"Of Females and Feathers"
Chapter 8
Dear Mom and Dad,
I hope both of you are doing alright at home. And I hope you aren't missing me too horribly. I was planning on only staying here in Ponyville for a few weeks, but Fluttershy doesn't want me to leave yet, and to be honest, neither do I. I was kinda worried it wouldn't be fun here, but I'm actually liking it more than I thought. Don't worry, I'll come home eventually. But I'm gonna stay a while longer. I still don't know how much longer, but…I'll tell you more about it in my next letter. I love you guys and I hope you don't mind.
Love,
Rainbow Dash
The letter had been written nearly two months ago. And if one were to rewind back a few weeks before it had been written, it would be quite hard to miss that Rainbow Dash hadn't felt the same way she did now at all.
Initially, it had been Fluttershy who'd wanted her to stay, and Fluttershy who Rainbow had stayed for, as she had very much enjoyed the pony's friendship thus far. The two had taken more trips into town after their first one, as time went on. Rainbow hadn't been too thrilled about them, but the more she'd taken, the more relaxed she became over them, and it had soon become something that really wasn't so bad after all. She still worried over the possibility that somepony else would realize the sexuality she tried so hard to hide; all the experiences she'd had with it, though, had toned the worry down quite a good bit.
She and Fluttershy had even paid Rarity a few more visits, despite the crazy first impression she'd left Rainbow with. However, Rainbow had soon learned that Rarity truly was a good friend to have, as she spent more time around her. And that her career as a fashion designer certainly wasn't the only aspect that defined her. Rarity was always trying to do something for somepony else, be it fixing an outfit as perfectly as she could, or offering free drinks to anypony who ended up staying a while. She carried a heart of gold with her, even if her demeanor could sometimes hide such a fact, and Rainbow could easily see now why she and Fluttershy were such close friends, as well as why Fluttershy had wanted her to meet her as well.
Also as the few weeks had strolled into a couple months, Rainbow had grown even bolder as to stay in Ponyville by herself sometimes. Of course, her current idea of that was staying in the clouds above the town: she still wasn't quite comfortable with being down in the crowd without Fluttershy at her side. Being able to feel at ease in the skies above was nevertheless a huge step for her, so she liked to think.
Fluttershy and Rarity hadn't stayed the only reasons Rainbow was enjoying Ponyville more as the days passed, though. She'd also made another unlikely friend in the past months, but a friend who'd helped her almost as much as Fluttershy, even if in a slightly different way. Mainly due to the fact that while Rainbow Dash had been set on finding friends who could help her on a more understanding level, she'd completely forgotten how great it could feel to have friends who were simply, a lot like her in general.
One of the things the polychromatic pony had taken a habit of doing lately, was going off away from Fluttershy's cottage every so-often, just to give Fluttershy some alone time, as she knew being around somepony all the time could get old. And it was one of these times that she'd run into the third pony she now considered to be a friend.
She'd certainly picked the perfect spot to relax for a while. There were barely any ponies around this place, and given that, Rainbow Dash was actually quite glad that Fluttershy had brought her here a week ago. The two of them hadn't stuck around for very long; Fluttershy had only shown her all the trees in the distance, and told her how delicious the apples were. And, well, Rainbow couldn't say she had an argument there. Ponyville's apples were pretty amazing.
With nopony around to bother her, and nothing to worry about, the Pegasus had settled down in one of the treetops for a nap. What she hadn't been expecting, though, was the surprise that came next from the sudden, sharp jolt from below the branches that shook her right out of place and sent her falling to the ground. Or rather, falling right at the hooves of another pony.
"AH!"
"Whoa Nelly!"
The orange pony leapt out of the way just in time, her eyes wide with surprise at the one who'd just fallen from her apple tree. She'd never gotten another pony from apple bucking, that was for sure. And with how skilled she was at it, she knew full well how hard the fall probably was. Hurriedly, she came closer, green hues wide moreso with worry now than the surprise from earlier.
She said, "Why, I am so sorry! I didn't even see ya up there! …Are you alright, sugar cube?"
