• Published 7th Mar 2013
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Wet Feathers - bookplayer



Applejack knew that long distance relationships are hard, but Rainbow Dash's dream-come-true is turning into a nightmare for her. With the newest Wonderbolt on the cover of magazines and tabloids, AJ decides if love is enough to hold them togeth

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Chapter 1

Applejack tapped her hoof on the ground impatiently. It was an ordinary day in Ponyville, and she was tending the apple cart at the market. She tried to keep her mind on her work, but customers, or, rather, lack of customers, weren't helping any. Everypony was probably waiting for lunchtime to line up all at once, AJ figured. So all there was to do now was think of the letter that she expected in the mail that evening.

Every week, that letter came from Rainbow Dash, it was one of the promises they made when she left. Since Dash was done with her training, the postmarks were from all over the world, and the stories were about faraway places. The last letter had been from Applewood, talking about the beaches and movie stars and big, wild parties. While AJ loved getting letters from her marefriend, the ones like that worried her.

She'd always been unsure about this part of their relationship. A long distance relationship was going to be hard, and was likely to be even harder when a pony was going to new places and doing different things and getting all of the attention that Dash was, as the latest addition to the Wonderbolts.

Applejack always figured that famous ponies were different from regular ponies, who spent their days in the same old place with the same old friends, and lived a quiet life. She fell in love with Dash when the pegasus was a part of that life too, and one of Dash's other promises was that she'd come back to it in a few years. But the question weighed on AJ's heart, would Dash want to keep that promise?

So AJ hoped that this next letter would be more normal. Stories of practices and silly little things, not glamour and excitement and stuff that might turn Dash's head away from the life they'd talked about.

She was so lost in these thoughts that she was surprised to hear somepony address her.

“Applejack? Have you been by the newsstand?” Twilight walked up to her, looking a little nervous.

“Nah, I usually take a look after lunchtime. Why?”

“Um. . . Well, you see. . .” Twilight blushed and searched for the words. “How about if I watch your cart and you see for yourself?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Twilight, but her friend just kept the same nervous smile on her face and glanced around. It was obvious that whatever was going on, Twilight didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.

“Well. . . alright. . .” Applejack said, nodding. She walked over to the newsstand, leaving Twilight to tend to the non-existent customers.

The first thing AJ looked at was the local paper, expecting to see news about new taxes or fruit stand regulations, something that might trouble her. But the headline was just about the new addition to town hall, nothing that she had to worry about. She looked up to see if there was something else Twilight might have been talking about in the magazines or Canterlot papers.

It only took her a second to notice, it certainly drew the eye. The cover of Flyers Illustrated: Wet Feathers Edition showed the back of a beautiful blue pegasus mare flying out of the ocean, wings spread, her wet rainbow mane and tail dripping trails of water down the glistening curves of her muscled body.

Rookie Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash Takes Off, the cover advertised.

Applejack's first thought was that she needed a few minutes alone with that magazine. Her second thought shoved that out of her mind, angrily insisting that that was her pegasus, and she should not be plastered all over a gosh darn magazine for anypony in Equestria to look at like that.

As if on cue, she heard a familiar voice behind her. “Hey Applejack! What's- woah.”

Scootaloo had shoved up next to her. Scootaloo wasn't a full grown pony yet, but she was no longer the chubby cheeked filly Applejack always thought of her as. That was more than apparent from the young pony's stiffly outstretched wings and wide eyed, blushing stare as she caught sight of the cover.

Applejack glared at her, but Scootaloo didn't seem to notice anything but the picture.

“Dash is looking. . . um. . . good,” she squeaked.

“Yeah, she is,” AJ growled slightly.

Scootaloo noticed her then, and blushed harder as she forced her wings down. “I, um, just came to get a magazine.” She turned to the pony behind the stand and laid down some bits. “Flyers Illustrated, please.” Then she turned back to AJ. “I, uh, read it every month, ya' know. The articles, I mean. This one just happens to be the Wet Feathers Edition, but there are still, uh, words and stuff.”

Applejack was still frowning as she raised an eyebrow at the filly. The pony behind the stand handed Scoot the magazine, and Scoot hovered in the air as she opened it.

“Like, this article here about- unh!” The young pegasus whimpered helplessly as she looked at the page. She dropped from the air as her wings stiffened again.

Applejack looked down and caught sight of a picture of Dash crouched in the sand, grinning over her shoulder, her tail carefully positioned to just barely keep the picture decent. There were words on the page, but if Scootaloo ever managed to read them, AJ would eat her hat.

