//------------------------------//
// ==Part Five:  Remedy Dash== 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	"And I ain't talkin' about just this apple buckin' season and the next!"  Applejack exclaimed, her voice reaching ecstatic pitches as she grinned across the table at Sugarcube Corner.  "But we done hoof-shook over no less than ten seasons of partnership!  This Fancy Pants fella even said that the only thing that could break our agreement is a dag-blame'd apocalyptic scenario!"

Pinkie Pie gasped heavily as she placed a tray of cupcakes onto the table's edge.  "You mean like flying frogs with flaming tongues and stuff?!"

"Might as well be an entire ocean full of lava-spitting salamanders! Hehhehhh!"  Applejack practically guffawed.  Her grin was so large that it nearly squeezed the freckles off her face.  "I tell you what, I've completely changed the way I used to feel about them high-and-mighty business folk of the Trottingham hills!  You'd think they've not tasted apples in their lives, considerin' how much this unicorn is willin' to pay for em!"

"Wow, Applejack!"  Twilight grinned warmly.  "This is the best news I've heard from you in a while!"

"Did this stallion say what he wanted the apples for?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmmmm..."  Applejack adjusted the brim of her hat, squinting at the eatery's ceiling.  "Somethin' to do with a brand spankin' new trade route with these buffalo who live up in some place called Granite Mountain.  Beats the heck out of me what Fancy Pants is wantin' to get out of such an exchange, but—shucks!"  Applejack grinned again, gripping the table tight with both forelimbs.  "If this gives me an opportunity to sell our apples to new ponyfolk beyond Canterlot, then I'm happy to have been signed up!"

"Well, of course Fancy Pants knows what he's doing!" Rarity gasped over a dainty cup of tea.  "He's only the wealthiest, smartest, and most benevolent philanthropist in all of the East Territories!"  She took a sip, then stifled a breathy giggle.  "Not to mention exceedingly debonair and handsome."  She fanned herself with a sparkle to her eyes.  "Hmmm... if he has an eye for your produce, Applejack, then what's to say that he won't take a liking to other things to come out of Ponyville?  Such as art!  Crafts!"

"Or fashion, perhapssss?"  Twilight smirked with a waggling eyebrow.

"Mmmm..."  Rarity hid her blushing face behind a pair of curled forelimbs.  "A mare can dream."

"Well, I for one think that this is the most fantastic news I've heard all week!"  Twilight chirped.  "Heck, make that the whole month!  It just... I don't know!  It brightens my day!"  She giggled to herself.

"You think yer happy!"  Applejack smirked.  "Granny Smith's almost had three heart attacks in the last forty-eight hours, all from tryin' to jump for joy!"

"Oh goodness!"  Fluttershy gasped.  "Is she okay?"

Applejack winked.  "Nothin' a little Sweet Apples Calming salve won't fix."

"Calming... salve...?"  Rarity blinked.

Applejack rolled her eyes and gestured.  "Spread a little apple sauce right above the nose.  It does wonders."

"Ohhhhhh..."  Rarity smiled into her steaming cup of tea.  "I do so need to try that the next time I'm at the spa."

"You've been awfully quiet, Rainbow!"  Twilight looked across the table.  "What do you think of Applejack's good news?"

Rainbow Dash was leaning back in her seat, lying her head on a pair of hooves folded behind her neck.  She smiled rosily into the far end of the place.

Twilight blinked, followed the path of the pegasus' eyes into nothingness, and turned to squint at her again.  "Uhhhh... Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow kept smiling.

"Hey!"  Pinkie Pie gasped.  "Dashiiiie!"

"Guh..."  Rainbow blinked, then turned towards the group of mares.  "Buh?"

"Oh, whew!"  Pinkie Pie slumped back with a sigh of relief.  "For a moment there, I thought your brain had turned to slugs or something!"

"You okay, Rainbow Dash?"  Twilight asked.  "You... look tired."

"Oh..."  Rainbow Dash cracked her neck joints and leaned limply against the edge of the table.  "Don't mind me.  I was up all night... uhm..."  She fidgeted.  "Doing loopty loops over my house."

"All throughout the night?"  Rarity stammered.  "Why, whatever for, darling?"

"Oh... uhm..."  Rainbow's cheeks burned slightly.  "Uhhh... I was just... erm..."

"Training... for the Wonderbolts?"  Twilight raised her eyebrow.

Rainbow blinked.  "Yes!  The Wonderbolts!  That's exactly it!"  She leaned back with a nervous chuckle.  "Gotta keep myself in top shape!  Cuz... those Wonderbolts, heh, I'm telling you!"  She grinned in Applejack's direction, gulping hard.  "Not a day goes by when I don't think of... of j-joining the Wonderbolts!"

"Heh... well keep at it, sugarcube!"  Applejack winked back.  "I for one am livin' testimony that you can accomplish yer dreams no matter what you run up against!"

Rainbow Dash exhaled.  "Yeahhhhhh..." She positively cooed.

"Glad to see you're on board with this discussion."  Rarity chuckled.  "My goodness!  My mouth feels positively parched from all of this felicitous gasping!"

"Uhm..."  Applejack squinted.  "Don't ya have yer tea to wet yer whistle with?"

"Oh, but now I feel like I desire something cool and refreshing."  Rarity turned towards Pinkie Pie.  "Pinkie, dear, might I trouble you for some of Sugarcube Corner's finest lemonade?"

"I can do ya a better solid than that!"  Pinkie hopped out of her seat and flounced across the room.  "Follow me!  We can choose you a flavor!"

