Appledashery

by Just Essay

ColorBlind

"Hmm?" Applejack hummed, pausing to shut the doors to the nearby barn.

Rainbow Dash blinked, lost in a numb stupor. Soon, she realized that the last sound coming out of Applejack was meant to be an inquisition. So, with raspy (anti)-eloquence, she lisped: "With... with Stu?"

"What?" Applejack blinked, as if coming out of a dream. "Oh! Right. The restaurant. Well... eheh..." She brushed her bangs back. "Not exactly my bread and butter... even if they do serve bread and butter." She let loose a guffaw that was too melodic to be natural, but at least she followed it up with a realistic sigh. "Stu insists that the daisy stroganoff there is to die for. I'm... only goin' there to shut him up, really."

"Oh... uh..." Rainbow gulped. "Okay."

"Though... he's awfully good at listenin'," Applejack said, almost cooed. It nearly tore the earth out from underneath Rainbow Dash, but the earth pony obliviously rambled forth: "Especially lately. I mean... Stu's always been a good friend... even if a clumsy one. Heh. But lately, he's proven to be just... just..."

"Just what?" Rainbow wheezed, fighting the urge to go cross-eyed.

"Mmmm... just there," Applejack said with a shrug. "No other way to describe it, really. I mean... for a pegasus... he's very... very well grounded. And he ain't imposin' about the way he makes observations and suggestions and... and..." Applejack readjusted her hat and exhaled. "Eh... reckon I ain't makin' much sense. Point is, he's been so very generous to me as of late. Especially with his company. Seems only proper that I pay him the same respect in turn. I mean... it's just a silly dinner at this place he likes. That's... erm... p-perfectly normal for friends to do." For a brief moment, Applejack's voice took on a pensive tone. Her gaze turned towards Rainbow Dash. "Ain't it...?"

For the first time since arriving there, Rainbow Dash felt a sense of agency.

"Oh! T-totally!" She blurted. Squeaked. "Really... really friendly stuff to do! Between friends!" She gulped, smiling crookedly. "Ponies who are just friends to one another."

Applejack's eyes lit-up, as if with pent-up release. "Oh... oh g-good..." She chuckled sideways. "C-can't believe I was having some mighty loopty-thoughts there." A brief pause, and she squinted off into the distance. "Should I rethink lettin' my mane down? I mean, it's not exactly a fancy restaurant but I've seen mares there wearin' pearls n'such on the outdoor patio..."

"Bringthehat. Bringthehat!!" Rainbow Dash coughed, sputtered.

Applejack jolted. "You... you alright there, sugarcube?"

Rainbow Dash wheezed, slapped her fuzzy chest, and smiled. It came out as a wince. "Oh. Me? Just fine and dandy!"

"You poor thang. You must be worked to the bone with all yer deliveries as of late." Applejack smiled, trotting off. "We really need to catch up, you and I."

"You... y-you think?"

"Well, not tonight, of course. But... but sometime soon! I promise!" Applejack waved and headed for her house. "I swear, I'm missin' havin' yer colors around! Heh... you should drop in more! Y'know... like ya used to!"

"Uh huh..." Rainbow Dash waved limply as Applejack sauntered off. Soon enough, the pegasus stood in the dying light of the afternoon.

Alone.

"...all you need to do is ask..."

And she bit her lip tightly shut.

Comments

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

Well ... shit.

[destinedjagold]

Rainbow Dash felt a sense of agency.

[Rex-Inverse]

This ain't good. Hopefully that letter is found soon or rainbow confesses. Otherwise, rainbow's goose is cooked for life. As for told by Discord. Hoping this universes gives Rainbow Dash the girl she deserves. I mean it's in the title of the story. We need to see some Rainbow and apple cuddles soon.

[RoboRed]

...I'm trying to hold out hope that this is all just from Stu trying to be a good guy...

[Sheendough]

6619532 Shit... Well.

[Phoenix Kitten]

6619534 according to wikipedia

The "sense of agency" (SA) (or sense of control) refers to the subjective awareness that one is initiating, executing, and controlling one's own volitional actions in the world.

as best I can figure it to mean, she suddenly became hyper aware of everything she was doing and saying.
I'm probably so far off the mark that it's not even funny ,though. So take that with a grain of salt.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

6619568 Cute.

[MidnightReflection]

StujustwantstobeagoodfriendStujustwantstobeagoodfriend... Okay!