Scootaloo quickly closed the magazine and put it in her saddle bag. “I gotta- great seeing- um, say hi to Dash for me!” she babbled, then took off flying without waiting for AJ to respond.

Applejack took a deep breath and turned back to the pony behind the counter. “Just how many of these have ya’ sold so far?”

“At least fifty. Hometown pony and all.”

So there were already fifty ponies here in town looking at Dash like that. AJ briefly considered buying the rest of the copies, but she knew that would be expensive, and they'd just order more, and there were hundreds of thousands of copies all over Equestria anyway.

She sighed and put down her bits, taking the magazine from the pony behind the stand and carrying it back to her cart. Twilight was waiting for her, and Applejack tossed the magazine down a little forcefully next to the cash box, out of sight. “Thanks, Twilight. You can head out now if ya' want.”

Twilight blushed a little. “I'm sorry, Applejack. I hated to tell you. She does look really pretty.”

Applejack shot her a look, then her face softened. “It ain't your fault. But I'm waitin’ for a letter today, and there'd better be a darn good explanation for all this.”

***

As soon as Applejack got the apple cart put away that evening, she raced to the mailbox. Sure enough, a letter waited inside. She'd never been so desperate to read one of Dash's letters, but still she made herself wait until she got back to the house and closed herself in her room.

She laid the letter on the bed and looked at it for a moment. Then she pulled off her hat, pulled out the magazine, and laid it next to the letter. She looked at them both, and muttered, “Okay, Dash. Get to explainin'.”

Putting her hoof on the letter, she carefully ripped off one end of the envelope then shook out the contents. She unfolded the paper inside and smoothed it on the bed.

“Dear AJ,

Our choreographer is evil. Seriously, he's sent straight from Tartarus. Every feather on my wings hurts from trying to learn this new routine, and feathers can't even hurt! Soarin' and I totally agree that the routine is impossible, but Spitfire can do it so she's kind of proving us wrong.

So did you see the magazine yet? Front cover! Yeah, I'm hot. The photo shoot was a blast. The photographer said I was the best mare he'd ever worked with, a total natural. And the make-up ponies couldn't believe my mane is real. They're saying I should do a calendar, but I don't have time to shoot that until at least August. Wouldn't that be cool, though? Ponies all over the world looking at me every day of the year!

I'm in Manehattan now, and I totally freaked out because the other day I found a store that sold your apples. Spitfire and Fleetfoot were making fun of me because I bought as many as I could carry. I told them they were the best apples in Equestria, but they claimed they were just apples!!! So I bought some other apple (just one) and made them do a taste test. Guess who was right? Me, of course. I told them they better believe I know what apples taste like. Mmmmm.

Ha! I know that made you blush. You're so cute when you blush. I don't have any pictures of you blushing, and I wish I did. I know you hate it, but I might have to figure out a way to get a picture of it someday. Maybe I'll get Pinkie to help. You'll never suspect it, and then I'll be able to look at you blushing whenever I want.

Nah. It wouldn't be the same without you here. I miss you, AJ.

Anyway, got to fly.

Love,
Dash”

Applejack's face was red, but it wasn't from embarrassment. The photo shoot was fun, huh? Dash wanted to do a calendar? To have ponies looking at her every day of the year?!

Anger rose inside of her, and Applejack mentally started preparing a good talking to for Dash. Some things ought to be private, just between them. That made them special, it made AJ her marefriend, not just another pony in the world who thought Rainbow Dash was sexy. Any pony with an ounce of common sense could see that she should at least have checked with her marefriend before showing that sort of thing to all of Equestria!

She cut her thoughts off with a sigh. She wasn't going to get to give Dash that lecture. She could write it, and wait a week for an apology from Dash, but that seemed so harsh after Dash's letter. Dash really and truly didn't see anything wrong with it. She was a famous pony, and famous ponies did things like this. Applejack wasn't a famous pony, she never wanted to be a famous pony. And she never really wanted a marefriend who was a famous pony, either. She just wanted a marefriend who was Rainbow Dash.

Applejack would never forget the day. She and Apple Bloom had been in the orchard bucking apples. Apple Bloom still took a few kicks to get all the apples from a tree, but she could do the work. The sisters were working hard, side by side, when the silence was shattered by a sound louder than thunder, and a shockwave of rainbow colors shooting across the skies above the orchard and Ponyville.

“That your pegasus up there, sis?” Apple Bloom asked with a teasing grin, obviously knowing the answer.

