eat. The salad was crisp and fresh; the vinaigrette adding a sweet tang to the flavor of the vegetables. Twilight spoke up in between bites. “Rainbow Dash,” she said, “you still have one thing to deal with.” “What’s that?” Rainbow Dash said through a mouthful of salad. She was munching on some daisies that Spike had added to her salad. “What are you going to do about you and Rarity?” Twilight asked. “Uh…what’s there to be done?” Rainbow Dash asked. “She confessed and we had a nice talk. There doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore.” “Don’t be so sure, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, polite enough to swallow her bite of food before speaking. “Ah bet Rarity’s just burnin’ up inside about bein’ rejected.” “She does have the tendency to be overdramatic,” Twilight said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared at her. “I know I do too!” Twilight said. “Wait a minute,” Spike said, swallowing a shard of amethyst. “Did I miss something?” “Rarity’s got a crush on Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said immediately. Spike choked on his next bite of food and swallowed it painfully, coughing as he gasped for air. He took a drink of water to stop his coughing. “Rarity’s got what?” Spike asked. “Applejack!” Twilight scolded her friend. “Don’t you realize how Spike feels about Rarity?” “Hey, come on,” Spike said, trying to save face. “It’s not like I’m that interested in Rarity. I mean, if she has a crush on Rainbow Dash, it’s no big deal. It’s not like I’m screaming at the world for being so unfair.” “Spike,” Twilight started, but Spike slammed a fist down on the table. “It’s so unfair!” he screamed, turning his salad bowl over in disgust. Spike got up and walked away from the table, aiming for the stairs leading up to Twilight’s bedroom. “Spike, I’m really sorry,” Rainbow Dash called after him, but Spike ignored her. “Spike! Oh, what’s the point?” she asked, sighing. “I’ll go talk to him,” Twilight said, setting her utensils down and trotting away from the table, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash alone again. Twilight trotted up the stairs, only to find that Spike had shut himself in her room. Twilight listened at the door and thought she could hear the dragon sobbing. “Spike? Can I come in?” Twilight called through the door. “Go away,” came the response. Twilight sighed and opened the door with her magic. She saw Spike curled up on Twilight’s bed, facing the window. “I said get lost!” Spike yelled, turning to face Twilight. “Spike, you know Rarity never liked you that way,” Twilight said in an attempt to console the grief-stricken dragon. “And she has a right to her own feelings. Just because you like her doesn’t mean she’s not allowed to like anypony else.” “But why Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked. “Why not me? Haven’t I been good to her? Don’t I treat her like a lady whenever I see her? Why is this so unfair?” “Spike, I…” Twilight started, but she was unsure of her words. “I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry, and I’m sorry that’s how you had to find out. Look, if it helps you feel any better, Rainbow Dash doesn’t like her back, so she’s in the same boat that you are.” “How’s that supposed to help?” Spike muttered, crossing his arms. “I guess nothing I do is going to help,” Twilight said resignedly. “Nothing anypony can say or do is going to help you. With time, though, you might start to feel better. Can you at least agree to give it some time and let it blow over? I really want you back at the dinner table, enjoying your wonderful meal. Please?” Twilight pouted and looked at Spike with puppy dog eyes. Spike turned away from Twilight but then slowly looked back at her. He gave a sigh. “You’re right, Twilight. It’s going to take time for me to feel better, but I guess I overreacted and I’m sorry. I would love to come back down and eat dinner with you three.” “Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile, pulling Spike in for a hug.