"Yo, pizza face."
I felt myself tense up at the nickname, if it could be called anything that sounded so benign, and I recognized the voice that said it. I turned.
"What do you want?!"
Rainbow Dash backed up. "Geez, woman, all I did was say hi."
I rolled my eyes and kept walking, but she followed me casually. I stopped.
"Do you mind? I'm tryin' to go somewhere, in case y'all couldn't tell."
"Heh heh. 'Y'all'," Rainbow Dash snickered. I could feel my cheeks burn hot—I couldn't stand it when someone snubbed me for the way I spoke or mannerisms that came as a result of my being Southern—but I couldn't lose my temper. I had promised Big Macintosh I wouldn't get into any more fights. I swallowed and turned to face her.
"Look, Rainbow Dash—"
"You can call me Dash."
"Whatever. You. Why are you followin' me? So you can make fun of me some more?" I demanded. Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care in the least that I was getting upset. In fact, it only seemed to amuse her more, which in turn got me even more riled up. I made a promise to Big Macintosh; I couldn't try to wipe that taunting little smirk off her face, I had to stay calm…calm…
"Nah. I just think you're cool, pizza. That's all." Rainbow Dash gave me that smile of hers, in that way that she had—hands in pockets, head tilted, giving me that smile like I was a specimen in a jar that she found mildly interesting.
"Cool?" I faltered. No one had ever considered me "cool". Least of all Rainbow Dash, the most envied, the most popular, the coolest of the entire Cool Girl Society. Then it occurred to me that maybe she was being sarcastic—or that she was calling me something that didn't mean what I thought it meant.
"Yeah. Cool. I saw you on the track team. I can say without doubt that you're our best runner, pizza." Rainbow Dash's smile intensified faintly, the corners of her mouth peaking higher ever so slightly. I still couldn't tell if she was sincere, but apparently she would only call me by my freckles and acne, regardless of if she actually knew my name or not.
"Um…thanks," I said. "And by the way—my name's Applejack."
"That's too long."
"AJ then. Call me AJ."
"Nah. Too short."
"Well, if you want to talk to me, I'm not answering to 'pizza'," I snapped, and started walking again.
"You sure? 'Cause the next name on the list for you is 'redneck', if you wanna be called that." Rainbow Dash snickered. My face went hot again.
"Fine, Rainbow Dash. Call me 'pizza' then, if it so pleases ya." I began walking at a faster pace, hoping she'd finally leave me alone.
"Okay, pizza face. See ya 'round, maybe?"
"Not a chance," I replied loftily.
I heard Rainbow Dash laugh as she stopped and started walking in the other direction. "'Applejack'—if I've ever heard a stupider name—" Her voice receded into the distance along with her footsteps. I ran all the way back home.
"That Rainbow Dash," I muttered furiously, "is completely unbearable."