8. Daring Endeavours
"Get down to the river bed!" Twilight Sparkle shouted as the rest of them pulled Applejack back over the ledge. As soon as her boots hit the bridge she took off in a sprint, staring at the water as she raced towards the trail.
Fluttershy grabbed Rainbow Dash's skateboard as they ran past it, hurrying down to the water. The girls clammed over rocks and down the hill until they reached the river, which was loud from the waves but echoed no tells of life. In silence, the group stared out into the water uncertainly, waiting for some shout or cry or break of water. As the moments dragged on, no such things happened.
"I don't see anything!" Applejack nearly shouted with distress as she picked up her hat and ran her trembling hands through her bangs.
"Me neither." Pinkie Pie replied as she looked around under the bridge, finding nothing.
"Rainbow!" Applejack called out into the darkness, but there were no replies.
"Maybe she swam to the other side?" Sunset Shimmer suggested, her own guilt catching up to her. Applejack's terrifyingly furious gaze hit her and almost knocked her off her feet.
"You," Applejack's word seethed out, and she was visibly livid.
"I didn't make her do it!" Sunset Shimmer defended herself as she stepped back from Applejack, "What dumb-ass jumps from a bridge in the middle of the night?! She was there last year, she knew exactly what would happen!"
Applejack groaned as she knew it was true, and she kicked a large rock out of her way as she stormed up to the riverside, staring out into the water. Her eyes were moist and her chest was burning, but her eyes just kept searching.
"What's that?" Fluttershy squeaked out, clutching the skateboard to her chest as the attention of the group shifted to something floating in the water.
Without hesitation Applejack ran out into the water, not caring about her boots as they sunk under the surface. She reached down into the icy water and felt the object in her hand, pulling it dripping out of the river's waves. She turned it over in her hand and recognized it immediately as Rainbow Dash's left shoe. She turned around and revealed it to her friends, who gasped and gaped.
"Shit," Pinkie Pie cursed as she covered her mouth in shock.
"I'm calling the police," Twilight Sparkle said as she pulled out her cell phone, checking for reception as she backed away from the scene to get some privacy.
"She probably swam to the other side," Rarity reasoned as she started back to the bridge, gesturing for the rest of them to follow her, "Come on."
"Rainbow!" Applejack called out again in the cold water, trying to calm her erratic and hysterical breathing as she looked around, "Rainbow Dash!"
Fluttershy remained still at the shore with the skateboard in her trembling hands, closing up her watering eyes. Pinkie Pie and Rarity went to check the other side as Twilight spoke to the police over the phone several yards away. Applejack stepped through the thick water as she called out again, hearing the fear in her own voice as it cracked. She followed further downstream into the darkness, and Fluttershy followed carefully after her.
"M-Maybe we should find the others?" Fluttershy looked back towards the bridge over her shoulder, and Applejack looked back at her but could not reply.
"I thought the fun was just starting." A cold and raspy voice said as the sopping wet girl came around a large rock on the riverbed.
Applejack whirled around and saw here there, her hair sticking to the sides of her face and her clothes hanging down low around her body as she dripped onto the rocks. "Rainbow?"
"What? You two look like you've just seen a ghost or something." Rainbow Dash's voice faded as she forced a smile, but it faded as no one else laughed.
Applejack stared at her for a moment as her eyebrows sunk down over her glare and her voice broke out in a shout, "Y'think that was funny?!" Applejack stormed up to her and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, though Fluttershy hurried to pull her off of the rebellious girl, "I thought you were dead!"
"Stop, Applejack!" Fluttershy managed to push the two apart, but neither of them listened to what the meek girl said.
"I thought you were dead, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack repeated as pathetic tears formed around her reddening eyes.
"AJ," Rainbow Dash started with a concerned expression, but Applejack shouted at her again.
"Shut your damn mouth!" She screamed as she shoved the rainbow-haired girl, "Y'freakin' moron!"
"Look Applejack, if we're not cool any more, I can just walk myself home okay? You don't have to hang around with me any more." Rainbow Dash growled back and shook her head.
"Fine! Then walk yourself home, y'damn idiot!" Applejack yelled and gestured for Rainbow Dash to just leave.
"Fine, I will." Rainbow Dash stared at her incredulously as Applejack put her hand to her face, trying to sort it out into words.
