Appledashery

by Just Essay


Rainbow Dash: The Awesome Knight

"It's somewhere high above us!" Lancie exclaimed, hopping and perching from jutting rock crag to another. The two emerged from the deep caves, only to enter an enormous cavern flooded with jagged structures rising from the floorbed. High up, about forty-five degrees at a glance, a slender slit of light broke through the ceiling, exposing the chamber to cold air. "Bet you've been itching to take wing, eh, Sparky? Well now's your chance! Let's blow this spidersicle stand!"

Rainbow Dash didn't immediately reply. She shuffled forward, wandering past the jutting, blinding rocks as if they were enormous gravestones.

"Did ya hear me, Sparky? I'm sure you wanna ditch this place at least half as much as I do!"

Rainbow sighed, shuffling forward. As she passed another chunk of rock formations, she heard a voice drawling to her right.

"What's the point in flyin' now? You done took enough of yer sweet time in them there caves."

Rainbow scuffled to a stop. Emotionlessly, she glanced aside.

Applejack leaned against a cluster of rocks, tilting the brim of her hat back. "You know who can't afford to do gladiator combat with a giant spider?" Applejack smiled bitterly. "My lil' sister." Her green eyes glinted. "Or didja forget about her, sugarcube?"

Rainbow's nostrils flared.

"Sparky...?"

The mare proceeded forward, shuffling over boulders and overturned chunks of granite. As she climbed gradually towards the glowing destination, she passed the farm mare again. This time, Applejack strolled casually between the rocks as if they were apple orchards.

"You coulda just... y'know... told us that you had a magical gabbin' statue for a friend." Applejack's freckles glinted in the morning light. "We'd all have followed ya out here! The whole gang! Imagine if we had Twilight on our side!" Applejack chuckled. "You wouldn't have wasted all that time tryin' to negotiate with the griffons and my sister wouldn't be dead!" she snarled, kicking a cluster of rocks.

Rainbow shuddered, gnashing her teeth.

"Uhm..."

Rainbow looked ahead.

Lancie perched on a cluster of rocks, staring down at her. "I know you're a fuzzy blue horse and all, but... dare I ask... why the long face?"

"Nothing," Rainbow grumbled. "I'm fine," she grumbled again, climbing past him.

"Oh! Well... uh... that's good to know!" Lancie caught onto her tail and scurried up her backside. "Because you really went all tiger-blood on that giant spider back there. Who knew you had it in you? I mean... eheh... I suppose I knew you had it in you, but I figured you had all of your juices switched to 'emo mode' and not 'badflank mode.' Who knew you could stance dance so wonderfully?! Heh... live and learn."

As Rainbow climbed, a mare appeared to her left, shuffling along in even pace. "He talks a bit too much, ya reckon?" Applejack smiled suggestively. "How do ya even know he's on yer side? You can't trust him like you can yer friends. You dun lurve him like you do yer friends... like you do me..."

Rainbow bit her lip, shuffling forward.

Applejack trotted closer, whispering. "He led you in here, didn't he, sugarcube? Deep down with the spiders and all the misery?"

Rainbow hung off the edge of a rock, wincing, catching her breath.

Applejack's eyes hung beneath the shadow of her hat. "Ya really think he'll do what it takes to save Apple Bloom? He's leadin' ya into the lion's den! I'd say... once you get to Aatxe... just hoof 'em over... get the magical dragon 'Big Boss' to perform the necessary magic spell with them shards he's got. Then you'd be rid of both of 'em... and my Apple Bloom will be right as rain."

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut.

"And then... you and me..." Applejack's tongue teased the edges of Rainbow's ears. "...can finally be together."

Rainbow winced. She tried looking to her other side, but an angry face full of angrier freckles snarled into her vision.

"Or are ya just a dayum coward, Rainbow Crash?!"

Rainbow's hooves slipped on rocks and pebbles.

"Whoah there, Sparky!" Lancie hopped up to the next boulder and held his limbs down. "Maybe you need a little boost!"

"Mrmmffnngh..." Rainbow snarled, flapping her wings for leverage. "I'm fine."

"But—"

"I said I got it!" She ascended the boulder and brushed roughly past him.

Lancie reeled, almost slipping and falling onto the sloped cavern floor behind them. "Yeesh..." He dusted himself off, then loosely tailed the pegasus. "Somewhere—I bet—beyond a magic mirror of sorts, there's a bipedal doppelganger of you that's having her time of the month..."

"Meh. Whatever." Rainbow grumbled, shuffling forward. "Let's just go already."

Lancie squinted curiously at her... but kept following.