Appledashery

by Just Essay

Some Stories You Have to Finish Yourself

When Rainbow Dash heard the sobs, she thought they were her own. She awoke with a start, ears twitching skyward. With a dull groan, she stood up, blinking across the humid encampment. The fire had died to a smoldering pile of ash, winking with sporadic orange embers.

The shuddering breaths continued, pronounced and breathy. They were coming from Applejack's side of the camp.

"Nnngh... AJ?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head. "What... what g-gives, girl?"

There was no response, at least not at first. Then the air was punctuated by something that stabbed coldly through Rainbow's lungs, freezing her frightfully in place.

"... .... ...Applejack?"

The mare was whimpering, her voice squeaky and high pitched. Without realizing it, Rainbow Dash had become airborne and was hovering over the sweaty mare in a flash.

"Applejack, are you okay?!" Rainbow hissed quietly.

Her friend clearly wasn't. She tossed and turned underneath her sleeping bag, her freckled face frozen in a perpetual grimace. Each breath was a wheezing thing, and a foalish tone produced words so quiet that they barely registered in Rainbow's ears.

"Mmmm... ghhh... Ma... Ma... yer hurtin'... please... please somepony help her..."

Rainbow's lips pursed. Gritting her teeth, she looked over to Stu's mat. The stallion was out like a light.

"Ma... why are ya hurtin' so much...?" Applejack's eyelashes formed beads of crystalline tears. Her teeth chattered as if it was below freezing. "Where's Pa? Did somethin' happen to you?" She curled her forelimbs to her chest. "Oh Ma... yer scarin' me. Macintosh. Granny. Do somethin'... Where's Pa?"

Rainbow bit her lip hard to keep from hyperventilating. She had never seen or heard Applejack so vulnerable. There was nothing even remotely endearing about it. The pegasus' blood ran cold as she hovered above the mare, lowering her hooves and preparing to wake her.

At some point, she lingered, nevertheless shivering. As much as it pained for Rainbow to witness Applejack like this, she suddenly wondered about the implications of jostling the mare awake. Applejack didn't need to wake up to such a horrid memory. There was no telling how embarrassed she might be. Or even worse, how shaken up she might be over the following day's meet-up with Shindig.

Rainbow fidgeted in midair. She started to panic, afraid that she was overthinking things. And yet, as the fever dream continued, and Applejack's face looked more and more pained, she realized she had to do something.

"Ma... j-just rest up... you'll get better... you've g-got to..." Applejack hissed through her teeth. A tear trickled down her cheek. "Please... please somepony... help her... help Ma..."

Gulping a lump down her throat, Rainbow Dash lowered closer to the angelic figure. "AJ..."

"She's sufferin' so much..."

"Applejack..." Rainbow Dash spoke in a firm yet hushed tone. "Applejack, it's... it's me..."

Applejack panted and panted. "Rainbow?" she mewled in a voice more infantile than even Apple Bloom could muster. She gulped, and the faintest hint of the strong and dependable mare bubbled to the surface. "It's my Ma... she's... she's sufferin' somethin' fierce..."

"No she isn't, Applejack."

"But... but she's right there and—"

"Applejack, I would not lie to you." Rainbow Dash's mouth hung open. She clenched her eyes shut and spoke in a steady tone. "Your mother is not suffering anymore." She gulped. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

"She... she ain't...?"

"She's resting peacefully. So should you. You've got a lot to do tomorrow. Okay?"

Applejack panted and panted. Slowly, her muzzle curved. Rainbow Dash was almost relieved, but then the mare foalishly cooed, "Bedtime story?"

"I... nngh..." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. She would have laughed her head off if she wasn't so busy wanting to crack her own skull open. "I... don't know any off the top of my head, Applejack..."

"Mmmmm..." Applejack nuzzled and nuzzled her cheek against the sleeping mat. "The one where... Pr-Prince Charming kisses his sweetheart awake."

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped. She hovered backwards in a cold drift, sighing gently. "I'm... not too fond of that one."

"But... but the story..."

"You'll have to finish it yourself, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said. She winced, but still found the strength to utter, "Try and make it a happy one."

"Hmmm... a happy one..." Applejack rubbed her cheek against the sleeping mat one last time and smiled. "Thanks, Ma... I will..."

As Applejack drifted back into a silent slumber, Rainbow Dash twirled around. "I know."