The fall had indeed been a hard one. Rainbow Dash only groaned, her own eyes still closed. She hadn't even had time to stop the fall with her wings. The Pegasus finally took a look at what had happened at the question she was asked, but at the sight of the earth pony ahead of her, her eyes widened before she instantly scrambled to her hooves, feeling her cheeks growing warm. This was the first time she'd ever run into another female alone, without expecting such a thing; she thought she was safe up there! Rainbow took a few steps back, unable to stop the small whimper from escaping her throat. It was Valerie all over again, only scarier.
The earth pony only seemed confused at Rainbow's actions, though, and moved her head to the side just a bit.
"Um…miss?"
Rainbow still didn't answer. She tried backing away a few steps more, but she felt her backside run right into the apple tree she'd fallen out of, and with that, she squeaked, dropping to the ground and shutting her eyes tight again. Pleasegoawaypleasegoaway, she mentally cried out at the new pony, but the orange one only snorted, and slowly approached her again.
She continued, "Now listen, I ain't gonna do nothin' to ya. I hadn't seen you around these parts, so I'm just gonna guess ya didn't know any better. We here at Sweet Apple Acres, take real pride in our apple trees, so we actually don't allow any uses of 'em other than buckin' and gettin' our fruit. But like I said, it's alright this once. Now c'mon, lemme lend ya a hoof, don't be scared."
At the kind words, Rainbow could really do nothing but open her eyes again to see the earth pony extending a hoof with an understanding smile. And suddenly, a part of her really didn't want to come off as rude to this pony. Though sleeping in the trees wasn't allowed, she was already forgetting the situation entirely, and even offering help to the one who'd just been doing that. Rainbow stayed in her position for a moment longer, but tried to calm herself with Fluttershy's knowing advice that she wasn't going to crush on every mare she met, simply because she liked mares. She knew Fluttershy was right. She'd known that for a while now, so why was it still haunting her?
Rainbow finally gave a near-silent growl at herself, before fighting every ounce of the stupid worry in her, and extending her own hoof out for the orange pony to take. She couldn't keep allowing this to take over her life. Especially when all her worries had proven to be just that, ever since she'd first begun dealing with them.
The earth pony's smile grew as she helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves again.
"See there," she told her. "I promise I'll let ya slide this once. Anyhow, my name's Applejack. And you are?"
Rainbow returned the smile, just a little. "…Rainbow Dash."
"Well it's mighty fine makin' your acquaintance, Rainbow Dash," she answered through a small laugh, tickled by how shy the blue one seemed to be at the moment. In the months to come, she would see just how wrong the assumption was. Applejack paused, looking down at the apples she'd just bucked out of the tree along with the new pony before she continued. "Ya like apples? You can have one if ya like. My apologies for sendin' ya down so hard."
Lowering her head down to nudge one of the apples closer to Rainbow, she gave another smile, and raised back up as she turned around again, preparing to give the apple tree another kick. "Y'all are gonna have to move now, though, so I can finish my applebuckin'."
Rainbow Dash did like apples, so she hesitantly knelt down to take the one she'd been offered in her mouth, and quickly moved away from the tree as Applejack warned. She stayed a few feet away, though, just out of sheer curiosity: never had she seen a pony applebuck before, again due to living in Cloudsdale her whole life. As she watched the act, she was surprised to see how slow an act it actually was. This was how earth ponies got all their apples from the trees? All the time? Not only was it surprising, it was confusing, especially since no other ponies seemed to be around doing it but Applejack.
The Pegasus waited a moment more, but finally, she could no longer help herself. She wasn't crushing on this pony so far, so she supposed it was safe; hesitantly, Rainbow put her apple back on the ground, and spoke up.
"You…do this all by yourself?" she asked. "Every tree?"
As Applejack finished the tree she was on and headed to the next, she stopped, blinking her green eyes once. The questioned nearly confused her, but quickly, she realized this new pony knew little about applebucking.
She said, "Well, not always. Today I'm workin' alone, but usually Big Macintosh and a few a' the others 'round here help out. Gotta make sure to get some done every day, fall already comin' in and all. But yeah, every tree. Why?"
