Appledashery

by Just Essay


[Sap of Life]

In the corner of Rainbow Dash's bedroom...

On a chair...

Before the door...

...a thick saddlebag full of supplies waited, fully packed.

Rainbow Dash lay in bed, flat on her belly.

She stared at the chair... at the satchels full of sunscreen, bugspray, camping supplies, and hidden medicine.

She took a deep breath.

The mare tried sleeping—no luck.

She even tried yawning—zero success.

She remained that way for hours, patiently stagnant, even as the rays of morning light bled in through the window, cascading over her dresser and her alarm clock.

The mare blinked... then sighed. She flapped her wings, lifted off the bed, and drifted across the room.

Before her eyes, the clock flickered over from '5:59' over to '6:00'.

BEEP— Thap! Her hoof slapped over the clock, silencing it.

"Mrmmffff..." A dull smile crossed her lips. "...better early than never."

And so she threw the saddlebags over her flank, locked the house up... and left.


Rainbow Dash sat on a tree stump along the edge of a forested path leading northeast out of Ponyville's city limit.

She bounced one hoof... then the other.

She hummed to herself, gazing across the woods. Her nostrils flared, and she rubbed her fuzzy face, blinking across the early morning mists and haze.

At last, the crackling of leaves and twigs tickled her ears.

"...!" The mare sat up straight. Her heartbeat increased as she stared down the path.

Hoofsteps increased, growing louder... closer.

Rainbow bit her lip, suppressing a smile. She leaned forward... almost sliding off the edge of the tree stump.

At last, two bodies shuffled into view: one lavender and one blue.

"Sparkle, the Great and Humble Trixie insists. You have done more than enough scholarly research and reading over the past few months alone. Allow Trixie to read the map! You should relax!"

"You don't get it, Trixie! This is how I relax! Reading a map—heck, anything will make me feel comfortable! If nothing else, being the pony with the map will let me enjoy this camping trip more!"

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, hanging her head. Nevertheless, after a few seconds, she tilted her chin up, smiling calmly.

"Hmmmf... well, if you insist, Sparkle, then Trixie will not argue. Even still." The mare tossed her mane, stifling a yawn as she carried a relatively light backpack full of necessities. "Nyyyghh... Trixie would like nothing better than to make herself useful."

"Oh? Well..." Twilight fussed with a huge weight over her flanks. "I suppose you could carry my other books for me!"

"Other... books...?" Trixie blinked.

With lavender telekinesis, Twilight lifted one bulging saddlebag and planted in on Trixie's spine.

"Oooomf!" Trixie's eyes bugged as her knees buckled under the weight.

"Oh my goodness..." Twilight grimaced, holding a muzzle before her face. "It... it isn't too heavy, is it?"

"Do not... b-be ridiculous!" Trixie wheezed, stumbling forward one concrete forelimb at a time. Thud! Thud! Th-Thud! "Nrrrnnnghhh!" She hissed, her whole body shaking from the weight. "Trixie... is... n-nothing else... if not pleased... t-t-to be of s-service! Mrmmffgh!"

"Oh! Well in that case!" Twilight added a second bag to the load. "Here! Could you carry my notecards too?"

WHUMP!

"Oooooomfaaa!"

"Thanks!" Twilight stifled a giggle. "You're so, so helpful, Trixie!"

"What... d-do you even have... to read and st-study during this trip, anyways?"

"Oh... just a little of this and a little of that..." Twilight shrugged, folding the map up in her magical grasp. "The Starswirl Field Manual of Magical Remedies. Splinters 101. Where the Red Filly Grows. Mating Rituals of the Timberwolves and Famous."

"How about 'Daring Do and the Diligent Dork?'" Rainbow mused.

Twilight twirled to blink at her. "Huh?" Her muzzle scrunched. "That's... that's not even a real work by A.K. Yearling!"

Rainbow waved a hoof, sighing. "It's okay. Forget I said anything."

"Gaaah!" WHUMP! "... ... ...Trixie gets it..."

"Anyways, so great seeing you, Rainbow," Twilight said, then beamed ecstatically. "Can you believe we're all actually doing this?"

"Heh... I know, right?"

"Feels like it's been so long since we did something that was... y'know... fifty-percent friendly, forty-percent adventurey, and ten-percent tree sap."

"I intend to fly most of the way. So I'll likely get twenty-percent air on top of that."

"Oh Rainbow..." Twilight chuckled. "Don't you wanna get some hoofcercise for once?"

"Erm..." Rainbow fidgeted, feeling the weight of her medicine stashed deep away in her bag. "I'll take what I can get."

"That's the spirit!" Twilight trotted over to the stump, took off her saddlebag, and sat down with a happy sigh. "Well... guess we wait for the others! Wow... this is just going to be great, isn't it?"

Rainbow cleared her throat. "If I had fingers, I'd be crossing them."

"Ha!" Twilight hugged herself and giggled. "Ha ha ha ha! Haaaaaa... ... ...I don't get it."

"Mrmmmff... ... ...Trixie d-does..."