Rainbow Dash lives an exciting life and is swiftly becoming the most daring, awesome pegasus in all of Equestria. She would gladly give it all up, though, just to confess her love to Applejack.
"Rrrr-Grrgggh!" Snarling, Applejack swung her posterior and slammed both rear hooves into yet another apple tree. Fruit went flying everywhere, with a few apples even ricoheting off her head and flank. The mare didn't seem to mind. In fact, she almost reveled in the matter. "Fine. Dun fall straight. Not like my whole darn livelihood depends on this consarn... h-hogwash!"
Panting, Rainbow Dash hovered behind the mare. "Applejack—"
"Yeah, what?!" Applejack snapped without looking back.
Rainbow Dash jolted in place, eyes wide. After a heavy blink or two, she stammered, "I... I-I just came from Sugarcube Corner—"
"Oh really?! Ain't that place grand?!" With another growl, Applejack bucked a tree at random. She didn't pause to put the apples into their respective baskets; she didn't even try. "What, is everypony expectin' me to go cartwheelin' in there with a dumb grin and start tossin' flowers around? Ain't that next on the list of time-honored traditions? Or did I miss some hoity-toity public dancin' in between?!"
"No... AJ..." Rainbow Dash squinted. She tried to contain her shivers; her heart shook with each angry outburst that rolled from Applejack's muzzle. "I was with Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy. You know... our friends?"
"What about them?"
"They're worried about you. I'm worried about you."
"Horse hockey," Applejack snorted, making her way to another tree. "You ain't ever scared over nothin'."
"You weren't at the marketplace with your apples today," Rainbow said, gesturing. "Scootaloo says that Apple Bloom was down in the dumps 'cuz her big sister was 'not acting like her normal self.'"
"That lil' filly expects every day to be the same as the last, then she's gonna grow up to be severely disappointed."
Rainbow frowned. "And on top of that, Fluttershy just got done telling me that Big Macintosh is practically screaming for bloody murder."
"Hah! Well if that ain't sublimely meat-headed of him!" Applejack smiled bitterly. "But, hey! Why not?! Stallions are what stallions do! Straight edged in one direction! No point in explainin' it! Just here and there and gone like a plow across the field!"
"Applejack—"
"Tell Fluttershy that she can let Macintosh do whatever he cotton-pickin' wants! Grnkkkt!" Thud! Applejack slammed another tree, panting, seething. "Go off and stomp a mudhole in a pony?! Sure thang! Httt!" Wh-Whack! "As if she's got any choice in the matter! I mean, why should she?! Not like he truly loves or cares about her enough to bother with—"
"Applejack!" Rainbow hollered. "He's your brother! Knock it off!"
Applejack slumped against a tree, huffing, frowning.
After a long breath, Rainbow spoke: "Exactly what happened between you and Stu?"
"Heh..." Applejack shook her head with a crooked smile. "Stu Stu Stu... is that what anypony ever asks about anymore?" She punched the trunk she was leaning against and stomped across the orchards towards another line of trees. "'Hello, Applejack. What are you doing with Stu this week?' 'Going on another date with your beau Stu, eh, darlin'?' 'Oh Applejack, ain't you and Mr. Leaves so divine!'" She kicked more trees. Her nostrils flared. "I run a farm, y'know! I have a business in sellin' apples! My family is older than Ponyville and everyone in this town wouldn't even have a livelihood if it weren't for this here blood runnin' through my vein! Does anypony ever wanna talk about that anymore?!"
"AJ, for crying out loud..." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Who's questioning you or your business—?!"
"I was doin' just fine and dandy before Stupid Leaves came along!" Applejack barked. "There! I said it! Ain't you proud?"
"Uhhhh—"
"Oh dun be a lyin' varmint, Rainbow Dash. Everypony who's anypony knows you can't stand the stallion!" Applejack spat. "So average... so wishy-washy... the last to cross the finishin' line in every race, even though he puts his heart into it... his feelings... his... his pr-promises..." She clenched her teeth, then shut her eyes. "Darn it... dang it... dang him. I ain't breakin' for no... no loser. What does he have on me, huh?! On this farm?! On this land that my folks lived for... died for! My father done nearly broke his back plantin' these here trees! I dun need any... any stupid fuddy-duddy stallion dosey-doeing his way across the precious soil they done cultivated, y'hear? I dun need it! I hate it!"
"Applejack..." Rainbow Dash landed on weak legs. She fought herself, finding the strength to stand upright. "...what did Stu do?"
"Grffff!" Applejack tried bucking another tree. Instead, she leaned limply against it, her breaths ragged and thin. "... ... ...he... he came here early this mornin' just..." She gulped. "...just to tell me that it's all over..."
Rainbow Dash blinked. Her lips pursed. "You mean that Stu Leaves dumped you."
"What, are ya deaf or somethang?!" Applejack spun, barking at the pegasus. "Dun make me repeat it, Rainbow Dash! It makes no sense to me either!"
"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash blinked. "It... I mean..." She gulped. "Just... just like that?"
"No, he also brought fireworks and a bunch of tap-dancin' elephants! Dang it!" Applejack spun, teeth showing. "He didn't even give no reason, Rainbow Dash! He just... j-just said that 'it was not meant to be' and that we couldn't see each other no more. And y'know what, if that's how vague and... and... mmmm... plum idiotic he's gonna be about it, then fine by me! I was better off without him anyway! Better off before... before I-I gave... I gave..."
Applejack's voice lost its fervor. Her breaths came in little squeaks. She hugged herself while her eyes remained steadfastly locked to some fixed point in the soil.