Rainbow Dash took a second or two to look around at all the apple trees nearby. It was only about noon, and she couldn't even imagine one pony doing all this for the rest of the day. Not to mention, with it already being harvest season, the ponies doing the job would have to work even harder to get all the apples picked. She thought about leaving with the apple she'd been given, but at the same time, it wasn't like she had anything else to do.
"…I could help if you want."
At the suggestion, Applejack blinked in surprise, but after a short moment, she gave the Pegasus a funny look, and chuckled lightly.
"That's real sweet of ya to offer, sugar cube," she began, pausing just to scan her eyes over Rainbow again; she raised a brow with a smile. "But it's only one day. I can handle it myself. Besides, I'm sure those wings a' yours get a much better workout than your legs."
She hadn't intended for the statement to come off as rude, or challenging for that matter: it'd merely been an observation (and a correct one, at that). But Rainbow Dash, of course, was immediately taken aback by it. So because she was a Pegasus, it automatically meant she wasn't as strong as a workpony? She suddenly felt herself growing quite bothered by the statement, even if Applejack hadn't really meant anything by it. As the earth pony carried on with her apple bucking, Rainbow gave a snort, and came a bit closer. She simply couldn't ignore it. The way she understood it, she was practically being called inferior, and that was enough to make her forget everything on her mind, except just that.
She asked, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Again, Applejack paused from her bucking with a near helpless expression; she really needed to get her work done, and as much as she was trying to be kind, she wasn't enjoying these interruptions at all. Especially given that at least this one, she didn't quite understand. She sighed quietly.
"…Rainbow Dash, I'm real sorry, but I'm tryin' to get these apples bucked."
"And you don't think I can do it?"
"…What?"
"I can buck apples just as good as you can! Probably faster too!"
What had come over her, even Rainbow didn't completely know. But she sure as hell wasn't about to let some earth pony get away with acting like she wasn't strong. Even if the earth pony had been pretty nice to her before. Applejack, on the other hoof, only remained confused…until Rainbow's last words.
"I never said you couldn't do it! But honey, I been workin' on this farm my whole life. I was born and raised into applebuckin', and there ain't a mare around who can do it like I can!" she paused, only give a snort, and this time, with every intention of challenging the other, she concluded. "If you really think you got the skills to match mine, though, you better be ready to back them words up!"
Although Rainbow's attempt at proving she could applebuck just as good, and faster than Applejack, hadn't gone as well as she'd planned in the least, she still looked back at the experience happily, as if it hadn't happened, she wouldn't have Applejack as a friend now. Rainbow Dash's big words had gotten her into quite a mess that day: the earth pony had taken her challenge, and the two began a one-on-one applebucking competition, in which Rainbow very quickly realized just how experienced Applejack was at the skill, and also quickly realized that even if she could applebuck, she'd never be able to do it better than the one who'd done it her whole life.
Of course, thankfully for Rainbow, Applejack had refrained from rubbing it in her face once she'd shown her up. And Rainbow had found herself amazed that the orange one could keep up with the applebucking for as long as she had: it was almost as if she was incapable of getting tired…or maybe it'd only seemed that way given that Rainbow's lack of experience had her tiring out after the first few trees. Either way, there wasn't even a slim chance of the two not staying friends afterward, especially since Applejack had even offered to have more competitions in the future, just to see how they'd both fare in things neither had too strong an advantage in.
Rainbow's stay in Ponyville had become quite a lot more enjoyable now that she had three friends she felt comfortable around, even if only one of them knew her secret. And in no time at all, nearly two months had passed since she'd written to her parents about staying longer. The seasons were still changing. Autumn had blown by, and it was getting closer for the time when winter would set in, which was quite exciting for the Pegasus, as she'd only witnessed winter from the ground a few times back when she was a filly.
She'd been contemplating writing another letter to Rigel and Breezie, to say she'd be staying for winter in Ponyville as well, but at the same time, she knew she'd need to go home soon. She couldn't just stay in the town forever, despite how much she was starting to love it. As much as she loved her parents as well, though, Rainbow couldn't deny that she enjoyed the freedom of being on her own. Quite a lot. She knew she was still pretty young to be thinking like that, but then again…Fluttershy and Rarity were both on their own as well (of course, they were also both older than her, by a couple years).