Stu just wants to be a good friend. That's all he's doing. Obviously. No need for worrying... Not at all!

DAMMIT, I JUST WANT SOME FRIGGIN CUDDLES! Over 700 chapters and still nothing! Why do you taunt us like this......

[Sheendough]

I just love how we went from haing the guy to feeling pity for him to liking him and then finally back to hating him again.

[viofriedsevey]

Appledashery, Aka the only thing in the fucking world that could pull me away from Fallout 4, however briefly.

[Lightning Bearer]

I'm having a real hard time getting a read on this situation.

Applejack seems not to be holding a grudge about Rainbow's absence. But then... part of me wonders if it does bother her, and she's just hiding it. Because in all fairness, Rarity raised a good point: if something bad happened, and your friend just suddenly disappeared, it wouldn't make you feel very good, right? But then, why would Applejack hide it? To not add guilt to Rainbow's presumably heavy load of responsibilities? Or perhaps something else? The old theory that Applejack harbors secret, perhaps even subconscious, feelings for Rainbow comes to mind, though that seems a little too good to be true.

Or, maybe it really doesn't bother her.

And then there's Stu. Applejack seems to be unsure about how she feels about him. But what about him? Are his designs romantic?

And then--at the risk of beating a dead horse--there's the letter. You know it's gonna come into play, and probably sooner than later (after all, there's only so long a letter can lay on the ground before the wind blows it away or the rain ruins it). Has someone found it? If so, who? Has Applejack found it, and is going out with Stu in the hopes of pushing Rainbow into being honest? Seems like a stretch. Did Stu find it? What would that mean?

I know, I know. I'm getting a head of myself. But still. There are so many angles and ambiguities to this storyline so far.

And it all would've been so much easier if Rainbow has just taken credit for the damned flower.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Last chapter 6616498 entertained the notion that Stu took credit for Dash's letter after finding it.
What if he did find it, read it, figured out it was from Dash and felt betrayed that the reason she talked him down from his advances on AJ was so Dash could have a shot at AJ herself, and decided that if Dash was going to play like that, so was he.

[CommanderCuddle]

So Stu's back in the 'we hate him' corner of character development, and just asking because i may have forgotten. Did we ever find out what was in Aj's hat or is that still like a major secret that has yet to come into play?

[Mares-a-Mares]

6619825
Yeah, it's still pretty much a mystery. We'll see what JE has in store for us.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

6619534 agency: the ability to choose. As in she should choose to cuddle AJ. (but yeah, it should be urgency)

"...all you need to do is ask..."

Clever. See, she's all alone, so she's literally telling herself that.

Also, anyone else getting the feeling that AJ is trying to be subtly spiteful?

[Tchernobog]

6619757

And then--at the risk of beating a dead horse--there's the letter. You know it's gonna come into play, and probably sooner than later (after all, there's only so long a letter can lay on the ground before the wind blows it away or the rain ruins it). Has someone found it? If so, who? Has Applejack found it, and is going out with Stu in the hopes of pushing Rainbow into being honest? Seems like a stretch. Did Stu find it? What would that mean?

My wild guess... Stu found it, and in Dash's absence, felt the need to *be* there for AJ in her time of need - be the support Dash couldn't be. And at some point, he'll tell Dash and push her towards AJ or something.

That or he's a dick and decided to make a move because he saw the letter, and get in first.

[Leftover of Saikano]

6619621 Don't hurry. Stu will probably get some friggin cuddles after the dinner. It needs to happen, to put Rainbow Dash's loyalty to test.

[TwilightUCrazy]

oi58.tinypic.com/2ebd069.jpg

[Salad king]

6619567 me too, especially after that stuff he pulled at shindigs.

On another note, aj obviously misses spending time with dash, you could see that she was nervous or slightly upset talking about it, she just wants some company.

[Appledash_Gurl]

If Stu does anything, ANYTHING, to Applejack (bad or romantically) I'm going to punch him. I don't even care if they they think its impossible

~ADG

6619825 Yeah, we didn't ever find out what was in her hat, but hopefully we will soon...RIGHT JE?!?

[Hestia]

What are we gonna do about Stu? I mean, I don't think he's a bad dude or anything but if he makes a move on AJ . . .

Poor Rainbow Dash. It seems that everything just keeps going downhill for her.

[Aatxe360]

6619567
6619621

Applejack cuddling with a clumsy pegasus is sure to be happening.

