Appledashery

by Just Essay


Fire Starters

Rainbow Dash dove through the trees—a more and more challenging prospect with the darkening advent of night. Nevertheless, with dutiful grace, she scooped up one twig after another. She cradled the larger branches in the crook of her forelimbs, then piled the smaller slivers of wood on top of that. Soon, the mare had enough kindling to make a decent blaze with. Between deep breaths, Rainbow mentally thanked her lucky stars for the medicine and the job it was doing on her otherwise stubborn limbs.

Just when she felt she had enough to return to the group with, she spun around—running into Fluttershy's smiling face.

"Hi Rainbow—"

"Gah!" Rainbow flinched.

"Aaackies!" Fluttershy flinched even harder.

Rainbow dropped half her sticks. Holding her breath, she dove down, jerked left and right, and caught each falling piece of wood with incredible finesse. Once she had everything in her grasp again, she exhaled.

"Uhm... n-nice catch," Fluttershy said with a nervous smile.

"Yeesh. What's the big deal, Fluttershy?" Rainbow hovered until she was even level with the other pegasus. "Are you trying to raise my Skittish Level or something?"

"I didn't mean to do anything like that, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "Honest."

"I thought you were supposed to finding us a place to camp."

"And I did. Twilight and Applejack and the others are settling there now."

"Ah jeez, they are?" Rainbow winced. "How long have I been wasting time at this?"

"You've not been wasting time."

"Ugh... I'm making them wait on their freezing butts. I knew I was overdoing it."

"Rainbow... it's okay. Everypony's fine." Fluttershy waved her forelimbs. "I just came here to check up on you because... I felt like it."

Rainbow gulped. "Still, we should get back to them with this stuff."

Fluttershy held her hooves out. "Lemme carry some of them for you."

"I've got it, Flutters."

Fluttershy smiled. "Rainbowwww..."

"Nnnnghhhh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes... then finally relented. She dropped a few sticks into Fluttershy's grasp. Together, both pegasi evened the load, then drifted southeast towards a clearing where a wagon and five ponies were parked.

"So... uhm..." Fluttershy struggled to keep up with Rainbow's flight. "How is it going so far?"

"Well, I took super long in grabbing the firewood," Rainbow muttered. She slowed slightly for Fluttershy's sake. "But it's good firewood, I guess."

"Well, that's nice, Rainbow. But what I mean is the trip."

"Eh... really tranquil? I dunno. No complaints."

"... ... ...how was it like to chat with Applejack earlier?"

Rainbow grumbled.

"Rainbow...?"

"What are you now, my shrink?"

Fluttershy giggled. "I'm your friend, Rainbow. And I just want to know that you're getting something good out of this trip." She winked. "And it seemed to me that you and AJ were having some good quality time together."

Rainbow exhaled slowly. A slight smile graced her lips. "Yeah. We hit it off well. Talked about kicking flank and enjoying it."

"Hmmmm..." Fluttershy nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

But then, Rainbow's smile faded. "But... y'know... nothing special."

"Oh?" Fluttershy blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"Just 'cuz... it wasn't!" Rainbow hugged the firewood to her chest despite the splintery texture. "I mean... she could just as well have been talking to a long lost cousin or some random neighbor in Ponyville."

"Nopony randomly elects to share their heartfelt secrets at the drop of a bit, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "Good friend or not, some things can't be forced."

"It's not that. Or... maybe it is. I dunno." Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed. "Thing is, Applejack already has a confidant she can trust." Her nostrils flared. "And he's not here."

"Huh?"

"Look, I don't wanna get into too much detail. But... like... remember earlier when Applejack was about to get into detail about how Sweet Apple Acres almost had a bunch of orange crops? But then she backtracked?"

"Hmmmm..."

"You remember that?"

Fluttershy adjusted the weight of the firewood in her grasp. "It did strike me as somewhat... peculiar."

"Yeah, well, she didn't feel like telling us what the deal is with that. But she has told Stu."

"Stu?" Fluttershy blinked. "Stu Leaves?"