Even with the thoughts, home wasn't what she had on her mind in the current moment, as she was at Sweet Apple Acres again with Applejack, attempting to learn how to use a hula hoop. The apple orchard had been completely harvested earlier in the month, so with that out of the way, Applejack had a lot more free time. And since Rainbow Dash had never played with a hula hoop in her life, her friend had taken some of her time off to try and teach her how.
"It's always been kinda like usin' a lasso to me…only not with a string, and closer to ya," Applejack told her.
She'd been showing and telling Rainbow all the tricks she knew for a couple hours now, and Rainbow had been trying her best to get it right, but it was just another of those things that the earth pony had been doing forever, and Rainbow hadn't done at all until now. Hula hooping as a pony could be quite tricky, Applejack had told her, since it could be hard making sure the hoop didn't touch the ground as it circled around the body so quickly. Every trick Applejack had shown her seemed to be enacted perfectly; she could even jump through the hoop without knocking it over, which to Rainbow, looked like nearly an impossible feat. Rainbow couldn't even get hers to loop around her body.
She whined, "How are you even doing that? Are you sure this isn't some weird magic trick?"
"It ain't no trick, honey," the orange one couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It just takes a heap a' practice. Just make sure to keep your wings tucked as tight as ya can, cuz a slip a' those'll ruin the motion."
Rainbow Dash continued her efforts, but still couldn't get the hoop to loop around her properly: she usually got one or two loops before the pattern broke and the hoop hit the ground, stopping it altogether. It was definitely much harder than it appeared to be. Finally, the Pegasus gave a sigh and let the hoop fall back as she stepped out of it, looking up to the sky. It seemed like she'd only been with Applejack for half an hour, not two full ones; but then again, time did fly when she got wrapped up in something, especially something she was trying to conquer. Late afternoon had arrived already, though, and she knew she'd need to be on her way.
"You givin' up already?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow rolled her eyes with a smile, turning to face the other. "In your apple-pickin' dreams, maybe! …I do gotta get going, though, AJ. Fluttershy wants me to come with her to some party tonight."
"Party?" The earth pony returned the smile now, seeming almost excited to hear. "You don't mean the one Pinkie Pie's throwin' tonight, do ya? I'll be goin' to that one too!"
Blinking once, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened a bit before she averted her gaze with a small, sheepish giggle. She actually had no idea who was throwing the party, or any of the other details, as Fluttershy hadn't mentioned much of them to her. She'd simply asked her to go, and Rainbow had agreed. Having been in Ponyville as long as she had now, she couldn't deny the name Pinkie Pie sounded familiar, but whoever that was, it wasn't somepony she'd met before.
"I actually don't know. Maybe. Fluttershy didn't mention everything," she finally answered.
Applejack gave a short laugh. "Well, alrighty then. I guess I'll see ya there if it's the same one. You hurry on back now; don't wanna keep Fluttershy waitin' on ya."
"Yeah. See ya!"
With a happy flick of her tail, Rainbow took to the air, and headed back to the other side of town where Fluttershy's cottage was. She actually couldn't say she was that excited about the party the shy one was dragging her to tonight, but Fluttershy had never asked much of her, other than to make new friends, come out of the house, and now, go to a party. And with everything Fluttershy had done to help her and make her feel comfortable with her stay in Ponyville, she could never bring herself to just not go. Fluttershy was much shyer than she was, simply by nature, after all, and she could easily tell that the yellow pony was happy to have someone to go with so she wouldn't be alone. Rainbow wouldn't feel like a good friend at all to bail on her. Even if there would be quite a good number of ponies there.
It didn't take Rainbow too long to get back to the cottage, and once she'd arrived, Fluttershy was already trying to figure out what she needed to do to get ready, if anything at all. The yellow Pegasus was very relieved to see Rainbow had returned. She didn't hesitate to gallop closer with a smile.
"Oh good!" she began. "You're back!"
