The Dash Diaries

by DropTheBass133

Chapter 4

1:15am - My room at Sweet Apple Acres
Dear diary,

Can't sleep. I've tried lying on my front, my back and either side but nothing's working. I feel like I've been drinking too much coffee, which can't be true because I hate coffee. My tragic situation is not helped by the fact I have a mouse in my room. I think it's invited all its mousey pals over for a party or something with the noise it's making.

Some animals have no respect.

Also, I'm still upset that Applejack refuses to talk to me whatsoever. If it was her in major massive trouble like I am, I'd at least have the decency to strike up some type of conversation. I wouldn't even mind it if she yelled at me - at least then I'd know she still recognises my existence.

5 minutes later
That mouse is beginning to get on my nerves. It's still not done with its rodent rave extravaganza. Where's Fluttershy when you need her?

...Oh Celestia. She's in hospital.

Going downstairs for a drink. All this remorse is making me thirsty.

1:45am
It's interesting what miracles can take place on a farm at one thirty in the morning.

I got to the kitchen, and who was sitting at the table? Applejack.
She looked pale and weak, and her eyes were strangely bloodshot. She looked up from her own drink and stared right at me. It was so awkward that I looked away, before edging over to the counter to fill a glass full of water. Having done so, I walked over slowly and sat opposite her.
"Hi," we both said, simultaneously.
"Look, I-" we both said.
"You first." we both said.
I decided, to avoid about a year of dithering, to go first. "I'm sorry."
"Fer what?" said Applejack.
"You know what." I said. "For what I did. I messed up. And I'm sorry."
She stood up, slowly, and walked to the counter.
"You know, Dash...what you did was stupid." My pride took a blow at hearing her say that. "Really stupid. An' you could've got somepony..." We paused, and I guessed she was thinking of Fluttershy too. "...got somepony really badly hurt. Y'all got away with yer whims this time, but you might not be so lucky again. But..."
"But?" I repeated hopefully.
"But...Ah think you've learned yer lesson. Am Ah right?"
I nodded. She sat back down on the table and took a deep breath.
"Apology accepted."
I smiled, and she smiled back. I looked at her for ages before we suddenly heard this 'buuuurrrrr' coming from the corner. Tank was snoring, fast asleep on his back with his shell rocking slowly. He really is the cutest, most ridiculous pet ever.
Applejack giggled slightly, and I smirked, looking over at her.
"So... why haven't you been talking to me?"
"To be honest? Ah've been a little sick. Had a fever since this afternoon. Must've got it off Applebloom, she's been off school a couple days this week." she rubbed her head with a hoof before taking another sip of her drink.
"Is that why you're up now?"
"Yeah. Ah know Ah should try t'get back to sleep - it's best to sleep sickness off - but Ah just felt so darn ill that I couldn't lie down fer five minutes."
I leaned over and felt her forehead. She flinched. She was pretty warm.
"Do you have any medicine?"
"Only Granny's, an' Ah can't take that. It's hard to look after ourselves nowadays. Ah just thought...'cause Ah never really get ill..."
I had an idea, and rushing upstairs, I rummaged through my things before coming back down with a paracetamol.
"Oh, Dash, Ah'm not sure Ah should be takin' your medicine. Ah have no idea what the doctor prescribes you..."
"It's only paracetamol. It'll help. The nurse gave me some for my wings, but I'm fine. There, take it." I handed it over, and she stared at it, before putting it in her mouth and swallowing it with some water.
"It might take a while to kick in," I said. "but you'll be fine, soul-sister." She smiled at the last part of my sentence, and I smiled back before I suddenly felt woozy. "Whoa... I guess I should get back to bed."
Putting my glass back on the counter, Applejack waved at me. "Thanks fer the medicine."
"Thanks for forgiving me!" I said back gratefully.

Two minutes later
Sickness! A fever! That's all it was?

And Tank snores?

I'm just glad everything's okay with AJ now. Perhaps I can finally get to sleep. Even the mouse has shut up.

