Appledashery

by Just Essay

The Smart Thing

The door to the outhouse creaked open.

Silver Shill's beady eyes squinted in the sunlight. He sat up, still chained to the thick pipe by the hoof-cuffs.

Stu Leaves and Rainbow Dash stood side by side, glaring down at him through the entrance.

"Where can Serenity Shindig be found from within the Alicorn plane?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Silver squinted. "Are you going in after your friend?"

Stu Leaves spoke: "Tell us what kind of a place Shindig and her sons would be maintaining."

"You're going in there, aren't you?"

"Is there some way it can be recognized?" Stu asked, waving a hoof. "Will it look and feel like Shindig's Soils?"

"Heheheheheh..." Silver Shill shook his head. "You've got no idea what you're getting yourselves into. You'd have a lot more luck sending me in there, instead."

"Yeah, and let you be someplace where you'll never want to come out again?" Stu shook his head, frowning. "That's not happening."

"Well, either way, you're on your own." Silver folded his forelimbs. "I've committed myself to the brothers first. And after the deplorable way you young punks have treated me, I've no mind to tell you any more!"

Fwoosh! Rainbow glided in and slammed his body against the wall. "Think about it, Einstallion! If this goes the way you've set it all up, you won't just be an accomplice to kidnapping and abduction, but murder as well!"

"Murder?!" Silver spat. "Pffft! That's below the Shindig clan! All they want is to achieve paradise! Whether that's on this plane or the next, does it really matter?"

"It matters to me, you sniveling little asshat!" Rainbow growled in his face. "My best friend's stuck in there!"

"And she'll be witness to the glory of Shindig's wonderful dream!" Silver Shill exclaimed. "You should envy her! Celestia knows I do!"

"She could die!" Stu barked over Rainbow's shoulder. "Any one of them could! Maybe even all four! Your 'enviable clients' plan to sacrifice whoever it takes to try and bring back the soul of Shindig's dead spouse, Philanthropy!"

"Is..." Silver Shill blinked. "...is that a fact?"

Silence.

Silver grinned, face pale with sweat.

"Grnnngh..." Whump! Rainbow dropped him to the floor of the outhouse. She scowled down at the scrawny stallion. "You really don't know anything, do you? All you care about is doing the brothers' dirty work and being rewarded with another trip to the alicorn plane. You're like a pathetic dog, starving for attention."

"If you've seen even an ounce of what I've witnessed in there, then you'll realize that we've all been starving our whole lives." Silver squirmed, eyes darting between the two with feverish little shivers. "When the meeting is done, and Mr. Flim and Flam wake up along with their mother, they will make everything right. And... and maybe they will even let you join me! Yes..." His breaths shuddered as he smiled with bright white teeth. "You'll forget about how angry you are. You'll forget about everything! Even your friend!"

Rainbow Dash's ruby pupils shrank. She raised a hoof.

"Nnnngh!" Silver flinched, covering his head with one forelimb.

"Rrrrrggh!" Rainbow swung her hoof down. Smassh! She formed a heavy crack in the wooden plank just above Silver's skull. Her forelimb hung limply with a huge red whelt while she hovered in place, panting.

"Luna's hips, Rainbow!" Stu Leaves grimaced. "That had to have hurt!"

"No..." Rainbow gulped hard, shuddering. She ran her other hoof up her numb limb and exhaled. "There's only one thing that hurts anymore."

Stu stared curiously at her.

"Buck this." She spun and flew off towards the wagon. "Buck all of this."

"You'll need me if you want to go anywhere," Silver said, hugging himself and shivering. "All is lost if it doesn't plow by Shindig's fields." He broke into tiny little giggles, hooves kicking against the doorframe of the outhouse.

Stu bit his lip. Twirling about, he flapped his wings and soared after Rainbow.

---

"Rainbow... Rainbow?!" Stu approached the wagon, catching his breath. "Rainbow, what are you doing?"

