//------------------------------// // Awesomeness Doesn't Settle // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// Fluttershy finished her sip of water and placed the cup down on an end table. "It happened two days ago." Rainbow Dash blinked hard. She sat on a sofa across from her friend in the cottage's living room. "What happened two days ago?" "I'm... uh... I'm not entirely certain, really..." Fluttershy bit on her bottom lip while half of her face hid behind a lock of pink hair. "But... Stu Leaves and Applejack just..." She cleared her throat tenderly. "...need some time apart." Rainbow squinted. "You mean they broke up?" "Now I didn't s-say that." "What else could it possibly mean?!" Rainbow Dash shrugged wildly. "You should have seen him, Flutters. He was like a whole different stallion!" "Oh no..." Fluttershy's features drooped as she shrunk back in her chair. "Is he devastated?" "Is he devastated?!" Rainbow Dash froze for a moment. She leaned back, rubbing her head in thought. "Well... no, actually. I mean... if it is a breakup, he seems to be... taking it kinda well." "Oh..." Fluttershy sighed with relief. "I'm glad for that. I-I mean... not glad for the fact that he and Applejack are keeping such distance from each other. But..." She gulped. "I feared the worst." "Why?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Why did you 'fear the worst?'" "Mmmmmm..." The tiniest hint of a frown crossed Fluttershy's cheeks. "It's Big Mac." Silence. "Uhhhh..." Rainbow squinted. "What about him?" "He's been... very quiet as of late." "So?" Rainbow shrugged. "He's always quiet." "Not around me, he isn't." Fluttershy folded her forelimbs. "But just two days ago, he muttered something about Stu and AJ." She blew out the corner of her muzzle. "And he's been brooding and distant." "Ah jeez..." Rainbow winced. "Are you two having your first argument?" "Huh?" Fluttershy gasped, her wings flexing. "No! Oh goodness, no! Nothing of the sort! At least..." She fiddled with her hooves, trembling. "I hope not..." Rainbow gestured. "Forget I said anything. I'm sure he's just... going through a mood swing. I mean, stallions totally have those..." She cocked her head to the side. "Right?" "Big Mac certainly does. When something troubles him, he positively clams up." "Well, I guess you would know more than any other pony." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Any pony but AJ." "Ohhhhhh..." Fluttershy sniffled. "I hope everything's okay at the farm. What if..." She bit onto her fetlock. "...what if Winona's sick?" Her pupils shrank. "Or if Apple Bloom went into relapse!" "Relapse...?" Rainbow gave her a bored look. "For a snake bite?" "It's a magical kingdom, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy stammered. "The sky's the limit. You know that." "I also know that the Apple Family are super crazy honest." Rainbow tried to smile. "If there was something horribly wrong at the farm, I'm sure any single one of them would tell us." "I would hope so." Fluttershy gulped. "The last two times I saw Big Mac, he was... unhappy." An exhale. "In a very anxious way. I can tell." Rainbow brushed her mane back. "Yeesh... I just can't get over it..." Her tail flicked. "Applejack and Stu... not seeing each other?" "I know." Fluttershy nodded. "And after everything you've done to keep them together—" She froze in mid-speech. Her eyes twitched, then looked up to meet Rainbow. Rainbow stared back. "What?" "This... this must be very... very big news for you." "Flutters..." Rainbow sighed. "I'm not that pathetic." "No. But... you're still you." Fluttershy gulped. "Once you've set your heart on somepony, it takes years for you to pull yourself away." "If Applejack needs her space from Stu, then she needs her space from everypony." "Yes, but not from her friends." "Fluttershy, you know what I mean," Rainbow exhaled. "I know. I know." Fluttershy nodded. "It's just that... I know how much Applejack means to you. And... and after she and Stu became an item, you... suddenly disappeared. And while I had hoped that you would... y'know... move on from the whole matter..." Fluttershy sniffled. "I-I was afraid for a moment there that you had moved on too far!" "Hey, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash smiled sweetly. "It's