Appledashery

by Just Essay

Would Ya Lancie That

"Wouldn't have mattered how hard I searched for those flowers," Rainbow Dash muttered. It was at least an hour later. Both mares sat in the middle of the woods, facing each other. The sounds of nature sang and crackled around them as the sun sank slow and red into the mountains beyond. "They simply didn't exist." She shook her head. "Not anymore."

"Then... exactly how did you find them at the end of your quest?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "A friend of mine," she muttered. "A friend that nopony knows about." Misty-eyed, she stared into the woods. "He had... erm... 'magical abilities' that could even put Twilight to shame. And... like... he and I... we... uh..." She squirmed where she sat. "...we had some pretty snazzy adventures as of late."

"Adventures?"

"We kinda sorta had this 'I scratch your back and you scratch mine' sort of a relationship," Rainbow Dash explained. "I went off and did something that would ultimately help him out... magically. And in return, he'd promise to do something for me. Naturally, I... uh... asked him to do little things here and there to help out Applejack. Just... as fate would have it... some cruddy thing or another would raise its ugly head and we'd both end up having to patch things up behind us. I... never really got to help out Applejack until the whole Tartarusian viper fiasco, but that's even more complicated of an explanation."

"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "I'm... not entirely sure that sounds quite like a healthy relationship. I mean... whoever this 'friend' of yours was, it almost seems like he was taking advantage of your feelings in order to do favors for him."

"You're not entirely wrong."

Fluttershy blinked.

"But that's just it." Rainbow gazed back at her. "He... he changed." She swallowed a sour lump down her throat. "Hanging out with me for so long... and seeing and hearing the way I just... friggin' gave everything up for Applejack and other ponies around me..." She smirked ever so slightly, but that smile just-as-quickly deflated. "Well. I guess you could say he wisened up. He conjured the flowers for Apple Bloom, and then..."

"Yes...?"

Rainbow brushed a hoof over her mane, shuddering. "And then he friggin' left," her voice cracked. "Just when I was starting to see something really snazzy in him. He simply couldn't handle the... feelings that were overwhelming him, I guess. And... uh... he's no longer around." She waved a limp hoof. "He's somewhere out there, purposefully giving up his magical powers so he can... I dunno... rediscover himself or something."

"I see..." Fluttershy exhaled. "Well... I may not know this character you speak of. But it seems to me that you had quite the impact on him."

"Yeah..." Rainbow's ears folded back.

Fluttershy saw it. She sniffled. "And you really... really miss him, don't you?"

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow Dash rested her chin on her hooves. "Y-yeah..."

"Rainbow..."

"You and AJ are the best friends I've ever had," Rainbow muttered. "But this dude?" She wiped her eyes dry, shuddering. "I told him everything, Flutters. Stuff that... that I-I haven't even told you." Two quivering eyes looked up. "And if someone like that... who got exposed to so much of what makes me me... if someone like that had no choice but to high-tail it out of here, then just how hopeless am I?"

"Oh Rainbow Dash..."

"J-just how h-hopeless is my... my friggin' complex over the mares I choose to love...?"

Fluttershy reached out to caress Rainbow's cheek. "You're one of the most compassionate, thoughtful, and selfless ponies I know. For what it's worth, I believe you've had a positive influence on this individual. While I'm not a fan of him abandoning you... I believe—in some bizarre way—it's for the better. Because you've exposed something in himself that he feels like he needs to change... to be more like you..."

"Ah jeez, Celestia forbid..."

Fluttershy giggled softly. "You're inspiration to many ponies, Rainbow Dash. I've no doubt that this... that this friend of yours is better off now... and that he will find a strong place to be. He's just... chosen a very strange way of getting there." She raised an eyebrow. "Remind you of anypony you know?"

Rainbow shuddered, hanging her head. "Maybe just some of us take for-freakin'-ever to get a clue about life."

"Perhaps." Fluttershy nodded. "Or—much rather—some of us take a long time to realize that life's greatest blessings are just a hoof's stretch away."

Comments

[MidnightReflection]

*reads chapter title*
FINALLY!
*reads chapter*
YOU!

[Phoenix Kitten]

6784054
Midnight seems to be channelling their inner super villain.
or their inner Ren Hoek.

[zaponator]

Whoa, Rainbow Dash actually opened up about a part of herself? That's dangerously healthy. She's gonna need to give herself 20 lashes later to make up her usual self-destruction quota.

[Sheendough]

Well, at least she vented some steam. That's gotta count for something.

[Bulbajer]

6784132

[Hestia]

I miss Lancie

[DrEggnog]

Rainbow works so hard to look at everything in the worst possible way. I feel her emo levels have been higher than ever lately. But it's always nice to see her opening up to Fluttershy.