"That creep isn't going to help us." Rainbow muttered as she reached into her backpack and fumbled through with numb limbs. "But one thing's for certain. Going into that dreamscape place thingy is a death trap for us as much as it is for Applejack."

"Can we really be sure of that?" Stu asked. "I mean, there's no telling that it'll have the same effect as it's had on that guy."

"Wouldn't it?" Rainbow frowned, pulling out a canister of medicinal brew. "We're mortal, aren't we?"

"Well... yeah... but we're more than that!" Stu blinked. "We're Applejack's friends!"

"Which means we're the ones forced with having to do the responsible thing!" Rainbow proceeded to unabashedly pour herself a cup of the broth in front of him. "We'll go in two directions."

"Two... d-directions?" Stu blinked awkwardly. "Rainbow, what are you talking about?! Applejack's here. She needs us here."

"No, she needs us to get her help, and help ain't here!" Rainbow turned towards him with firm eyes. "You'll fly to the nearest towns and fetch doctors, police, wizards—the whole works."

"Yeah, okay. And you?"

"I'm faster than greased lightning." Rainbow swirled a cup of the medicine and took a shuddering breath. "I'll speed my blue butt to Ponyville."

Stu just about fainted. "To Ponyville?!"

"You heard me."

"Rainbow Dash—" Stu winced. "What in Celestia's name for?! It took us three or four blasted days just getting here—"

"On hoof, maybe. But have you seen me fly, buddy?!"

"It's so far away—"

"And I'll do a sonic rainboom per minute if that's what it takes to get there and back!"

"Applejack may not be able to wait that long!"

"What matters is that she'll be waiting for the right thing." Rainbow gulped, gazing a million miles ahead. "If I can bring back the rest of the Elements—Twilight Sparkle and the rest—we can... I dunno... jump-start her from her coma or something."

"Rainbow, are you listening to yourself?!" Stu exclaimed. "You're not even sure that getting the living Elements all the way down here will work!"

"It's a risk that we'll have to take."

"Why?! Because it's the only solution that's familiar to you?!" Stu frowned. "Here, we have the cider. We have the Chalace. We have an opportunity to go in there and pull Applejack out—"

"It won't work..."

"Why not?!" Stu stomped a hoof. "Dang it, Rainbow, why go about this flank-over-elbow?! Applejack tells me all the time that you always go about solving things the blunt and impulsive way, so why now are you holding back?!"

"Because this way over my friggin' head, okay, Stu?!" Rainbow shouted at him, teeth showing. "And I'm not about to lose Applejack's head over it!"

Stu stared at her.

Rainbow fumed and fumed. "Lately, my whole life has been throwing myself at crud and hoping it all works out!" she blurted. "But not this time! There's too much at stake! Applejack is at stake!"

Stu waited a few seconds before calmly muttering, "I figured that'd make you want to fight for her all the harder."

Rainbow winced at that. She hung her head, staring into the cup of broth.

Stu cleared his throat. "What exactly is that?"

"...a pick-me up," Rainbow eventually muttered. "Stu, I'm... n-not as strong a mare as it may look on the outside."

He arched an eyebrow.

She shuddered. "With... with Applejack gone..." Her voice cracked, "I-I feel like a loose feather in the breeze. Call it what you want, but I know my place when it comes to her. And no daredevil stunts into la-la land are going to salvage this situation. I gotta go about this like Applejack: by being steadfast, patient, and above all smart."

"You don't have to do it alone, Rainbow Dash." Stu leaned forward with a calm smile. "Let me join you. We can do this together. We can pull Applejack out by going in there and leaning on each other."

Rainbow slowly shook her head. "No, Stu." She gazed at him. "We're all Applejack has left. We can't just... erase ourselves from the equation in one fell swoop. That's death... death for her, much less us." A long sigh. "We're doing this my way, okay?"

Stu hung his head.