6:14am - Sweet Apple Acres
Oh Celestia - how early does this family get up??? I could hear everyone moving around like an hour ago. How can anypony get up at 5am and stay sane? No wonder Applejack's sick.
Went down to breakfast and found Applejack over the oven cooking what looked like pancakes, and Applebloom and Granny Smith at the table. Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
"Mornin' there, Miss Dash." said Granny Smith cheerfully, and Applebloom gave an excited wave.
"Thank you so much fer the paracetamol, Rainbow. Worked wonders. Ah hardly feel a thing now, jus' a bit achey." AJ called over.
Shucks, that was quick. These farm types must have phenomenal recovery rates. "So...I'm guessing you want me outta here pretty quick. You must have a lot to do..."
"Well, if you don't mind, Ah was hopin' you'd join me to help Fluttershy outta hospital today."
My heart dropped. I had almost forgotten about the storm fiasco.
"Uh..I...yeah, that'd be...sure..."
"Good!"

9:34am - Ponyville General Hospital
Horseapples, I feel sick. I've been such a jerk! What if Fluttershy doesn't forgive me?
She's just about the gentlest pony in the entire world. She's also my oldest friend.

I walked slowly through the hospital, my heart thumping. Applejack kept throwing me reassuring glances, but nothing really helped. It wasn't her guilt, after all. We reached Fluttershy's ward and saw that she was up, moving around her bed and packing her things. AJ rushed over to greet her and I stalled at the doorway, shifting my hooves awkwardly. Applejack beckoned me over and Fluttershy waved meekly. She looked exhausted.

When I got to the bed, Fluttershy gave me a timid hug. Pangs of guilt whipped through me and I winced, looking around slowly.
"How was your night?" she asked.
"Oh…fine. Thank you. And yourself?"
"Okay, thank you. The staff nurses are very nice." She smiled, and Applejack nudged me.
"Look, Fluttershy…" I took a seat on a chair by the bed, and she sat down on the chair next to me. "About the storm… It was my fault, and I'm not going to deny that. I was fooling around, and I never expected it to take such a turn for the worst… It was stupid, and I was very lucky nopony got seriously hurt. I'm sorry."
Fluttershy looked from Applejack to me, before giving a squeak. "Well…I-I…I…d-didn't…I'm sorry too." She finished.
"What for?!"
"Uhm…being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose…"
"Wait, Flutter…so you're not mad?"
"I could never be mad at you, Rainbow Dash."
"Even though I hurt you?"
"No. I'm not hurt, see? Me and Angel are all right now."
"B-but…it was my fault!"
"There must have been a logical explanation to it."
There's almost no point in trying to make Fluttershy hate you. It won't work.
"So...we're okay now?"
"Were we ever not okay?" Fluttershy replied anxiously. I hugged her quickly.
"You're such a scaredy-pony. And I was so worried you'd be upset!"
"True friends should never get angry over small mistakes. We're all allowed to make them."

We spent the rest of the morning transporting her things from the hospital to her house. That was two obstacles over, at least; I still had to face my boss. I'd have to tell him it was me.
The sad thing is, Twilight always did tell me my boastfulness would get the better of me someday. For some reason, she always seems to be right about these things.

1:12pm - Work
Silver gave me the day off today, but I won't hang around to tell him. It'll only get worse otherwise.
Oh boy, I've come over all honest.