[Sileadh]

People keep mentioning that bloody letter, but I don't recall mention of it being found by anyone. In fact, my last memory of it is a small section describing it fluttering in the windy rain, still caught in some grassy weeds on the border between the Apple farm and the Everfree. Did I miss something somewhere? I mean, the likelihood of it being found by anyone at all is pretty damn slight, what with pretty much the entirety of ponyville camping outside the Apple family house. Its only saving grace is that it would be found next to Rainbow Dash's saddlebags.

So no, I don't think this particular dinner incident has anything to do with Stu finding any letters or coming to any conclusions. I think this is Applejack realising how close to death everybody is. How you can lose anything and everything in a heartbeat. She's had reality, death, shoved so far down her throat she's had to taste it with her stomach. When things like that happen, they tend to lend themselves to epiphanies. Life shattering realisations. I think Applejack has just come to the conclusion that she doesn't have all the time in the world anymore. That if she wants something, she can't simply wait for it to come to her, but rather head out and grab it with all limbs.

Applejack does want a family, she doesn't know what kind of family, or how to go about getting there, but she wants something like one. This little venture, I feel, is a step towards that dream. She's going to have dinner with Stu, whom she gets on with and has been around the most. He's made himself known and shown he's good natured and helpful.I think Applejack, whether she's conscious of it or not, is essentially testing the waters. Seeing if she does like Stu that way.

What is puzzling me though is Rarity. From her attitude we can say that she's seen something from Applejack, which has made her just a little ambivalent towards Rainbow. Applejack has said or done something which Rarity has picked up on and come to the conclusion that the reason for it is Rainbow Dash's absence. Rarity can be a drama queen that is certain; most characterisations of her tend to play her as being quite observant though. My take on this is that, Rarity has seen something and dramatised it. But that she did see something. Something upsetting.

Hence my confusion. Applejack showed not a lick of the upset Rainbow caused her. Which means she's either hiding it rather than allow it to effect her relationship with a friend, or that she's over the issue already and doesn't feel its worth mentioning. Its honestly confusing, but then people are confusing and I'd be a hypocrite if I said that I've never ignored something which someones done to upset me in the interests of keeping things from escalating, or being blown out of proportion.

As for Rainbow herself, the poor, poor thing. She knows what she wants, but she wants Applejack to make the first move, to show the first interest. I think at this point that its been pretty well established that Rainbow is absolutely terrified of rejection, not just from Applejack as regards her feelings, but of the situation Rainbow finds herself in as a whole. Rainbow enjoys the camaraderie she gets from Applejack and the others. She enjoys the feeling of belonging to the group and being wanted by others. Rainbow doesn't want to rock the boat, for fear of what would happen. Rainbow Dash, in essence, fears change. Which is, funnily enough, quite a common thing to fear.

Or at least that's my take on things.

[Sharp Quill]

6620769 Even if it was found, by now the exposure to the elements would have made the pages hard, if not impossible, to read. Rain has that effect on paper and ink. Unless they take it to Twilight… of course that bookaphile would have a convenient spell to undo the damage.

Eh, everything turns out fine. Future Scoots said so, and that's good enough for me.

[1Bit]

Turns out Stu will be like a changeling or something....boy, would that be a plot twist and a whole bunch more chapters

[zaponator]

Ya snooze, ya lose, Rainbow Dash.
Look at it this way, Emo!Dash resigned ages ago to living in a perpetual state of wallowing despair, but at least in this new scenario Applejack gets to be happy!

[LucyHorseThing]

6622596
More so you engage in battle with evil for your better be future special somepony, you lose.

[DrEggnog]

"Though... he's awfully good at listenin'," Applejack said, almost cooed. It nearly tore the earth out from underneath Rainbow Dash, but the earth pony obliviously rambled forth: "Especially lately. I mean... Stu's always been a good friend... even if a clumsy one. Heh. But lately, he's proven to be just... just..."
"Just what?" Rainbow wheezed, fighting the urge to go cross-eyed.
"Mmmm... just there,"

There it is ladies and gentlemen. There it fucking is.

And what have you been doing, Rainbow Dash? Chasing after shards that didn't even have real wish granting abilities.

[arancaytar]

I'm torn between being sad for Dashie and BLAMING HER FOR BEING SO STUPID. Goddammit, filly, could you have taken credit for once.

[SnowOriole]

YOU COULD JUST VOLUNTEER TO GO WITH THEM you dumb dumb rainbow Stu did it that time with the roadtrip too..