Appledashery

by Just Essay

Deep Blue

"I just want to be here w-with you," Fluttershy said, quivering in Rainbow's embrace. "You always make me feel safe... confident..."

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash sat on the cloud, holding the trembling filly with her foalish limbs. "You don't need me to be awesome! We've been over this!" Her high pitched voice squeaked out of a tender smile. "You've been to the ground before and talked to animals! How many of us can say they've done that? That's pretty killer cool on its own, don'tcha think?"

"But what use is it if I can't fly and all the other ponies laugh at me?" Fluttershy sniffled, looking up with teary eyes over a melancholic smile. "I love it when you're around, Rainbow. You're so... kind... even if you don't always show it. I wish my family were the same way. Even still, I can sleep well at night, knowing that somepony in this world is nice to me. And so adorable too."

Rainbow bit her lip. Her heart pounded in her chest. Shuddering, she gazed aside. "Cut it out... please..."

"But... but Rainbow," Fluttershy mewled.

"Not you!" Rainbow snapped, then instantly winced upon feeling the pained flinch in Fluttershy's dainty figure. She couldn't help but caress the filly's chin, and she felt a lump forming in her throat when the tiny pegasus nuzzled her forelimb. "Really, Epcot. This... this is too close to home..."

Fwoof! A happy face poked up through the cloud bed. "And just why is that?"

"She... she could never be mine," Rainbow Dash muttered, trying to wrench her eyes from Fluttershy's foalish face—and failing. "And I spent so much of my foalhood believing in something that could never be."

"But it's still there, isn't it?" Epcot tilted her head aside. "You mustn't deny it."

"She's my friend!" Rainbow bit her lip as her eyes grew misty. "Nothing more..."

"No love whatsoever?"

Rainbow opened her mouth... but hesitated. She grimaced. "I'm... I'm so damn selfish..."

"Oh r-really now?" Epcot said, stifling a giggle. "What makes you think that?"

Rainbow sighed, caressing Fluttershy's innocent face like a mirage through a veil. "Because I wanted more than what she was willing to give me... something deeper. And for years afterwards, I grew distant. I punished her for something I was totally guilty for. It wasn't her fault that I... that I have this thing I've never been able to conquer, despite how awesome and cool I am on the outside." She shuddered. "On the inside, I'm just as weak as Fluttershy, if not weaker. She's the strong one. And... I'll never stop feeling bad."

"Because you loved her deeply for so long?" Epcot said.

"Love should be a two-way thing." Rainbow gazed aside, her ears drooping as the clouds grew dark around her. "But it rarely friggin' is. Most of the time... it's just somepony weighing another down, or somepony not deserving to receive it."

"And just what do you deserve, Rainbow Dash?"

"I..." Rainbow shook and shuddered, her tiny breaths forming vapors in the cold atmosphere. "I-I..."

Epcot drifted closer, blinking curiously. "What would in life would make you feel less selfish?"

Rainbow bit her lip as the first of many tears trickled loose. "To g-give," she murmured. "Loyally and continuously..." A sniffle, and she raised her hoof from Fluttershy's face to wipe her muzzle. "Like Fluttershy was always willing to give to me as a friend." She heaved as her voice cracked. "Like... like the love my dad gave... every d-dang day... until that very same love t-took him from me..."

Epcot smiled. "Your life is a truly amazing adventure, Rainbow Dash," she said. "One that is sculpted by heroes to make a hero." She cocked her head aside. "But do you need to be an unsung one?"

"I dunno..." Rainbow wiped her cheek. "... maybe. So long as my friends... as everypony that I've ever loved is just as well off as I've been... thanks to th-them..."

"And what if I told you that they were, Rainbow?" Epcot said. "Would you believe that?"

Rainbow bit her lip.

"You wouldn't?" Epcot asked.

"If I did... I might risk getting... lazy."

Epcot leaned in and nuzzled the mare. She stepped back, disappearing admist the clouds. "Give in..." she said. "Allow your friends in here to do the rest."

Rainbow choked on a sob, steeling herself. She leaned forward, melting the world around her as she kissed Fluttershy's forehead, then rubbed cheek-to-cheek. She murmured into the dainty pegasus' ear. "I will always love you, girl, and I owe you big time. But I gotta move on. Not because this p-pains me..." She nevertheless sniffled. "...but I know where my place is, and it isn't here. You weren't the only one who fell from a great height."

Fluttershy gazed back at her. She was saying something, but Rainbow couldn't hear it from the sound of mighty thunder shattering the heavens.

The pegasus leaned back, her breath coming out in an adult gasp. The mists of Cloudsdale had faded, and instead she was rocketing through a series of nebulous dreamscapes.

"Is this it, Epcot?!" she hollered into the maelstrom as her body split in seven prismatic shadows against the rippling madness. "Am I piercing through?!"

A sphere floated at her side, twirling. "YES!"

Rainbow shuddered, glancing beyond her peripheral vision as translucent walls of glittering thought began collapsing, one sheet at a time. "It's collapsing! Could it be Serenity or her sons?!"

"NO!"

Rainbow gritted her teeth. "I'm losing focus, aren't I?"

"YES!"

Rainbow frowned. Rainbow glared. She spread her wings to the multiple bending horizons and shouted into the subconscious abyss. "I love you!"

Thunder. Noise.

