Appledashery

by Just Essay

A Loose Fit At Best

"Good afternoon, everypony!" Mayor Mare exclaimed, trotting up to the podium and taking the mic as she stood next to two well-dressed delegates from Cloudsdale. She smiled, squinting through the Ponyville sunlight, and addressed the crowd of pegasi gathered directly outside the Town Hall building. "As Mayor of Ponyville, I would very much like to thank the whole lot of you for showing up today and in such large numbers too. Ponyville wouldn't be where it is today without the gracious assistance of its pegasus population. I know that, statistically speaking, many of you moved here from Cloudsdale—which makes me especially grateful for your commitment to this upcoming joint venture between our humble little town and the floating maretropolis responsible for managing weather all across Equestria."

One of the pegasi hoofed her a clipboard. The Mayor slipped on her bifocals and carefully perused the list of names.

Meanwhile, in the crowd, Rainbow Dash, Stu Leaves, Sharp Quill, and others stood side by side with other winged ponies, waiting in patience.

"Alright..." The Mayor cleared her throat and waved the clipboard. "I've been instructed to brief the whole lot of you on the requirements for being a weather captain. Since we have over one hundred and twenty pegasi gathered, and a captain is responsible for managing approximately thirty, it looks like we're going to be needing to have four slots filled. So, without further ado, here's a brief description of what will be required for—"

"Rainbow Dash is here," squeaked a mare's voice from somewhere in the crowd.

The Mayor looked up. "Eh?"

"That's right, Mayor," another pony spoke over the huddled crowd. "Rainbow Dash has totally signed up."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

Ponies stirred in silence. There was an errant cough or two.

"... ... ..." The Mayor stared. She reached out to a pegasus. The Cloudsdalian delegate hoofed her a pen, and the Mayor drew a hash-mark across the clipboard. "Right..." She stared out at the crowd again with a smile. "We'll be going over a brief description of what's required to fill out the other three weather captain positions."

Rainbow bit her lip, glancing left and right.

---

"Hey! Check it!" Thunderlane trotted up to the gathered group with a grin. He brandished a brown vest with a star on it. "I made it! Totally a weather captain!"

"Buck yeah!" Sharp Quill smiled. "Are we the most awesome fliers or what?"

"Heh... it wasn't easy, lemme tell you," Thunderlane said with a wink. He nevertheless slipped into the vest. "My aptitude score was barely above the other ponies in my group who applied. And—y'know—I'll have to prove my worth when we fly north of Everfree and do our practice flights." He fitted himself into the vest and took a breath. "...how do I look?"

"Pretty suave," Stu Leaves said with a smirk. "But... eheh... of course, I'm no trendsetter."

"I'm gonna totally show this off to Blossomforth," Thunderlane said. "It's a shame she's busy looking after her family these days, or else she'd get to see me show my stuff during tornado tossing!"

"Well, I can't imagine it'll be too easy," Sharp Quill said. "So you might wanna put 'showing off' up on the shelf."

"Heh. Well said." Thunderlane winked across the way. "And of course you got the position without having to try, Rainbow Dash." He chuckled. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash fussed and fumbled to fit her limp forelimbs through the vest. "I swear, they make these vest thingies too friggin' big."

"You think that's their fault?" Sharp Quill said.

She looked up. "Huh?"

"Erm..." Sharp Quill glanced off, blushing slightly.

"Whelp! I'm off to go celebrate!" Thunderlane saluted and flapped his wings. "See you all tomorrow! North of Everfree!"

"Hah! We'll be there with bells on!" Sharp Quill smirked. "For now, I gotta go... uhhhh... help somepony with something." He saluted as he shuffled off. "And Rainbow? I'll see if I can get that vest altered to... y'know... not be so loose on you."

"Yeah." Rainbow nodded, still fussing with the vest. "When you see Rarity, let her know it could use some extra pockets for energy drinks."