okay..." "For a whole week, I worried about you..." A tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek and she rubbed it dry. "You... you have friends who care about you so much, Rainbow Dash. Our lives would be all the more dim with you gone from Ponyville—" "Hey... hey..." On flapping wings, Rainbow drifted over. "None of that now, okay? I came here for some tea and chat, not for sap and salt." She rested a numb hoof on the mare's shoulder. "I'm super sorry for the sudden disappearing act. I guess you could say that I was... uhhh... grandfathered into an unexpected vacation." She swallowed a lump down her throat and belched out a smirk. "But I'm t-totally okay now! See?" "Mmmm..." Fluttershy whimpered, but nevertheless bore a tearful smile. "You're always so tenacious, Rainbow Dash. I wish everypony had your kind of steadfastness." "Yeah... well..." Rainbow Dash gently sighed. "Takes a licking and keeps on dashing." "It'll all be okay. I-I'm sure." Fluttershy wiped her other cheek dry. "Big Mac will come around. He's slowly learning how to share his feelings. I'm sure it's just a phase." "Yeah." Rainbow nodded. "The same can be said of Applejack and Stu. I mean... they've needed their space before." She shrugged. "Maybe this is another rough patch." "It's courageous of you to say that," Fluttershy said. "But we both know that you're probably feeling positively ecstatic inside." "Not... really, Fluttershy." Fluttershy's eyes glistened. "Not really?" "Applejack... deserves to be happy," Rainbow said. "Whether that's with Stu Leaves or not... it's not up to me to decide how she ends up happy." She gazed at the cottage window. "And... to be perfectly honest?" Her ears drooped. "I'm kinda done hoping for impossible stuff to happen." "It's not impossible for you to be in love, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "I just... think it would be healthy for you to move on." Her eyes narrowed. "Is that what's happening, do you think?" Rainbow lingered numbly in place. "...one way or another, I have to move." Her ears pulled back. "Could be anywhere... nowhere... just... moving." Her jaw clenched. "Not sure I can even control it anymore. It's like gravity. It just... is what it is." Fluttershy bit her lip. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. Her ears and wings perked up as she pivoted to face Fluttershy. "We all have a lot to think about. I'm sure Big Mac will come around. As for Applejack and Stu? They're adults. They'll reach whatever conclusion they deserve." "And what about you, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "What conclusion do you deserve?" Rainbow rubbed her numb hooves across the wooden floorboards. "Still working on the introduction," she muttered. "Heh..." A limp smirk. "The longest preface ever." Fluttershy stared at her. "Of course, I suck at reading. That crud is for eggheads." Rainbow Dash turned around. "Anyways, I got some flying to do—" A soft pair of forelimbs enfolded her from behind, accompanied by warm yellow feathers. Rainbow's petite frame froze in place. She glanced over her shoulder. "You and Big Mac are gonna be okay, Flutters. For realsies." "I'm not worried about myself and Big Mack," Fluttershy said, nuzzling the back of Rainbow's head. "Then... just don't be worried, 'kay?" Rainbow reached back to pat a forelimb. "Now, it's the middle of the day. I've got... things to do." "Mmmmhmmm..." Fluttershy hugged her tighter. Rainbow gulped. "Uhm..." She gulped. "...why aren't you letting me go?" Fluttershy breathed, "Because I'm afraid of what will happen when I do." With a sigh, Rainbow Dash turned around. She stared Fluttershy face-to-face. "Look at me. I'm fine. Okay?" Fluttershy's eyes were moist. "But you're always 'fine,' Rainbow Dash. That's what I'm afraid of." She bit her lip. "Friends don't let each other settle for 'fine.'" Rainbow gently grasped Fluttershy's hooves and broke the hug. She brushed Fluttershy's bangs aside and smirked devilishly. "I will never... ever 'settle.' I'm too awesome for that." At long last, Fluttershy hung her head. "I know..." Rainbow Dash contemplated saying something else. Instead, she turned around, flapped her wings, and left the cottage. She heard the faintest sound of a sobbing voice before the front door closed behind her.