Rainbow Dash stared, her muzzle agape.
"Do... d-do you have any idea what... what it feels like to... t-to..." Applejack sniffled. "...to give so much of yerself that... that t'ain't no sense in tryin' to put it all back together. 'Cuz you trust one pony to hold it all in place. You dun gave him yer heart and... and it's all nothing?" She clenched her eyes shut. "Nothin' for nothin'?! And... and the worst part is that there's nothin' left to even hate myself with... cuz... cuz it's all gone. There's nothin', Rainbow. I... I tried it... I tried love and... and it's all nothin'."
A sob escaped Applejack's throat... followed by another. The mare quivered, imploded, hugging herself with shaking forelimbs.
Rainbow's body had grown numb, and it wasn't from atrophy. Her ears drooped as a foalish whimper came from her lips. "Applejack... Applejack, are... are you...?"
"For years I d-didn't thank I could ever afford it... afford to taste of it..." Tears poured from Applejack's eyes, marring her freckles in the sunlight. "...and I was fine with that. I was fine, Rainbow. And then he came... and... and I didn't think it'd m-matter until it mattered." She hiccuped, covering her face as she sobbed into her fetlocks. "After all these years, I-I thought I had actually f-found my place. It was startin' to make sense, Rainbow. But now... n-now nothin' makes sense... and... and I dun think I'll..." She hyperventilated. "...d-dun think I'll ever get to know what Ma and Pa did." She gnashed her teeth. "Such strength... that pr-preciousness..."
"But... but you are strong, Applejack," Rainbow whispered. She reached a trembling hoof out. "You're... you're the strongest—"
Applejack fell to the ground.
With a jolt, Rainbow Dash tried to catch her. She could only hug her as Applejack laid across the ground, shuddering.
"I just... j-just don't understand..." Applejack cried. "Why would he do this? Everythang was just perfect... perfect." Snarling, she punched the ground with her hoof. "Darn him! Would it kill another soul... just one soul in this stinkin' world to be honest?! Is that askin' too much?!" She shuddered. "Am I all there is?"
"You're more than that, Applejack. Please, don't cry," Rainbow Dash stammered. "You don't... don't..." She clenched her eyes shut as tears began welling along the edges. She leaned forward, nuzzling Applejack through her hat. It was the closest she felt to her... to such heavenly warmth. The scent of hay... blemished by tears. A heavy shudder rolled through Rainbow's muscles, ending in a vicious snarl. When her eyes opened, they were completely dry... and seeing red. "Wait right here."
Applejack sniffled. She rubbed her cheek. "Rainbow..."
Blue feathers ruffled. With flapping wings, Rainbow took to the sky.
Swallowing a lump down her throat, Applejack managed to tilt her head up, squinting at the clouds. "Where... what are you—?"
"I'm going to fix this."
"Rainbow...?"
"I promise." FWOOOOOSH!
Page generated in 0.076 seconds
Total duration
779 users online
953,508 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Inb4 He must found the letter.
...Just like that. Wow, Stu, really?
Now I'm curious as to why?
Here lies Stu Leaves, or what's left of him.
Dashed to pieces he left a red smear across the cobblestone.
Pure rage, unfettered and raw.
Wow, he actually did it. You don't fucking do that shit, i don't care if he found the letter, you don't get close to someone saying you love them having them fall in love with you, and then DUMP THEM, i don't care if he found out about rainbows desires, it's just a dick thing to do. And all its done is make everyone sad. Stupid bloody leaves.
RIP Stu. You served your purpose of (maybe?) knocking up AJ so her and Dash can raise the foal and live happily ever after.
6924377
And then Stu just Leaves.
Curious, we've actually been given a real reason to dislike stu leaves now. Was his name supposed to be forshadowing all along?
So . . . Who wants to write Stu's obituary. Cause he is seriously screwed now.
Hey, we finally got the cuddles we were promised!
And on that day Rainbow Dash and the comments section both learned a valuable lesson:
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Aha! The words plum idiotic were used! I called it. And now we get a long convoluted arc on why Applejack hates plums instead of getting to see Rainbow go after Stu.
6924741 It was foreshadowing the whole time, I can't believe it.
6924741 I see what you did there.
As to that letter and Stu-pid Leaves impending fate; 1) Yes, I believe he found Dash's letter to AJ, and 2) He's got a wrathful hurricane by the name of Rainbow Dash headed his way.
Sooooo, confrontation coming up.
Popcorn, anyone?
*grabs a tub of it for herself and sits down to enjoy the show.
Is it bad that I am Pinkie Pie levels of happy over this? I mean, I know this won't be the last we see of him, but still.
The only explanation for why Stu would dump AJ is that he found Rainbow's letter. That's the only reason I can think of anyway....hmmmm...I guess we'll find out!
So, while this is terrible for AJ, and I usually don't comment on old chapters while I catch up. This one I've got to express my relief that this whole AppleStu thing is finally done. So many painful chapters of no or reverse progress and we get to this point. Granted, this is out of the blue and seems contrived as all heck - but it's progress.
Now if only Rainbow doesn't screw this up... like she sounds like she's going to
6925084
While AJ's going to need some time to get over Stu, and it does bring some feels, the joy of this story getting back on track after 800 chapters of faffery more than makes up for it.
Letter. Letter?
Dashie.
well, i guess that's what happened.
6924366
Well phooey to you, it's been like 5 years so now I get to pretend like it was my revelation!
So anyway, I think Stu found the letter. Please hold your applause for my great and powerful deduction skills.
Also, please don't scroll below my comment...