Sharp Quill shook in place. "Who s-said I was g-going to go see Rarity?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow looked up at him. "...see you tomorrow, Sharp Quill," she exhaled through smiling teeth.

"Uhhhh... ahem..." Sharp Quill flapped his wings and soared over the crowd of gathered pegasi. "Y-yeah..."

"Grnnngh..." Rainbow flung the vest about one more time, but it dangled loosely from her grip. "Darn friggin' thing... like doing the salsa inside a windsock, I swear—" It fell completely. "Awwww crud—!"

A nimble hoof grabbed it before the article could touch the dirt. "Whew! Got it!" Stu Leaves picked the thing up. "Wow! This thing is really big for you, isn't it?"

"Meh..." Rainbow sighed aside into the afternoon light.

"With how quickly the Mayor signed you up—you'd think she'd just own a custom-made blazer for you at all times." He smirked. "Basically a souped-up version of the Winter Wrap-up Gear, huh?" He chuckled. "Speaking of which... boy, I look forward to helping around for the next one this year..."

"Don't hold your breath," Rainbow muttered in a low tone.

"Here." Stu trotted behind her. "Stand still."

"Huh?" Rainbow looked over her shoulder, blinking. "What are you—?"

"Always willing to assist a friend in need." Stu carefully wrapped the vest around her, then allowed her to step one hoof through, then the other. "There! That wasn't so bad! Now let me take a look—guhhhh..." He made a face, chuckling slightly. "Yeesh. At first I thought the others were kidding. I mean... I swear, Rainbow... you don't appear so... so small from just looking at ya."

"Mrmmmf..." Rainbow nevertheless wrapped the vest as tight as she could manage and stood with a slight pout. "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime! Heheh!"

"Stu, I hate the vest. I was being sarc—"

"Hey!" He pointed. "It's blue! Does that mean—"

"Yeah." She nodded with a sigh. "I'm in charge of Team Blue."

"Cool!" Stu grinned. "That means you'll be captaining me!"

"... ... ...how snazzy is that," Rainbow droned, her lips curving slightly.

"Whew! This is going to be an experience and a half!"

"I don't doubt it."

"I can't wait to tell AJ." Stu trotted off. "She'll be tickled pink!"

Rainbow blinked multiple times. "Uhhhhh..." She pivoted about to follow his figure. "Tell... uh... t-tell AJ?"

"Hah! Jeez, Rainbow, why so Jeff Gallopbloom?"

"Huh?"

Stu rolled his eyes. "Inside joke. Ahem." He smiled. "Yeah. AJ and I have been... y'know... hanging out. Every evening for the past week or so." He shrugged. "Right when the day ends. I fly on over and she tells me how her day's gone and I tell her about mine. We sit and chat, watching the sun set. And then I fly back to my place."

"That..." Rainbow stared past him. She breathed out her nostrils. "...sounds nice."

"It's funny." Stu dug his hoof across the dirt beneath them. "Ever since we started doing this, I feel as if... y'know..." He gulped. "...I've been improving myself a little bit, day after day, just so I can have something worth sharing with her. Not th-that she has to work any harder. Cuz the mare already has a whole bunch worth sharing. Heh... y'know AJ..."

"Uh huh..." Rainbow gulped. "Don't I..."

"Ever since Apple Bloom got healed..." Stu hesitated slightly. A calm smile hung off his muzzle. He shrugged. "I don't know. But she strikes me as so... happy. So at peace. I kinda wanna make that last as long as I can. The mare deserves it, y'know?"

"Yeah. She totally does." Rainbow stared at the opposite horizon, her eyes moist.

"Hmmmmff...." Stu cracked his neck muscles. "Whelp..." A smile. "Now that I'm on this tornado team, I'm sure I'll have lots to share on my end. Heh... goddess help me come up with something spectacular tomorrow."

"... ... ...I'll make sure that you do."

"Huh?" Stu looked over.

