//------------------------------// // #4 - Dac, Mac and Applejack // Story: One More Dance // by LightningSword //------------------------------// One More Dance #4 -- Dac, Mac, and Applejack “Come on, Dac!” Applejack yelled up to him.  “Come on down, so we can help you! Believe me, I understand how you're feelin' right now! But this ain't the way to fix your problems! What's goin' through your mind right now, it'll all pass! Trust me, it will, I promise!!”  She struggled to keep her voice from breaking, and blinked repeatedly to keep her tears from escaping. Dac's only response was a loud, angry, “Go away!!” “Calm down, Applejack,” said Dash, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.  “I'm pretty sure he knows that. In fact, that's why I'm sure he's not gonna jump.” “But, h-how can you be s-so sure?” Fluttershy asked, still holding back her own tears while Pinkie still cried hers. “I don't know . . . I just am.” “Darling, you can't possibly know for sure,” Rarity argued.  “None of us realized just how troubled Dac was until today.” “Look, I just know, okay?!”  Dash was suddenly defensive.  It was easy to see that she was trying to hide her own feelings. “Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked cautiously.  “Um, what did you say to Dac? How did you answer his question?” Dash blushed a bit, crossed her arms and turned away.  “Look, I don't wanna talk about it, alright?” “Applejack, you said Dac talked to you the same day as Pinkie, right?” asked Sunset.  “What did you say to him?” Applejack glanced back up at Dac's still figure on the roof before answering, “I honestly didn't think it was such a big thing. I swear, I tried to let him down easy . . . .” “But what's that stuff for, Applejack?” Pinkie asked as she saw her brother, Big McIntosh, hauling in several large boxes.  “If you didn't bring stuff for the Fall Formal, then what's in the boxes?” “Pinkie, these boxes have apple juice for the vendin' machines,” Applejack explained, “You know my family donates healthy food to the school all the time, right?” As he passed, Big Mac nodded, giving a laconic, “Eeyup.” “Oh, okay. No problem!” Pinkie replied, satisfied.  “Well, I got more stuff to bring in, and more gym to decorate! Catch ya later, Apples!”  She then zoomed out of the gym, a pink blur that stirred up a streamer-moving wind. Applejack smiled and rolled her eyes.  “That girl's got more zip that a thoroughbred on a sugar rush.”  She then grabbed one of the boxes Mac had brought in and rushed behind him to help out.  On her way, she passed the boy Pinkie was talking to earlier, easily overtaking his slow gait, and nodded to him with a friendly smile.  “Howdy, Dac.” Dac looked at her as she passed, and weakly waved back.  “Oh, hi, Applejack,” he mumbled.  As she left the gym, she could hear Dac starting to follow her, wanting to catch up, “Oh, hey, Applejack! Could I ask you something? I won't take too long.” Turning a corner and walking down the hall, Applejack, Big Mac, and Dac all stopped at a vending machine at the end of the hall.  As Mac opened it up, Applejack responded, “Uh, sure, Dac, but make it quick, okay? We got a lot more boxes to bring in.” Mac agreed, curtly and simply, “Eeyup.” “Oh, okay, uh . . . well, I was wondering . . . if you had a free day, I thought . . . maybe . . . .”  Dac pushed laboriously through his question, until he took a deep breath and finally spit it out, “Applejack, would you like to go out with me?!”  He then threw both hands over his mouth, his eyes widening and his face turning a deep red. Applejack and Big Mac stared at Dac as if he'd suddenly grown wings.  Applejack glanced at her brother with a raised eyebrow, and Mac continued his work, loudly and awkwardly clearing his throat beforehand. Applejack slowly approached Dac, a soft blush on her own face.  “Look, I appreciate the offer, partner,” she began easily, “but I don't really have time for a date. We've been needin' extra hands in the fields all week, and on top of deliveries, volunteerin' and caterin' the Formal, I've gotta keep ahead on my homework . . . .”  She stopped and sighed, “Sorry, Dac, but I just don't have time. I hope you understand.” Dac glanced at the floor, shrinking into himself.  “No, I understand,” he mumbled dejectedly.  “It's okay, I guess . . .” he trailed off as he slowly turned and walked away. “Dac . . . don't feel bad . . . .” Applejack weakly suggested as Dac walked away, but between the quiet of her voice and Dac's despondance, she was unsure whether he heard, or was even listening.  Applejack turned back to the vending machine, and saw that Big Mac was still sneaking glances at the scene, making believe he wasn't paying attention.  “I hope you ain't gettin' the wrong idea from all that,” she asked him sternly. Mac visibly resisted the urge to grin as he answered, “Nope.” “Dac, ya gotta believe me!” Applejack went back to yelling up to Dac as soon as she finished.  “There are other ways to make yourself happy! An' doin' this to yourself, well, that ain't no way to go, either! Just let us help you! Whatever it is, it won't last forever! I know it won't!” “Please, just go away!!” He still stood up there, ready to end it all, and Applejack turned away, shaking in frustration.  “What can we do to get through to him an’ tell him it ain't the end o' the world?” she asked.  “He's hurtin' 'cause he thinks no one loves him. But he's tryin' so hard for someone to love him that . . .” she stalled for a moment, realizing a new depth of Dac's misery, “. . . he never . . . took the time to love himself . . . .” “Oh, I'm so afraid there might not be anything we can do at this point,” Rarity replied, fretted.  “I'm starting to feel just as guilty as you all, now.” “Why, Rarity?” Sunset asked.  “Didn't you let him down easy, too?” “Well . . . I suppose. At least, I tried to. But he may have taken what I said a bit . . . differently than what I would've preferred . . . .” Applejack was pretty much the perfect girl.  She was really hardworking, caring, honest and strong, and she stayed on top of things so well.  And despite the accent, she hardly fit the stereotype of the 'country bumpkin'; she volunteered at school a lot, and she always managed to get really good grades.  Overall, she was wonderful. That, and looking really hot in a denim skirt helped considerably. Dac wasn't sure why he hadn't asked Applejack out sooner, but after that day, he knew better.  All five girls had their strong points, but whether it was Fluttershy's sweet approachability, Pinkie Pie's endearing eccentricity, or Applejack's unshakable integrity (or their mutual good looks), none of them had seen anything in Dac.  He'd had been shut down each and every time. But on that day, he'd found some hope.  Applejack had at least given a reason for her refusal; she was busy.  If she was lying (which Dac was pretty sure would have been impossible), then she only did so to preserve his feelings.  And if she was telling the truth, then that meant that there was nothing wrong with Dac that she could see.  At least it was a start, and it gave Dac hope that he could find love—at that point, he'd felt as though he'd desperately needed it, and not just because of what Sunset had said. “I just wanted to be loved,” he gasped to himself even now, struggling with his tears.  “I just didn’t want to be alone anymore . . . why was that so much to ask . . . .” He'd regretted making Rarity his next choice, though.  Whereas Applejack gave him hope that he wasn't undesirable, Rarity had crushed that hope to pieces.