Rainbow smiled back. "Yeah. So, uh, when are we—"
"I have no idea what to bring!"
The younger pony blinked in surprise, shifting back just a little. Fluttershy was really panicking about this? The party couldn't be anything too formal, could it? She sure hoped not. Hesitantly, Rainbow averted her gaze a moment, before looking back in slight confusion.
"We need to bring stuff?" she asked. It seemed weird to need to bring anything to a party, unless she'd been specifically asked to do so, or it was somepony's birthday, which, Rainbow was fairly certain it wasn't. Surely that detail wouldn't have been forgotten.
Fluttershy paused, also looking away. "…I don't know. I just always kinda feel like I should. But Pinkie is hosting it, so…maybe I don't need to. Sugar Cube Corner already has all kinds of sweets for her. Hmm… Maybe you're right."
At the words, the blue pony only raised a brow, but couldn't help stifling an awkward smirk. She hadn't even suggested anything, just asked a question. Fluttershy could be so weird sometimes.. At the name mentioned, though, Rainbow Dash's mind lit up: it was the pony Applejack had mentioned earlier, whom she still hadn't met yet. Well, she'd meet her tonight for sure if this was the party. Rainbow wasn't really too funny about meeting new ponies anymore, now that she'd met quite a few. The old worries still remained in the back of her mind, and would show themselves from time to time, but for the most part, as long as it wasn't a crowd, the blue Pegasus could deal pretty well. In fact, the crowd part was her only worry about the party. She'd fight it for Fluttershy as best she could, though.
"So when's the party again?" she asked.
"Well, it's not starting until a couple hours from now," the other began. "But I was thinking maybe we could go a little early, and get there before the crowd, if you want, I mean."
It still felt a bit strange how Rainbow had once loved crowds, simply because she'd always loved showing off her skills in front of others; but now she avoided them so much that even Fluttershy knew that about her, and never failed to try and help with them. She always wondered now, though, if she'd ever be alright with them again.
She couldn't help but smile. "Sure."
The two ponies ended up leaving for the party about forty minutes early; as it would take a few minutes to get into town where the party would be held, they added a little extra time for the trip. Nevertheless, they didn't want to arrive too early, so they decided not to take a full hour. Rainbow Dash had learned over the past couple months that Fluttershy not only walked to town because she thought her friend needed the slower pace, but also simply because she preferred walking over flying. She couldn't say it surprised her, though, as Fluttershy had never been a very strong flier from what she remembered.
As they made their way into the more centered areas of Ponyville, the shy pony did her best to make conversation. She couldn't begin to thank Rainbow enough for agreeing to come to the party with her.
"Thank you so much for coming, Rainbow Dash," she told her with a bright smile. "We don't even have to do anything if you don't want to. I actually don't even go to parties that often, unless Rarity wants me to go with her. But whenever I do, I usually just stay back from the crowd and have some punch. Or enjoy the music…you know."
Rainbow couldn't hold back her quiet chuckle. "It's fine, really…"
Well, it was half fine, anyway. The blue one could easily tell that Fluttershy was excited to be bringing her to the party. The reasons were still kind of a mystery to her though. The only thing she could guess was that she was planning to introduce her to another pony, or she was just happy to have somepony else to go with; she didn't ask if her speculations were true, however, as sounding rude wasn't particularly something she aimed for. Especially since she was living with this pony.
She honestly had no idea what to expect, as this was the first time she'd been to a Ponyville party. And while she was nervous about it, she'd come a long way, even if she wasn't entirely prepared to face everything yet.
Fluttershy continued. "W-Well, still…if you end up hating it, we don't have to stay for the whole thing. I don't mind coming home early."
"I won't…hate it. At least, I hope not. I think I'll be okay. Besides, Applejack said she'd be here tonight, too. And, well, Rarity's coming, right? I'll just hang out with you guys."
The yellow Pegasus' whole face seemed to light up at the suggestion. She paused from her walking for just a few seconds, almost as if she needed them to take in how well her friend was dealing with her first ever Ponyville party, even if some of it was just talk. She didn't actually know for sure if Rarity would be there, but even if not, Rainbow would have her and Applejack.