AJ knew that it was. And after a moment’s thought, she knew why Dash was causing all that pretty ruckus without warning. And she answered, “That's my Wonderbolt up there.”

And she knew that the day Dash's life changed, her own life changed, too.

Now the magazine on the bed taunted AJ with Dash's gorgeous body, that she'd held pressed against her own not so long ago. Was that still her Wonderbolt? Or was she everypony's now?

Applejack flipped over the magazine. She was clearly making a big deal out of nothing. Dash would sure think so. So her undeniably vain marefriend got some pictures taken, and was proud when ponies thought she looked sexy. AJ always knew that Dash needed attention like trees needed sunlight, and now she had all she could want. AJ felt like she should have been happy for Dash.

But as she glanced at the paper at her desk, waiting for a letter to be written on it, she had no idea how to do that.

***

Stuck with market duty again the next day, Applejack puzzled over her letter to Dash. She just didn't know how she felt, or how she should feel, so how could she write it to Dash? All AJ knew was that she wasn't happy, that she wanted Dash here with her, like it was before.

She waved at Lucky as he walked up to the cart, almost glad to have something to distract her. The gray stallion laid down his bits, and asked for three apples. Applejack turned to get them for him, when he spoke again.

“Hey, I saw Rainbow Dash in Flyers Illustrated. You're one lucky mare, let me tell you. The one where she's on her back, with her tail between her hind legs. . . wow, huh?”

“Yeah, real lucky.” Applejack sighed as she put the apples in Lucky's bag. When she finished, she raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “Say, what the hay are you doin' readin' a magazine 'bout flyin'? You're an earth pony.”

“You're kidding, right?” he asked, then he chuckled nervously. “Applejack, nopony reads the Wet Feathers Edition. Every stallion has a copy. I bet even Mac keeps one stashed somewhere.”

Applejack's eyes went wide. There was a chance that her brother had seen that magazine, and seen Dash in those poses. Applejack refused to let her mind go any further.

Lucky didn't get the message. “I mean, um, I’m sure he didn't get this year's, 'cause it's your marefriend, and even if that's really, really hot, Mac wouldn't want to-”

“Lucky!” Applejack cut him off sharply. It was taking every ounce of her self-control not to land a hoof across his face.

“Yeah?” Lucky cringed back.

“Shut up and take your apples,” Applejack said slowly, through gritted teeth.

“Right. I was just. . . right.”

Once he was out of sight, Applejack rested her head against the side of her cart. That was one of the most disgusting, humiliating conversations she'd ever had. She had to get this straightened out with Dash.

Applejack quickly closed the stall and walked to the library. She might not know what to say to Dash, but she was sure Twilight could help her figure it out. AJ admired Twilight's steady, analytical approach to problems, and she knew that was just what she needed.

A short walk later, she found that Twilight was at home, and seemed happy to see her as Applejack walked into the library.

“Hi, Applejack. I was just getting ready for a break,” Twilight said, setting down the quill she held in levitation.

“Well, I'm glad,” Applejack said, frowning. “'Cause I need to have a word with ya'. 'Bout Dash.”

“Is it about the magazine? What did she say in her letter?”

Applejack sighed. “Just that it was fun, and she's thinkin' of doin' a calendar.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.” Twilight magically pulled two sitting pillows to the center of the room. She sat on one, and motioned for Applejack to have a seat on the other.

“I know ya' are,” Applejack said as she sat. “'Cause you can think that somethin' like this might worry me. You came and told me soon as ya' saw the magazine, I saw ya' were scared of how I'd take it. Dash, though, she writes me that it was a blast, and all the folks takin' the pictures loved her,” Applejack huffed.

“I know, AJ. But, it's Dash. You know she doesn't always think things through.” Twilight paused. “Actually, she never thinks things through.”

“You can say that again,” Applejack grumbled. Then she sighed. “I'm makin' too big a deal outta this, ain't I? Dash didn't mean no harm. Just, I know ponies everywhere are thinkin' bout my marefriend, and. . . and I guess I ain't all the way sure my marefriend is thinkin' bout me.”

“What do you mean?”

Applejack hesitated. What did she mean? “I. . . I dunno, Twilight. I mean, ya' read stuff ‘bout famous ponies havin' wild parties and leavin' their wives and husbands and cheatin' on each other. Her letter, the rest of it, was all 'bout how much she loves me. But now there's a whole world fulla ponies who know just how hot she is, and. . . Dash don't think things through.”

