Reckless Abandon

by Closer-To-The-Sun

Chapter 4: Summer

Chapter 4: Summer

Leaving the library, after spending a good portion of the day with Rarity and Twilight talking about different things, Rainbow Dash entered the late afternoon of Ponyville. With Celestia’s sun coloring the sky a wide palette of colors, the citizens of the town leaving their work and heading back to their homes, and the warm air turning cool, the entire town seemed to change. Shivering slightly with the chill in the air, the blue pegasus began to trot back to Sweet Apple Acres with a goal set in her mind.

Dash had a plan. With the advice from her unicorn friends, she was going to tell Applejack how she felt about her brother. She wasn’t against the idea of telling her friend, though she was afraid of what might come from it. ’This will be easy as pie,’ Rainbow spoke in her head, ’All I gotta do is tell AJ that I’m crushing on Big Mac. How bad can it be?’ The determined look upon her face quickly vanished as she answered her own question, ’Well, she could laugh….she could hate me….she could even tell me to say nothing….oh my Celestia, what if she does tell me to not to like Big Mac? That….That would just suck….oh dang, why does this have to be so hard to do?’ The more she thought about it, the more Rainbow Dash was hating the idea of confronting Applejack.

Along the dusty path to the farm, Rainbow Dash passed a few worker ponies heading into the town. She exchanged the friendly greetings, nodding to them and what not, but kept her lips tight. She grew more and more anxious as she got closer. Her ears perked, yet again, at the sounds of the cicadas that echoed throughout the grove of trees. She softly growled in annoyance at the buzzing of the insects.

Arriving to the barn, Rainbow saw her blonde maned friend wheeling a cart into the barn. Galloping to get her attention, Rainbow called out, “Yo, Applejack!”

The orange earth pony turned to see the pegasus, “Well, howdy, Rainbow Dash! Give me a sec, ah just need ta get this cart offa me.” Her words were thick with the accent that she was known for.

“Alright, no worries,” Dash replied, stopping her gallop a few meters before the barn door. She was thankful she had a few more moments before having to talk to Applejack about her issue.

Emerging from the barn, Applejack welcomed Dash with a smile, “So, what brings ya ‘round the farm twice in one day?”

Rainbow carefully selected her words, “I need to talk to you….about something….”

Applejack nodded, “Alright. How’s ‘bout we talk it over with a mug of cider?”

“That….actually sounds really good right now,” Rainbow admitted.

“Ah knew that would be to yer likin’,” the orange pony smiled, trotting over to her home.

Rainbow Dash waited patiently on the porch for Applejack, who came out with two mugs of apple cider. The smell alone caused Rainbow’s mouth to water.

“So, what’cha got on yer mind?” Applejack asked, passing a mug to the pegasus.

As she took the mug, Rainbow’s ear twitched. the cicada’s sound still reached her ears, “You mean other than those stupid bugs?”

Applejack laughed, “Come on now, ya can’t be mad at the cicadas. They bring us the summer sound that we know and love.”

“I don’t know about love….” Dash gritted her teeth.

“Just listen. Them little critters are signing to one another. It’s their matin’ calls,” the orange mare explained.

“Mating calls?” Dash echoed to herself.

“So, what is it ya wanna talk about, Rainbow?” Applejack smiled.

Dash took a big drink of the cider. This caused her head to spin slightly. Shaking it off, she finally replied, “It’s….well….something personal….”

“Like what?” the blonde maned mare took a drink of her mug as well.

Dash paused a moment. She looked up to see Celestia’s sun setting in the distant, painting the sky a rainbow of colors, “Remember how I said that I had something to say to a certain pony?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I want to say something to them, I really do, but I feel that I just can’t bring myself to do,” Rainbow kept looking out from the porch.

“Still tongue-tied, are ya?” Applejack asked.

“It’s not like I want to be, AJ. I’m just….”

“Scared?”

Rainbow Dash was silent.

“Look, ah know that whatever this problem has got ya more tied up than a hog,” Applejack began, “An’ ah want ta help ya, believe me ah do. But with ya bein’ so cryptic an’ all, ah can’t do a thing to help.”

Rainbow looked down at the porch itself, “You want me to be honest?”

“Only if ya want to say it.”

“AJ,” Dash closed her eyes, “I think I’m in love with your brother.”

A deafening silence was between the two ponies. However, the distant sound of the cicadas was still audible. Applejack looked toward her friend in bewilderment. Rainbow, on the other hoof, continued to hang her head.

The calm was broken with laughter. Rainbow looked up to see a laughing Applejack, doing her best not to spill her cider. This caused the pegasus to blush heavily. She took another big drink of her cider and spoke, “St-Stop laughing….it’s not funny….”

“Ah think it is!” the orange mare said in between laughs.

“Sh-Shush….” Dash tried to stop Applejack.

Finally catching her breath, the earth pony spoke, “Ah’m sorry, that was mean of me ta laugh like that, but….heh. it was too good.” She snorted lightly in her fit.

“Applejack, I mean. I really do like Big Mac, a lot,” Rainbow’s face was a bright red as she spoke her words.

“May I ask how this all came ‘bout, Rainbow?” the orange pony managed to finally stop her laughing and focus herself back to the conversation.

“It was after we all helped stop those Flim Flam dorks. I stopped by the farm and saw him cleaning the arm up while everypony else was back at the celebration party. I….watched him for a bit and we started talking. I told him that we made an awesome team….ya know, working together on that treadmill thing?” Rainbow carefully placed her words, her face still flushed, “Well, it was just really cool talking with him, ya know?”

“Ah still can’t see mah brother talkin’ much, but ah’ve been wrong before,” Applejack lightly joked.

“He did, I mean, we did. We talked for a while and….it was really cool. I’ve never would of thought that he was so cool. He even shared his personal barrel of cider with me. Heh….we kind of downed the entire barrel that night,” Dash gave a nervous laugh to accompany her red face.

“Hmm….so that explains why his barrel was gone the next,” Applejack said to herself before speaking to Dash, “Well, ah’m happy ya told this ta me, Rainbow.”

“Huh? Really? Why?” Rainbow asked simultaneously.

“Yer mah friend, Rainbow Dash. An’ ah think it’s really somethin’ that ya told me that ya are keen on mah brother. It shows yer quite the pal. But ya still hafta tell Big Mac ‘bout this,” Applejack stated.

“Yeah,” Rainbow sighed, “Not looking forward to that, to say the least.”

“That’s why ah want ya ta tell him before the end of summer?”

“Say what?” the pegasus tilted her head in confusion.

“Ya heard me. Ah want ya ta tell Big Mac how ya feel,” Applejack gave a smirk.

“But, why? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because,” Applejack stated with hint of pride in her voice, “if ah don’t make ya do it, nopony will. An’ ah know ya wouldn’t do it on yer own.”

“I so could do it on my own!” Rainbow became defensive.

“Really?” the earth pony took a drink of her cider.

Rainbow thought about it for a moment and answered, “Fine, you’re right about that.”

Applejack gave a self-satisfying laugh, “Well, ya got a week ta do it. Summer ends next week, ya know.”

“I know, I know,” Dash acknowledged with an annoyed grunt, “Ya know that it’s times like these I hate you, right?”

“Yer jus’ saying that,” Applejack teased the pegasus with a laugh.

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