Rainbow squinted back. "I'm the Blue Team Captain, aren't I? I'll make sure you don't do something stupid." Her nostrils flared. "Like slam your skull into a rock or rip your wings apart. That way..." She tried to smile, but it came out grimacing. "...you can share stuff with AJ just fine."

Either he didn't see it, or he saw straight past it. "Heh... you're too awesome, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah..."

He saluted. "I'll see you then!" A wink. "Captain, My Captain!" And in a gust of wind, he flew off.

Rainbow's vest blew apart, draping loosely from her upper body. The mare hung her head and groaned quietly, rubbing a numb hoof across her face.

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

A mysterious pegasus stands shrouded by the fog...

I'm getting similar vibes to that one story, the one where Twilight had that admirer that started taking over her life so she made up some disaster that she knew they'd go after to get rid of her, nearly got her killed.
Can't remember the name.

Seriously similar vibes though.

What made Sharpy so nervous there?

[Sharp Quill]

A Loose Fit At Best

Somehow, I don't think that's referring to just the vest.

"Buck yeah!" Sharp Quill smiled. "Are we the most awesome fliers or what?"

Wait. Am I a team captain also?

Sharp Quill shook in place. "Who s-said I was g-going to go see Rarity?"

Yeah, what I said. SharpDoo all the way!

"Hah! Jeez, Rainbow, why so Jeff Gallopbloom?"

Jeff Goldblum, I presume, though why that'd be an inside joke I haven't a clue.

[MidnightReflection]

"Always willing to assist a friend in need." Stu carefully wrapped the best around her, then allowed her to step one hoof through, then the other.

Stu carefully wrapped the best around her

Uh...
Uhhhh...

Wat

[Lightning Bearer]

Huh. Wasn't expecting her to get the captain position. Even still, something's gonna happen.

[Khao]

That way..." She tried to smile, but it came out grimacing. "...you can share stuff with AJ just fine."

Welp, I knew that's where this was gonna go. As long as it makes Applejack happy, Rainbow simply won't manage to bring herself to interfere. Even if it pretty much kills her on the inside.

Still, I'm somehow hoping this is all a crazy misunderstanding and nothing's actually going on beyond a super tight friendship and Stu is actually gay or something.

[Sheendough]

So Rainbow is leaving the subject alone because she thinks Stu is better for AJ? Also, is it just me or have we been sort of objectifying AJ lately?

[CommanderCuddle]

The cuddling was a lie. A lie i say!!

[TwilightUCrazy]

I can't be the only one who Stu irritates the ever-living hell out of...

[viofriedsevey]

Well I blew it.

[zaponator]

At this point Stu is doing more to make Applejack happy than Rainbow is. It's a funny quirk of people's brains that they can turn helping someone else into a completely selfish endeavor, but Rainbow's definitely managed to do it, and now that someone else is intruding on her turf she's gonna probably go fuck everything up.

[LucyHorseThing]

*me in a different reality*
*wakes up*
*speaks out loud to self*
I don't know why, but I have the strongest urge to punch some character named "Stu Leaves" in the face, really, really, hard.
*goes back to sleep*
*wakes up in morning*
*doesn't remember anything*

[Boop-Happy Lass]

6632171
What if the only thing Dashie will cuddle in the end is her pillow? :<

[arancaytar]

"... ... ..." The Mayor stared. She reached out to a pegasus. The Cloudsdalian delegate hoofed her a pen, and the Mayor drew a hash-mark across the clipboard. "Right..." She stared out at the crowd again with a smile. "We'll be going over a brief description of what's required to fill out the other three weather captain positions."

With how hard life has been kicking her fuzzy blue plot lately, it's heartwarming when she gets a reminder of how awesome she is.

[arancaytar]

8560356
Noooo

[arancaytar]

He saluted. "I'll see you then!" A wink. "Captain, My Captain!" And in a gust of wind, he flew off.

Not sure if you're referencing Dead Poets Society or good old Whitman himself here, but I guess they're equally sad.