“But she loves you, AJ,” Twilight said, comfortingly. “She told you so.”

Applejack looked down, avoiding Twilight’s eyes. “I know she does. I feel bad, thinkin' like this. But. . . I been thinkin' like this for a long time. Since before she went away, really. I never been sure we'd last through this, then somethin' like this comes up, and it hit me hard.”

“Did you ever tell Dash about your doubts?”

“Not really. I tried to be happy 'bout the whole thing. I didn't really wanna worry her, she was so happy 'bout bein' a Wonderbolt.”

“Maybe you should, when you write her back,” Twilight suggested, laying a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Dash can be thoughtless, but if she knows you're sensitive about it, it might make her think twice.”

Applejack looked up at her friend, hopefully. “You really think that might fix it?”

Twilight shrugged a little. “Well, that's what's at the heart of this. Stop worrying about the pictures, and other ponies who might see them, but make sure Dash knows how worried you are about her and your relationship. Make sure you let her know what’s important to you.”

“I reckon you're right.” Applejack nodded.

Twilight smiled. “You and Dash love each other. I know this is hard, but I know you can make it work.”

Twilight’s words did make Applejack feel better, and she returned to her apple cart with some hope. She didn’t have to try to explain what she was feeling, just why she felt this way. And that was something she knew.

***

Later that night, Applejack stared at the paper on her desk. She knew what she had to say, but figuring out how to say it was proving more difficult.

She'd always tried to avoid troubling Dash with her doubts and fears. On the day of Dash's going away party, Pinkie had cried buckets, but Applejack never shed a tear that she let her marefriend see.

Dash had walked her home, her wing wrapped tightly around Applejack. She even smiled and said, “I'm glad somepony's not acting like I'm leaving you guys forever.”

And Applejack gave her a nuzzle, and told her, “It ain't right to be sad tonight. Your dream's come true. That's all I've ever wanted for ya', sugarcube.”

Then Dash pulled her into a kiss, and when she pulled away, she was grinning. “That’s why I love you, AJ. You really get me. I mean, I'm gonna miss you, and you're gonna miss me, but this is just too awesome!”

“It really is. You're gonna write me, ain't ya'?”

“Once a week. I promise.”

“And. . . ya' ain't leavin' me forever?”

“I'll be back whenever I can. And I'll be back for good, in a few years. I promise.”

“You're makin' a lotta promises, Dash.”

“And I'm keeping them all! And I have one more. I promise I'll always love you.”

“I promise I'll always love you too, Rainbow Dash.”

That was months ago, and it seemed like even longer than that. It felt like years since Dash had left. The promises still stood, as far as AJ knew. Dash did write every single week, no matter how busy she was. And Dash had been back for a few visits, when she was nearby or got a few days off. And every letter sent her love.

But now, AJ was thinking about the promises she would have asked from Dash, if she’d be able to let her know how worried she really was. What AJ really wanted was a promise that Dash would remember who she was. A promise that she’d remember what was good in life, what she was coming back to. A promise that Dash wouldn’t let her new life change her.

Applejack took the pencil in her mouth, and tried to put her worries to paper, hoping she could make Dash understand.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

I saw the pictures. They were something alright.

Sugarcube, I got to talk to you. I love you. And I'm so proud of you for getting your dream, I know how hard you worked, and I know you deserve all the fame and fortune that comes along with it. I couldn't ever ask you to give that up for me, you need it all like I need my farm.

But, it scares me, Dash. Things like these pictures, they scare me. Because, how can you go to all those places, and do all those things, and have all of those ponies looking at you like that, and still come back to Ponyville someday? How can you have so many ponies thinking you're sexy, and still just be mine? I got a simple life here, one I thought you were coming back to one day. Pictures like these don't say that, and it's all I want to hear right now.

I know you love me, and I know you promised to come back, and I know you think those pictures were nothing. I understand all that. But, could you understand how much it's going to bother me, and maybe give me a heads up? Or better yet, talk to me before you make a decision. Then maybe I won't feel so much like you're flying away from me.

And please, don't you ever fly away from me.

Love,
AJ

Applejack stared at the letter and sighed. It would be too long before she heard back from Dash. They needed a conversation, where she could watch Dash’s face for signs of confusion and explain herself better. But she had the chance for that, before Dash left, and she blew it. Now she only had this, a shot in the dark, hoping it would hit home with Dash.

Applejack folded the paper, slipped it into an envelope, and took the letter down to the mailbox. She sent her pleas on their way with a resigned sigh.