Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

100. Periwinkle Poundcake

Applejack stayed with Rainbow for a while—couple of hours, she reckoned—as Rainbow wore herself out and fell asleep in Applejack’s arms. Applejack was kinda starting to get sore, and her legs were falling asleep, but she wasn’t gonna budge and risk disturbing Rainbow for anything less than a dang hurricane.

Rainbow’s face was a mess of fluids, ruffled fur, dirt, and even some blood. But Applejack just thought she was beautiful all the same, and the peaceful smile on Rainbow’s face when she finally fell asleep, after god knows how many hours of being awake, was like heaven to Applejack.

Legs asleep and all, there was no place Applejack’d rather be than right there, taking care of her girl.

Something caught Applejack’s attention out the corner of her eye, and she almost laughed out loud when she saw Pinkie Pie’s tiny little face poking out from behind a crate, and she put her finger to her lips to signal Pinkie to be quiet.

“Hey, Applejack,” Pinkie whispered, cozying up next to Applejack, “how’s everything going?”

“Could be worse,” Applejack said, idly stroking Rainbow’s mane and delighting in her happy, sleepy purr. “What’re you up to, Pinkie? Where’s Rarity?”

“She wanted to be alone,” Pinkie said somberly, “I didn’t, so I came to find you.”

“I feel ya,” Applejack put her spare arm around Pinkie, who hummed contentedly as she got comfy right up next to Applejack. “If there’s anything you need, Pinkie, just tell me, okay?”

“I could say the same thing to you, Applejack,” Pinkie said, her head resting against Applejack’s side and making the whole train feel warmer and cozier just by being around. “You’re always trying to be strong for everpony, and take care of everypony, and that’s great! But you already took care of Rainbow, and Rarity. Let me take care of you, okay?”

“Um,” Applejack bit her lip. It didn’t quite feel right burdening anyone else with her troubles, but if Pinkie or Rarity or anypony else told her that, she’d tell ‘em off right quick, and it wasn’t even a wee bit fair to hold herself to a lower standard than she holds her friends.

“Alright, Pinkie,” Applejack sighed, “what’d you have in mind?”

“Hmmmmm,” Pinkie hummed thoughtfully, grinning like a cat and tapping her chin, and Applejack couldn’t help but laugh, “how ‘bout… I tell you a story?”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack smiled. “What kinda story?”

“Story of a super brave and amazing pony!” Pinkie whispered, so as not to wake Rainbow with her enthusiasm. “Her name is… Lemon… john. Lemonjohn!”

Applejack grinned ear to ear and chuckled. “Tell me ‘bout Lemonjohn, Pinkie Pie.”

“Okay, I’m gonna,” Pinkie bit her lip to hold back an excited giggle. “Once upon a time, there was a super cute and precious pony.”

“Is that Lemonjohn?” Applejack asked curiously, Pinkie’s story already taking a much different turn than Applejack expected.

“No, silly,” Pinkie scoffed. “This pony was an innocent damsel in distress type, not like super cool Lemonjohn at all. Her name was… Periwinkle Poundcake.”

“I like her already,” Applejack smiled, rubbing Pinkie’s arm, “she sounds sweet.”

“Cuz her name is a sweet thing, I get it,” Pinkie winked, and Applejack nodded with a big grin; definitely not what she meant, but she wasn’t gonna say no to Pinkie’s smile. “Anyhoo, Periwinkle Poundcake lived in a little village with her grand… aunt, but a vicious dra—uh, a monster of some kind, it’s ambiguous, attacked her village!”

Pinkie gasped dramatically and tried to do her best impression of scared villagers, “Oh no, not an ambiguous monster! Oh dear!

“Anyhoo again, the monster was going berserk and ransacking the town, but Lemonjohn didn’t hesitate to jump into the fray, fighting the beast off with her partner, uh, Diamondbutt, and saving villagers left and right!”

That wasn’t how Applejack remembered it; she recalled a lot more screams of terror and pleas for help that went unanswered, and she was starting to wonder if Pinkie’s quote-unquote ‘fictional’ story was such a good idea.

“Periwinkle Poundcake’s house was attacked by the monster,” Pinkie continued, “and it collapsed on top of her. She thought for sure the end was coming, and that her frantic pleas wouldn’t be heard by anypony, but she still cried for help until her voice was sore. And then—”

Pinkie bit her thumbnail and tears welled up in her eyes. She looked up at Applejack and smiled so brightly and so sweetly, and Applejack smiled back and rubbed her arm, delighting in Pinkie nuzzling her head against Applejack’s side.

“Somepony came to help Periwinkle,” Pinkie said, “moved the burning logs and crushed beams that fell on top of her, pushed all the rubble and ruin aside, and finally stood over her, the moonlight pouring down on her like heaven’s light, and she offered Periwinkle her hand.

“’I’m Lemonjohn’, the pony said, ‘and I’m gonna take care of you. Everything’s gonna be okay.’ Periwinkle took Lemonjohn’s hand, and even though she was still super hurt from the attack and from the house collapsing on her, as Lemonjohn picked her up and carried her to safety, Periwinkle knew right away that Lemonjohn was totally right, and that everything would be okay.”

“And how does the story end?” Applejack asked.

“Well, I dunno,” Pinkie giggled and put her hand on Applejack’s thigh. “But I do know this,” she looked up at Applejack with sparkling eyes, “it’s gonna have a happy ending.”

Applejack smiled and took Pinkie’s hand, and as Pinkie hummed in delight, and Rainbow purred as she sleepily nudged Applejack’s side, Applejack knew Pinkie was right. She always was, after all.

Author's Note:

100 chapters?? heck!!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

100 chapters?? heck!!

[Failsafe99]

Stop making me worry that something very, VERY,VERY, bad will happen. I really don't want anything to go wrong.
(PSST, I know nothing bad will happen, you've said that before, but still, your making me worry.)