"No, Stu the Baker. Who else do you think, Fluttershy?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy winced. "I didn't mean to offend anypony!"

"Guhhhh..." Rainbow clenched her eyes shut in mid-flight.

"How do you even know she's confided so much in Stu?"

"Doesn't matter. I won't go into it." Rainbow's eyes reopened, glossy, reflecting the clearing ahead beyond the trees. "Fact is, Stu Leaves—for whatever reason—has such a solid place in... in her heart, Fluttershy."

"Uh huh..."

"I mean... what's the point of even comparing myself to that?!" Rainbow grimaced. "No matter how buddy-buddy AJ and I get on this trip, he'll still have her heart grasped in his... gnnngh... lame feathertips."

Fluttershy smiled. "Aren't you overreacting a bit?"

"Gnnngh... no."

"Rainbow Dash—"

"The moment he appeared right before we set off on the hike nearly gave me a friggin' heart attack."

"Rainbow, maybe you're going about this a bit wrong."

Rainbow flashed her an angry look. "Oh yeah?"

Fluttershy gazed calmly at her. "You want to remember what it's like to be a good friend for Applejack, yes?"

"Totally."

Fluttershy breathed. "Then I believe you need to eliminate Stu Leaves from your mind."

"Pfft! How?!?!"

"Being a friend to Applejack is not a sport. As far as you should be concerned, the only gold medal in this venture is her happiness... and the trust that the two of you share."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that—as much as you like to win—you need to stop looking at this as a competition." Fluttershy's eyes narrowed. "Because if you're doing all of this just to spite Stu Leaves, then you need to reevaluate the reason why you're even here. After all, Stu Leaves is a very important aspect of Applejack's life now." She blinked. "Do you really want to take away something so precious from AJ?"

Rainbow grimaced, her ears folding back.

"Especially if it would make her unhappy?"

Rainbow paused in midair. She shuddered. "But..." Rainbow gulped. "What... wh-what if Stu isn't good enough for AJ?"

Fluttershy stopped to face her. "And that's a valid concern of yours." She smiled. "And as Applejack's friend, you have every right to feel that way."

Rainbow dared to look up at Fluttershy. She bit her lip, then pronounced: "But..."

Fluttershy nodded. "But... if that is your concern, then you need to share that with Applejack. She's a pony who values honesty above all else. So... treat her with respect, just as she treats us all with respect."

"And... and what if the honest truth is that..." Rainbow gulped. "...she wants Stu Leaves to inhabit such an important spot in her life? You saw them nuzzling earlier."

Fluttershy sighed. She gazed at the clearing as she spoke. "We both know how you truly feel, Rainbow Dash. But the reason why this trip began is because you came to me, saying that you wanted to be a better friend to Applejack. And being a good friend... means compromises."

"What are you saying, Flutters?"

"You're not a child, Rainbow. I don't need to explain it to you."

Rainbow Dash clenched her jaws.

Fluttershy leaned in to nuzzle her gently. "More than anything, I want you to be happy. Ask yourself, Rainbow... would you really be happy if you were willfully ignoring Applejack's happiness?"

Rainbow hung her head.

"Maybe this thing with Stu Leaves is just a phase. Maybe they're just really good friends, but on the outside they look like something more." Fluttershy shrugged. "Who knows? But there's a way to find out."

"Applejack..."

Fluttershy nodded. "You're a brave pony, Rainbow Dash. I know you have it within you to confront what you fear with Applejack. It may not be pleasant, but the two of you have so much invested in one another that it would be truly... truly terrible if either one of you allowed something like this to make you drift apart. Be there for her, Rainbow. Be her friend."

"And..." Rainbow gulped. "...if the truth was to come out?"

"Then let it," Fluttershy said. "You're as awesome as awesome gets, Rainbow Dash." A deep breath. "But, as your friend, I would really... really like to see you live again."

Rainbow said nothing.

"Now..." Fluttershy leaned in once more with a smile. "No sense staying aloof and cold." She motioned towards the clearing. "Our friends are waiting. Let's start a fire."

"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded with a shudder. "Let's..."