"More than one flavor of lemonade?!"  Rarity scooted out of her chair and daintily trotted after the earth pony.  "I feel prepared to—how do you put it—'have my mind blown,' as t'were..."

"I certainly can't pass this up!"  Twilight scooted out of the chair and followed closely behind.  "Pinkie!  Make that double!"

"Shucks, I can actually plan on havin' spendin' money now!"  Applejack briskly chased the group.  "Wait up!  And triple it, y'all!"  She glanced over her shoulder.  "You two want in?"

"Uhm..."  Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow Dash's rosy-faced stare, then smiled innocently back at the farm filly.  "We're good.  But we appreciate it."

"Suit yerselves!"  Applejack trotted on.  "Whew!  Golly, I feel like runnin' a mile after this!  It's a gorgeous day outside, ain't it?"

Once the two were alone, Fluttershy pensively scooted over.  "Uhm... Rainbow Dash?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"You ever noticed how dang pink this place is?"  Rainbow Dash's head tilted up, up, up.  "Hmmmm..."  She cooed.  "And not just Sugarcube Corner, but the whole town."

"I... I-I guess...?"

"Suddenly, it's not so lame," Rainbow Dash chuckled dryly.  "I think I'm starting to like pink.  It's so... heart fluttery..."

Fluttershy squinted.  "Heart... fluttery...?"

"What?  Think I can't take up poetry?"

"I... uhm... I think that you're staring a lot today, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said with a gulp.  "Staring a lot more than usual."

Rainbow blinked and tilted her head down to look at her.

Fluttershy fidgeted.  "Staring at her."

"Oh.  Right.  Uhm."  Rainbow Dash nervously scratched the back of her head.  "You don't think she noticed, d-did you?"

"No..."  Fluttershy bore a gentle smile as she shook her head.  "I think she was too busy being joyful to notice you... uhm... b-being joyful."

"Heh... heheheheheheh... Yeah..."  Rainbow Dash grinned dumbly across the eatery.  "Dang crap is infectious, isn't it?"

"Is it really just a lack of sleep, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked.  "You may be able to convince the girls, but it doesn't get past me."

"Wow!  Look at the gills at you!"  Rainbow reached across the table and picked up one of the cupcakes.  "Since when did you learn to swim upstream?"

"I just can't help but notice that something really, really wonderful has happened to Applejack, and for some reason you're almost as happy as she is.  Also... uhm..."  Fluttershy gulped.  "You... were gone for the last two days.  You left without an announcement or anything—"

Rainbow Dash dropped the cupcake entirely.  The thing toppeled in mid-air and landed on the tabletop, icing side down.

Fluttershy blinked.

Rainbow winced, flexing and unflexing her limbs.  She grunted a bit, feeling her shoulder as her wings twitched behind her.

Fluttershy's lips pursed.  "Is... is it getting worse?"

"Pfft.  It was worse before it became better," Rainbow Dash muttered.  "Same old, same old."

"But... but..."

"Guhhh..." Rainbow hissed inwardly, struggling to even pick the cupcake back up in her numb hooves.  "Nnngh... meh.  I wasn't in the mood for cupcakes anyways."  She coughed and smirked.  "Hey, is it brighter in here?  Or is it because I'm missing a few eyelashes?  Heheheheh..."

"Rainbow... you're... y-you're scaring me..."  Flutterhy shivered slightly.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Fluttershy."

"But... but I'm worried about you and—"

"Fluttershy, for real."  Rainbow smiled calmly at her.  "I'm fine.  There's never been a time in my life when I was more fine.  Believe me."  She smiled wider.  "I'm happy.  I'm super crazy happy, and I've no problem with it."

Fluttershy blinked.  "Okay," she murmured with a pensive nod.  "Just, sometimes I wonder."

"Well, don't.  Your friggin' name's not 'Wondershy,' now is it?  Cuz then they'd have to give you a lasso."

Fluttershy said nothing.

Rainbow stared at her.  She rolled her eyes, sighed, and reached over—giving the dainty pegasus a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Uhhhh..."  Fluttershy squinted at the gesture as Rainbow shuffled back to where she sat.  "What was that all about?"

"What?"  Rainbow grumbled slightly.  "That was me being affectionate."

"It was?"

"You know that I'm not so good at the 'hugging' thing."

"Well, you're going to have to be someday," Fluttershy said with a wink.  "Right?"

"Mrhmmmmmm..."  Rainbow grimaced for the first time that day.  "I dunno..."

"Here..."  Fluttershy shuffled over and flung her arms around the mare.  "I'll teach you!"

"Hey—it—Fluttershy!"  Rainbow squirmed and fidgeted.

"Hmmmmm?"  Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling her friend softly in the neck.  "If everything's 'okay,' then you can shove me off!"

"Guh... it... but..."  Rainbow hissed, feeling her limbs too numb to oblidge the taunt. "Darn it!  Save it for Big Macintosh, will ya?"

"Mmmm—but my arms can't reach around him like they can you."

"Oh, for Pete's sake..."  Rainbow gave up, slumping in her embrace.

"Heeheehee."

"What am I going to do with you, Flutters?"

"Be happy," she murmured.  "And be well."

Rainbow calmly patted the mare's mane as she muttered, "Well, this week at least, I feel two for two.  So that's a start, right?"






Part Five: Remedy Dash
(Whereupon Rainbow's Life Practices Gravity and We're Forced to Watch)