"How could you," Applejack bit back a snivel, "How could y'be s'damn selfish, Rainbow?!"
"Selfish?" Rainbow Dash laughed and shook her head as tears began to form in her own eyes, but words erupted from her mouth as she shouted back, "I just needed to do something, to see what happened 'cause it was my fault! So fuck you, for not understanding that!" She stormed past her best friend, but did not get far. She stopped and brought her hands to her face before looking up at the sky and fighting off her own cries, "I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have dared her. I should have just kept, kept my big, stupid, smart-ass mouth shut!"
"Rainbow," Applejack's anger began to subside as she approached the now balling girl.
"The current, it was really, really rough," She cried out through sharp intakes of breath, "I didn't, I didn't know! I shouldn't have dared her, Applejack, it's all my fault."
"Hey," Applejack closed the distance between them and pulled Rainbow Dash into a warm embrace, holding her head against her as she cried, "It ain't your fault, Rainbow."
"Yes it was!" Rainbow Dash cried into her friend's shoulder as she gripped at her shirt, pressing her wet body against it.
"No it wasn't, y'didn't know, Rainbow. Y'didn't know." Applejack soothed her as she ran her hand along her back, rubbing her shaking form gently, "Y'didn't push her or nothin', she didn't hafta jump."
"It was an accident," Fluttershy agreed with a timid voice, standing beside the pair.
Rainbow Dash nuzzled closer to Applejack, but her cries turned into forced chuckles as she pulled away and tried to blink the tears away, "I totally suck."
"Yeah, y'kinda do." Applejack smiled as she brushed her hair out of her face, letting her warm hand touch Rainbow's cool face. Rainbow Dash smiled and huffed a laugh at the honesty, letting Applejack brush her hair back again and look into her eyes, "Y'okay, honey?"
"I think I'll be all right." Rainbow Dash slowly nodded as her hands slipped down lower, resting on the prominence of Applejack's hips.
Fluttershy came up beside them and looked from one to the other, noticing the affection and focus in their eyes. She cleared her throat a bit and spoke up, "We, we should go find the others."
"You're right." Applejack nodded as she slipped her arm around Rainbow Dash's cold shoulder, holding her close as they started back towards the bridge. Applejack leaned closer and kissed her on her head, taking in the smell of river water that soaked into her clothes.
The other girls had regrouped and were looking over the bridge by now, into the rushing water, as if something would suddenly show up. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had come around the river bend by now and stepped onto the bridge behind them. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice them approaching, and gave a loud gasp to gain everyone else's attention.
"Oh my gosh, you're alive!" Pinkie squealed as she watched the three approach her, and the others peered over with relief.
"You are like the dumbest person I've ever met in my life, seriously." Rarity scolded her with a glare, but Applejack stepped in.
"Shut up, Rare, she's gone through enough." Applejack defended the girl on her arm, pulling her close so some of the heat between their bodies could be shared in the cool evening. Distant sirens rang over the sound of the river, and everyone exchanged knowing glances.
"Oh no, there are the police!" Twilight Sparkle confirmed as she looked around to try and spot any flashing lights through the trees.
"Let's get out of here." Applejack insisted as she pulled Rainbow Dash after her, and the rest of the girls hurried off the bridge.
Minus Sunset Shimmer, the girls sat in Rarity's car outside of the party, all of them crammed into the back two seats as they held the camera up in front of them. They laughed loudly as they replayed the events of evening before their very eyes, right up until Twilight Sparkle peed on Celestia's stoop. Passing around the last remains of the alcohol they had brought with them, the girls deliberated the final score.
"I think it goes without saying," Pinkie Pie said as she leaned over the back of the forward-most seat, where Applejack and Rainbow Dash held the camera between them, "Rainbow Dash, for sure."
"Hey, I had to pee on Celestia's stoop!" Twilight Sparkle argued, and the girls looked at each other with smiles, "She saw my bare butt!"
"I say Rainbow." Rarity admitted sourly, knowing her own dare was not quite so glamorous as her friend's.
"What about Pinkie, taking off her shirt in front of a huge crowd?" Twilight brought up, and a few of the girls nodded passively, "Or Applejack, losing her—"
"My vote goes t'Rainbow," Applejack interrupted as she hurriedly paused the camera, noticing her own dare beginning to play on the little screen.
"Mine too," Fluttershy agreed shyly, causing Twilight to sigh with defeat.