1:32pm - Work (still)
I went straight to Silver's office, not stopping to talk to anyone. When I got to the door, I tapped on it quickly, three times.
"Come in?"
I opened the door and Silver turned around in his chair to face me. "Oh, hi there, Rainbow Dash. How can I help you?"
"It's about yesterday. The storm."
"Oh, never mind that! Come here, take a seat." He smiled, and I edged over, placing myself gently in one of the cushioned chairs. "Freak storms like that can't be helped. They just happen sometimes."
"It wasn't a freak storm, Silver." I said quietly.
"How can you be sure? It obviously just went out of control while you were working on it."
"It was my fault." I confessed, and his expression changed. He frowned, and stared at me intently.
"And just how was it your fault?"
I took a deep breath, and my heart thumped hard in my chest. "I...I was trying to do a Sonic Rainboom to show off to some...somepony... and it sorta... it went wrong. And the storm spun out of control."
Silver brought his front hooves up to his face and rubbed his chin a couple times. I flicked my tail nervously and he glanced at me once. He kept his face down when he next spoke.
"You know, Rainbow...your antics disappoint me." I blushed fiercely with shame, lowering my own head. He continued slowly. "You know better, and you are capable of better. I know that. If it really was your fault - and I believe you - I really hope you've learned from it."
I nodded. "I'm really sorry."
"Are you? You know, I have a mind to fire you right now. You could have had somepony killed."
I sat up, lifting my head. "What? But...but you can't! How else would I get any money?"
"You'd find a way."
"I can't...you're not...I..." I stuttered hopelessly, my heart pounding, my head reeling.
"I'm not going to fire you."
"Phew, thank yo-"
"I haven't finished. I am, however, going to deduct your pay by five bits a day."
I sat a while in silence, before nodding again. "That's a fair punishment."
"Mmm." Silver said. I made for the door quietly, before he called back. "Rainbow Dash?"
I winced. "Yes?"
"Thank you for your honesty. It takes guts to confess something like that."
I smiled weakly before trotting out.

Down the corridor of the office, things took a turn for the weird. I bumped into Decimal Point coming back from the second floor, and he went bright red when he saw me.
"Oh, uh, hi, Rainbow Dash..."
"Hi, Dessie. What's up?"
He glanced around. "Oh, uh, nothing, much...really. I was just..."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah...I just...wanted to ask you something."
"What's that?"
He swallowed. "I was wondering if you wanted...if you were free on Saturday...if you wanted to go out."
I almost fell over. Decimal Point was asking me out.
"Oh!" I gasped, blushing. "Right...uh, I suppose...yeah, that'd be...uh, cool."
"That's good. I'll meet you in Cloudsdale town centre at 6pm, okay?"
"Okay."

2:02pm - Home
Oh Celestia and all her subjects - Decimal Point asked me out!

And I said yes!

And I'm going out with him on Saturday!

2:06pm
Horseapples. This is officially weird.

I just realised I've never been out with anypony before. What do you do on a date, anyway? And do I even like Dessie that way?

I guess he is pretty handsome. Most all the girls at work have tried flirting with him at one point or another. (Without success, might I add.) I just don't get how I've never made a move on him and yet he chooses me!

I thought he thought I was a fillyfooler, anyway...everypony else does.

3:30pm
Had a sandwich to take my mind off it. It didn't really work.
Oh, the doorbell.

Five minutes later
It's my mother!!

"Hey, Dashie! How've you been keeping, hon? Good, good, awesome - ooh, I like what you've done with the place..."
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
"Well, your father's out of town for a bit doing...something. You know how I hate empty houses. They just scream boredom... Anyhow, I figured you'd have a spare room, so..."
"Lemme get this straight - Dad's out so you're inviting yourself round to my house?" I asked incredulously.
Mom thought a bit. Oh, she could be so annoying. "Yup."
She saw my expression. "Oh, c'mon, Dash. Give your old mare a hand. You know how you love spending time with me - also known as Firefly the Supermom!"
"You're such a saddo sometimes."
"Oh, but you love me. And you'll let me stay, won't you?"
"No."
"But Da-"
"No."

Ten minutes later
I have placed Mom in my spare room. Oh, the things I do for my (incredibly pathetic) parents.

So, this is my life right now: I have dreadful wing cramp, I'm five bits a day down on money, a guy I never thought about regularly has asked me out, and my mother is making herself comfortable when she could have quite easily stayed in her house.

What do I do???

Comments

[appledashluv]

Hah, love it! "Had a sandwich. Oh, the doorbell!"

[HyperMonica]

HOLY CRAPNUGGETS DECIMAL POINT ASKED OUT DASHIE!!! WHAT THE FLYING FRICK IS THIS CRAZY FANFICTION WORLD I LOVE?!?

There's almost no point in trying to make Fluttershy hate you. It won't work.

I love this.