"You'll fly and gather the locals. I'll soar and gather the Elements. Between the two of us, we'll get Applejack the help she needs. Okay?" A firm breath. "No more stunts. No more gambling. All that matters is Applejack."

"I..." Stu fumbled for words, then quietly said. "I'm sure that Applejack will be thankful that you... thought so kindly about her and her well-being."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow's wings twitched. "We can worry about that after she's awake once again. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna need a few doses to get my fuel." And she began sipping the first of many cups.

She wasn't even remotely looking at Stu anymore, which was all he needed to slowly, quietly walk away.

Rainbow Dash swished the medicine around in her mouth, then swallowed a liberal amount. She leaned forward, clenching her eyes shut. A soreness spread through her throat, and she fought the urge to sniffle. Her ears folded back as she lingered there in melancholic stillness.

---

Silver Shill shuddered, leaning against the pipe to which he was chained.

He rubbed his eyes, clenching his teeth as a deep panic welled up in his frail figure.

Just then, a rigid shadow crossed over his figure.

He glanced up, squinting curiously.

Stu Leaves took a deep breath. "Just tell me one thing, Mr. Shill." His eyes narrowed. "How big of a glass do you pour...?"

Comments

[Tchernobog]

Oh god damnit Stu!

[Sharp Quill]

How does RD plan on getting the other Elements back there quickly? And can they be used when one of them is out of commission?

And wouldn't it be a good idea to get, I don't know, an actual alicorn involved in this?

Or even Lancie? Hello! Chaos shard.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

Ugh, Stupid Leaves... If you're gonna go about this, get the locals first, then go in.

[Sheendough]

5521595 He's going to play hero!!! Damnit, I fear he will get AJ's attention for a while after this.

[RainbowJack2000]

I knew I hated Stu the moment he arrived in the damned story! Fucking wish he would crash and burn already! Literally!

[Sharp Quill]

5521826 Yeah.

It was obviously JE's plan to try and make Stu a sympathetic character so that we'd actually give a damn if something happens to him.

Not happening.

[unknownbore]

5521647 I think the elements were a cover for grabbing Lancie.

[Sharp Quill]

5521919 Oh, duh.

[RoboRed]

Goddamnit, Stu...

[FloydienSlip]

Boy, I really hope Stu Leaves.

...

I'll show myself out.

[BabySkittleMonster]

Can I please hit him? Just one hit? C'mon, you can't deny he deserves it a thousand fold. He even bucking agreed to RD's plan! Talk about stabbing someone in the back. Goddamnit. Stu, you are officially on my Hit List. And it is every bit as terrifying as it sounds. Forget the imminent Rainboom heading towards you and focus on my fist - that's the real danger to you right now.

[MoonMirror]

Go Stu.... don't get stuck in the astral planes buddy.

[Lightning Bearer]

... Am I the only one who think Stu's on the right track? I mean, going to fetch the other Element bearers sounds snazzy and all, but I'm not sure it's very feasible. I dunno.

[aleistergreynight]

5521919
I have mentioned Lancie an astronomical number of times...
Also: RD is not going back to Ponyville, she just needed to get rid of Stu.

[redsopine]

lancies coming back i know it and stu you bucking idiot

[Leftover of Saikano]

Poor Stu, dying for our ship.

[TwilightUCrazy]

You sending Silver Shill in there...?

Please tell me that's what you're doing... I couldn't care less about his fate right now. Just please... PLEASE don't make Stu save the day...

...That's what you're gonna do, isn't it? Stu's gonna be Applejack's knight in shining armor... isn't he?

HAVEN'T YOU BEATEN UP RAINBOW ENOUGH?!

[Aatxe360]

And a defiance of short-term expectations! Impressive. So Rainbow Dash is changing the definition of her success? The why is already known, not all of the how or what.

Continue.

[Future Regret]

Stu. Are you insane.

[arancaytar]

Fuck you Stu.