"Yeah, all right. You win, Rainbow Dash. The pot is yours." Twilight Sparkle finally gave up trying, and leaned back against the seat.
"And I know just what to do with it," Rainbow Dash grinned as she struggled to get the camera away from the blushing Applejack, "I say we head on back into that party and enjoy ourselves. Then, we can stop off and get shittons of pizza!"
"Sounds good to me!" Pinkie Pie cheered and shook the SUV with her dancing in her seat.
"And maybe," Rainbow Dash grinned as she leaned closer to the already flustered Applejack, "After the others fall asleep, you and I can re-visit our little dare, alone." She winked, tapping the video camera with her eager fingers, and the others chuckled as they heard her plan.
Just as planned, the group went back and joined the rest of the party, making the most of the almost fateful evening. Pinkie Pie, being the most prone to partying, recalled the most of what happened that night as she made her way through the crowds almost aimlessly. Visiting her multitudes of friends as she passed, she remembered stopping by and finding Rarity and Spike on the couch.
"I thought it was brave of you, Rarity," The younger boy murmured as he helped her lay out some swatches she had brought along in her bag along their knees.
"How many people, do you think, saw the pictures?" Rarity nervously asked, pursing her lips as her eyes went over the swatches.
"Blueblood has almost the whole school in his contacts, probably everyone," Spike told her certainly, but noticing the disappointed expression on her face, he went to console her, "Don't worry about it though, I think it will be good for your reputation. Riding a horse down a street in the middle of the night, it kind of makes you a badass, don't you think?"
"Well," Rarity chewed the term over, not entirely pleased with it but not entirely deterred by it either, "I suppose it does, doesn't it?"
"I thought you looked pretty good doing it, too," Spike added shyly, running his hands over the fabrics.
"My, you are a sweet boy, aren't you?" Rarity smiled at him, and he returned the expression.
Excusing herself with a sneaky knowing grin, Pinkie Pie continued through the crowd until she found a simple, suspicious looking closet. Too curious not to suddenly rip it open and catch whoever it was red handed, Pinkie Pie placed her hand on the nob. With an apprehensive and excited grin, Pinkie tore the door open and peered inside.
"Eek—Pinkie?!" A voice squealed as Pinkie's eyes adjusted to the darkness, catching a glimpse of the girl's pale pink hair.
"Ohmygosh, Fluttershy?!" Pinkie gasped loudly, only to be pulled into the closet and have the door closed behind her.
Inside, a light flicked on and she was astounded to see the messed-hair of not only her most timid friend, but of another friend's older brother. She gasped again and pointed her shocked finger between the two. It landed at last on Big Mac, whose embarrassed face grew redder every moment.
"You and Big Mac? It's a thing?!" She called, but Fluttershy covered her mouth nervously.
"Please, please don't tell Applejack! Promise me, Pinkie!" Fluttershy squeaked out with pleading eyes, and Pinkie was on board immediately.
"Not a word!" Pinkie sword with a firm nod, though she was clearly giddy to have such a secret known, "Besides, it's not like Applejack's innocent either, right?" She slapped her hands over her mouth as the words came tumbling out.
"Pardon?" Big Mac's voice was low and compelling, but Pinkie hurriedly brushed it off.
"Uh, nothing! Just go back to doing, um," She didn't really know how to put it, but after already fumbling for the doornob and cranking it open, she had to leave them with something, "Fluttershy!"
Pinkie slammed the door on them and pressed her back up against it, glancing around to see if anyone had seen. Wiping the imaginary sweat from her brow and sighing in relief, she left the two in the closet to do... whatever they were doing.
With another quick lap of the house, Pinkie came to realize that after a few drinks, Twilight Sparkle had become the life of the party. She amazed the crowd with retelling some of the more interesting events of the evening, and had somehow grown out of her social anxiety. And as she passed by one of the windows, she could clearly make out Rarity's SUV, which was gently rocking as one of Applejack's trademark boots was knocked up onto the wind shield. She could have sworn Rarity had left the keys with Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie sure knew her parties, but this would be one to remember; no matter how much tequila she had consumed by then. And even if she did forget, they always had the video tape, and surely she would make certain they all got their own personal copies. Though some of them had been initially reluctant, in the end, everyone ended up having one hell of an experience. Maybe all it took to have a great and memorable night was taking the risk to do something a little... daring.