Authors Note: There will never be a happy fic with me, apparently. ._. I'm writing this when I'm sick (my mom says I probably have bronchitis, dammit) so I'm sorry if things slipped past me when I double-checked it. I'm really tired of reading this failure so I just don't give a shit anymore. Maybe I'll edit it sometime later. Reviews and criticism are love! :DD

It's an AU. And they're humans. So they have different names, cause well… you know. Don't kill me. DD:

Disclaimer- I am on fanfiction.

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Suffocating. She was suffocating in the cheerless smiles tinged with sympathy, in empathetic looks thrown at her, in her own dying self. The air around her was thick- it was getting difficult to breathe and her breaths seemed far too short and labored- for a moment, she thought she was going to choke and die a pathetic death.

That was a ridiculous thought, because you can't choke on nothing, so Jackie brushed it from her mind and focused on the bright screen in front of her. One of the icons was flashing, signaling a new message.

rainbowdash: Hey. This might be kinda weird, but you added me earlier and I'm snooping your profile now. You seemed like an interesting person and… yeah.

Jackie couldn't help but grin at the screen. The username had been to cool to pass up earlier, and she had found herself clicking the 'add to friends' button earlier.

rainbowdash: I'm rambling, aren't I.

applejack: Aha. Sort of. You don't need to be nervous, ya know. Let's just start off with 'heyy nice to meet you :DD"

rainbowdash: I'm not nervous. DDD I'm way too awesome to be nervous. I just didn't want you to think I was some sort of creep.

applejack: Whatever floats your boat. Does this creep have a name?

rainbowdash: You mean whatever flies your plane. I'm gonna be a pilot :DDD So you can just call me Dash The Amazing Pilot!

applejack: I'll stick to Dash. xP But that's really cool, ya know, the pilot thing.

The large smile remained plastered to her face as Jackie continued talking to her, and she even caught herself laughing at the computer a few times. The ambitious- and slightly arrogant- girl hadn't been lying about wanting to become a pilot. In fact, she was going through flight training not far from the farm that Jackie lived on.

rainbowdash: It's fun, but I have to go through medical training too. Blehh. What I really want to do is join this group of professional fliers called the Wonderbolts, they do a bunch of awesome aerial shows and shit like that. You gotta be super qualified, but I'll get it in. Just wait. :DD

applejack: I bet you can get in. (:

rainbowsdash: Damn straight, I will! :DWe don't live far from each other. You should come down. Then I could show you the plane and stuff. :DD

applejack: you're the one with the plane. ._. I dunno. I'm busy here. Farm and studying.

A tight feeling washed over her chest and her heart stopped for a second.. That was far from the whole truth.

rainbowdash: Oh. Right. This is stupid, but I don't even know what you're studying. Mind telling? –creep mode on-

applejack: Not really committed to much yet. I do work on the farm still, so it'll probably have something to do with that.

More lies that didn't bode well with her heart. In reality, the farm had been her downfall- her little sister had hopped on a tractor that went haywire and took out her legs. Jackie was stuck with a lower body that was completely paralyzed, and she could never go through life by herself again. She didn't even go to a proper college- all her classes were online- and she barely even had the will to go outside anymore.

rainbowdash: You'll figure it out soon, trust me. There's always that one thing that just makes you really happy and you want to dedicate your life to it. Mine was flying, obviously. When I first went on a plane, I couldn't forget being so high up and far away from and I just figured that it was for me. I bet you'll do something awesome with your life. Not as awesome as me, but still. ;D

applejack: Your head is so inflated. ._. But thanks, sugarcube.

rainbowdash: no prob.

The smile on Jackie's face was bitter and distant.

rainbowdash: Oh and, uhm, you should probably know something.

applejack: what?

rainbowdash: I'm bi, soo. Hope that doesn't mean much to you.

applejack: well, I figured. Just a little bit. xP

rainbowdash: Oh, just cuz my name has rainbow in it? Stereotypical much? xDD

applejack: Pssh. You probably thought farmer=southerner=homophobic dumbass.

rainbowdash: …Hey look! A distraction! :D

Her eyes warmed up again and laughter bubbled up in her throat, until she could forget her situation for a few precious seconds. It was odd to think that this stranger who she had just barely met had such an effect on her.

Soon, Dash and the conversations with her became Jackie's sanctuary. She would spend hours glued to the computer, talking about everything and nothing because what else was she supposed to do with her pathetic shadow of a life? She dreamed of meeting Dash- except in her daydreams, she was normal and healthy and didn't need anybody but the aspiring pilot.

It wasn't long until Dash asked for a picture and for a second, Jackie froze. Her fingers went numb as she fumbled with the camera, awkwardly taking pictures until she finally took a decent one- from the waist up.

rainbowdash: ..you're kinda cute. :3

applejack: cute? ._.

rainbowdash: You look like a farm person, aha. You even have the country hat and shit. Forreal, you are cute. :DD

applejack: asdfghjkl, I'll take cute as a compliment. xD What about you, does the farmer get a picture?

rainbowdash: yeah sure. gimme a sec.

Jackie stared cautiously at the link she received in the inbox, wondering if Dash looked anything like she pictured her. Eventually, she clicked it and an image of a girl with the brightest- rainbow, of course- hair appeared on her screen. The last details finished loading to reveal little details about her besides the distracting hair- a megawatt smile with little dimples and red eyes that surely needed contacts to get them that color.

applejack: You really dyed your hair rainbow? xDDD

rainbowdash: One of my jackass friends says I might as wear LGBT clothes all the time and be the poster girl for the pride parades. -_-

applejack: Haha. xD It suits you though, ya know, all bright and it makes you stick it out from the crowd. :3 And the contacts are… interesting? ^^;

rainbowdash: Awwh, thanks man. :DD You shoulda seen my mom, though, she pretty much hated it when I got it done like this. I don't live with her anymore, so at least I don't have to put up with the nagging. Never really was close to her. :\

applejack: I'm sorry, it must suck to not be close to your parents. DD; I'm still with the family, obviously. We're pretty tied together. Always have been.

rainbowdash: You farm people. xPP

That day, things seemed to end on a slightly melancholy note, but Jack thought it was alright. The world wasn't always cotton candy and lollipops.

rainbowdash: Hey, guess what! I have the BEST news!

applejack: What? (:

rainbowdash: I'm going to California! They invited me over cuz they said they thought my aerial skills were really good! :DDDD Might be kinda difficult to keep talking, imma be busy and time differences…

rainbowdash: But hey, we'll still talk!

applejack: Of course we will! I'm so proud of you! Knew you were gonna go places. (:

rainbowdash: Who're you, the mom I shoulda had? xD But I gotta go now, pack and shit. Bye, love you!

Jackie had never cried so much.

It wasn't long before their conversations dwindled to occasional small talk.

applejack: Heyy! How's everything

rainbowdash: It's pretty good, everyone's always rushing stuff here. And California's so fruity, you have no idea. xDD

applejack: Ahaa. Things are still simple and boring back here. Look, I kinda wanna tell you something important…

rainbowdash: Hey listen, managers calling. We'll talk later, kayy?

It occurred to her that she was hardly a priority in Dash's life. Dash had a life going for her, and Jackie was just the poor kid in the wheelchair stuck to fantasies and birdsong from an open window. She wanted to bang her fists on her head- 'why does this happen to me, why'- and scream at the sky because of the unfairness of it all. Jackie missed being missed being able to run, to jump, to dance-

She missed Dash.

applejack: It's been a while…

rainbowdash has logged out