In melancholic motion, Rainbow Dash levitated back to her bed. Tightening her wings, she collapsed against the mat. It was over eighty degrees in the dead of night, and yet—even still—she found herself shivering. So, with a sniffle or two, she slid herself inside her mat and clenched her eyes shut.

For the next half-an-hour, Rainbow Dash gently cried by her lonesome. At last, she fell asleep, for it all felt too much like home.

Comments

[Lightning Bearer]

[RainbowJack2000]

*sobs into tissue* That was beautiful and sad at the same time!

[RoboRed]

...Whoa...and I literally just read this earlier today. MIND FREAK.

(Still beautiful.)

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

Oh! Dangit! Right in the feels!

[Sheendough]

Placing the bet here already: AJ's dreams and Rainbow-influenced dreams will come back and bite her in the rump in the future chapters and make her fall (more?) in love with Rainbow once The Truth is revealed... Now, I still insist that maybe it's "I wish I was yours forever".

[zaponator]

Jeeze.
You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that Applejack's hat thing is related to her parents rather than the common theory of it having to do with Rainbow Dash.
She seems to still be pretty traumatized about the whole thing, so it'd certainly explain her violent reactions whenever anyone tries to look under her hat.

[aleistergreynight]

And RD misses out on an opportunity, for a not in the slightest bit suspicious cuddle...

[YoshiFawful64]

"The one where... Pr-Prince Charming kisses his sweetheart awake."

Does this strike anyone else as suspicious?

[aleistergreynight]

5462315
OK, we will consider that two opportunities RD missed out on then...

[TwilightUCrazy]

SHE WAS RIGHT THERE BAWLING HER EYES OUT, YOU STUPID, STUPID MARE! THAT WAS YOUR CHANCE FOR COZY-COMFORT-CUDDLETIMES WITH THE GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS, YOU MORON!!!

Anybody else as frustrated as I am over Rainbow's indecisiveness...?

[Tchernobog]

5462526 Naw. Kinda feels like she'd have taken advantage of a terrible situation for AJ.

[TwilightUCrazy]

5462534

There's nothing wrong with a comforting hug and snuggle for a friend who's in distress. I don't know why that would constitute "taking advantage" of her.

[BabySkittleMonster]

Did anyone else get really worried over the chapter name? I was hesitant to read...
Me: "What if he's ending it here and we are to find our own ending for the story?"
Mind: "Don't be ridiculous. Look at the author! He always finishes his stories... Mostly."
Me: "But what if he has gotten bored? He clearly stated multiple times that this story is simply for himself and we're just along for the ride."
Mind: "Fine. Be pessimistic. See if I care, idiot."
Me: "Wait! Don't leave me! I need comfort!"

[Aatxe360]

5461173

AJ is scared to have foals of her own because of what happened to her mother. How does one supposed to overcome one's fears?

How does Rainbow Dash get rid of her limb problems and get close to AJ? Scootaloo knew. Did anypony else?

...Besides Lancie.

I like where this story is going. Epic as that one with the chicken, but with more ponies.

[wzium]

Woah... It was intense to say the least.
It's definitely my new favorite chapter.

[Salad king]

5462600 if this story is for himself then trust me, he's going to finish it

[BabySkittleMonster]

5462849
Logically, I know that. Unfortunately, my imagination does not agree. It likes to torment me at times.

[Tchernobog]

5462542 Dash would think it was taking advantage.

[Salad king]

5462860 yeah I know what you mean :) I've often had those thoughts of thinking this was linked to Austraeoh (shudder). But itd pretty clear it isn't.

[TwilightUCrazy]

5462878

GOD DAMMIT, you're right...

[Sheendough]

5462780 M-maybe... Maybe she doesn't like him. Maybe she just got Stu as a replacement seeing how Rainbow was always away. Since she noticed Rainbow did long absences but always returned, she may have figured that she needed an extra push: Stu is just there to make Dash jealous (maybe unconsciously, but the effect was the same). Maybe when The Truth is revealed, AJ is going to admit she was indeed grumpy the whole time Rainbow left and just didn't want to make it obvious. Notice how it's always the others who point it out (and Rainbow didn't notice because lovestruck), so it's maybe a possibility.

[Dash32]

The feels bro...the feels......

[Seraphimus]

Oh rainbow. don't you see it? how much you mean to her? who else could have done that for heR?

[arancaytar]

Aww, this is heartbreaking.

"The one where... Pr-Prince Charming kisses his sweetheart awake."

Can Dashie play the lead role?