"Of course!" she giggled. "We'll definitely stay with you!"
It really did help Rainbow to hear that she wouldn't be alone. She couldn't deny that if it wasn't for all of Fluttershy's help, or for the other two new friends she'd made, she probably wouldn't even be willing to step outside. The experiences with seeing that nopony could read her lesbian mind just by looking at her had helped her too, but not nearly as much as having a friend she could talk to about the issues. She and Fluttershy had stayed up late quite a few nights now, just discussing whatever things Rainbow had on her mind, and becoming even closer in the process. Technically, the shy pony had become her closest friend, even if they held a good number of differences; the other two were also close to her, but only Fluttershy knew all her biggest secrets. Eventually Rainbow would tell them…maybe. But for now, she was perfectly content with only one pony knowing.
When Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made it into Ponyville, Fluttershy led the way right past Sugar Cube Corner, and on down the road, which confused Rainbow a bit. She was sure she'd heard Fluttershy mention the place before they'd left, as well as bring up the fact that the one hosting the party pretty much lived there. She'd kept silent with most questions, as she'd decided to just wait and see everything for herself, but this time, she couldn't help but speak up.
She asked, "Doesn't she live at Sugar Cube Corner?"
Fluttershy glanced back at her as they walked on, blinking before she answered with a smile.
"Oh yes," she told her. "But Pinkie Pie is hosting the party at the old furniture shop that closed down a while back, to make more room for all the guests."
"…Is that even legal?"
Suddenly, the shy one came to a halt, a troubled expression taking over her face for a moment. She'd never even considered if it was alright to host a party there. Rainbow raised a brow, waiting for her to respond. Once the moment had passed, Fluttershy lifted her gaze upward in thought, and finally, looked back to the other.
She said, "Well…no one else has claimed it yet, so…I…guess so."
The two only stared at one another for a second or two before Rainbow closed her eyes with a nonchalant shrug, and they carried on their way.
It didn't take much longer at all for them to reach the place where the party was being held. When they finally had, the ponies hesitantly approached the old store, and found that they'd certainly arrived early enough. Only a few of the guests had arrived, from the looks of things. Then again, they hadn't gone inside just yet. Rainbow Dash felt a tinge of old worries returning to her, but she fought them back; it was a party, she told herself, and the ponies would be far more interested in that aspect of it, than paying attention to a random, rainbow-maned mare hanging by herself.
Still, they had arrived. There was definitely no turning back now. As soon as they walked through that door, Rainbow Dash would be at the first party she'd ever been to in Ponyville. Obviously, a party was a party: she'd attended a few parties back in Cloudsdale, so she didn't suspect this one would be too much different. She wouldn't know for sure, though, until it started. The two ponies paused briefly. And finally, headed inside.
I know it hasn't yet been a full week, but I decided to post this chapter earlier than usual, because I have some baaad news. Well, it's not traumatic or anything (hopefully), but nevertheless, it's not good: I won't be posting as quickly as usual anymore from here on out. I have no idea how sporadic my updates are going to become, or how slow, but due to my classes, I don't have as much time to write as I did before. I'm very sorry, but I hope you can all hold out for me! I'll try not to take longer than a month between updates, but...no promises.
Just as a note, yes, I do think Dash is the youngest of the mane six. Also, yes, I'm aware the whole apple tree scene is used a ton for Dash & AJ meeting, but I actually am a big lover of fandom traditions like that, so I'm not gonna break it. (: Don't know if y'all liked the way I did AJ's speech; I decided to keep the typing mostly normal for the most part. I am actually a Southern girl from Georgia, myself, though, so I can't have done TOO bad, considering my accent is pretty similar to hers.
Anyhow... thanks so much again to all of you guys who give me feedback! I can't wait to see how many reviews I end up with when I finish!
The pictures of Rigel and Breezie are still up on my profile, as is the poll. Oh, and as you can see, I finally got around to naming all my chapters. I didn't go back and edit the documents, though...much too lazy for all that. Hah.
Like always, reviews & favs are very appreciated! Thanks for reading & stay tuned, darlings!