"I love you, Applejack!" Rainbow bellowed, her body splitting at the seams as she sailed towards a snow-white sliver of light. "I love you so damn much! And if Celestia is my witness, you're going to be..." Her eyes opened wide. A few tears evaporated, and she smiled devilishly against the chaos. "...one day I am going to be your filly!""

At last, she broke through, shattering ice and snow in every direction. Rainbow gasped, sputtered, treading water at the top of a frozen lake. For the first time since arriving there, she felt stabs of pain, and it drew the breath out of her.

Epcot's sphere flitted ahead of her, shining like a beacon.

Rainbow followed it, climbing out of the drink and pulling herself onto a snow-covered lawn. There, she collapsed in the powdery mush, shivering all over.

The sphere lowered closer, glowing brighter as if attempting to warm the pegasus.

Instead, Rainbow lifted her face, scowling. She fought the tremors and muttered: "Freckles."

In a bright poof, a campfire appeared before her, blazing and lit. It instantly warmed the soaking-wet mare, and she shuffled forward, shivering less and less.

"Drawl..."

A mug of warm, steaming cider appeared in her grasp. She cradled it in two blue hooves, raising the delicious quaff to her muzzle. Her insides caught aflame, and she shut her eyes, breathing calmly and meditatively. A gentle smile crossed her features, and her wingtips fluttered in delight at the cold kiss of the playful snowflakes descending all around her.

At last, she opened her eyes, staring ahead. "Okay... just where in the heck am I?"

A two-story wooden farmhouse lingered in the middle of a pasture, covered in snow. A chimney billowed gentle gray smoke, and Rainbow could see a hint of flickering amber light through the frost-stained windows.

"Sweet Apple Acres?" Rainbow squinted, shaking her head. "No... I couldn't be. But... where...?"

Epcot's sphere shot past her.

Rainbow's head traced it.

The sphere rotated around a mailbox. On its side, Rainbow spotted the illustration of several green leaves.

The pegasus blinked. Her eyes narrowed. "Stu..."

Comments

[Aatxe360]

On the edge of my seat for the next installment.

[Lightning Bearer]

If all this trip bestows upon Rainbow is the confidence to at least put up a fight for Applejack, then it'll be worth it. Already, progress has been made.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

Ahh, so we found Stu? At Sweet Apple Acres? With his mark on the mailbox? Looks like someone didn't give up after all.

Also, I redact my previous statement toward Epcot. She can mess around all she likes.

Also, JE, you probably don't do requests, but still, could you find a way to pull Epcot into mortal existence? She's too awesome to be alone.

[Salad king]

(Silence didn't last, story is too good)

Next chapter is stu = who? Because he'll be destroyed so badly he will be wiped from existence.

[Leftover of Saikano]

When she said "Stu..." I imagined her like this, and I was like this, too.
stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/4627010/dinkleberg-o.gif

[TwilightUCrazy]

"Sweet Apple Acres?" Rainbow squinted, shaking her head. "No... I couldn't be. But... where...?"

Epcot's sphere shot past her.

Rainbow's head traced it.

The sphere rotated around a mailbox. On its side, Rainbow spotted the illustration of several green leaves.

The pegasus blinked. Her eyes narrowed. "Stu..."

[CommanderCuddle]

Yay i caught up, and woo cyber space. On another note i still wish the most ungodly pain possible upon Stu

[Elsaack]

And then Dash kicked down the door and screamed in his face, "MINE!"

[Lord Dragon]

5582739 And you were doing so well. *Pinkie appears* "Hey, that's my line!"

[Sheendough]

"I wish I was your filly"?

[Shipmun]

5583644
What if that's actually been RD's mantra this whole time? It'd be so...
So cheesy

But I think I approve

[Jay_Baker]

I hope rainbow doesn't see stu with AJ

[Sarda]

5583945 i think she deserves a little sap after all this

[Future Regret]

This is Stu's fantasy. This will be awkward.

[Meridian Prime]

When I was reading one of my favourite fanfictions ever, I was not expecting to hear some of my favourite album ever too!

And used so fittingly too. These chapters were emotional enough on their own, but with the context of the songs too?
It just hits twice as hard.

[DrEggnog]

Rainbow sighed, caressing Fluttershy's innocent face like a mirage through a veil. "Because I wanted more than what she was willing to give me... something deeper. And for years afterwards, I grew distant. I punished her for something I was totally guilty for. It wasn't her fault that I... that I have this thing I've never been able to conquer, despite how awesome and cool I am on the outside." She shuddered. "On the inside, I'm just as weak as Fluttershy, if not weaker. She's the strong one. And... I'll never stop feeling bad."
"Because you loved her deeply for so long?" Epcot said.
"Love should be a two-way thing." Rainbow gazed aside, her ears drooping as the clouds grew dark around her. "But it rarely friggin' is. Most of the time... it's just somepony weighing another down, or somepony not deserving to receive it."

If Skirts has never been in love, I'm surprised, because he GETS it.

Epcot smiled. "Your life is a truly amazing adventure, Rainbow Dash," she said. "One that is sculpted by heroes to make a hero." She cocked her head aside. "But do you need to be an unsung one?"

That was a clever and inspired reference. Also now Ponky's Unsung Secrets is in my head.

This arc's bizarreness has been hard for me to get into, but I'm digging certain moments a lot.

[arancaytar]

"...one day I am going to be your filly!""

"I Wish I Was Your Filly".
"I Wish I Was Yours, Applejack"
"I Wish I Could Be Yours"