Letting Go | Appledash

Chapter Twenty-One: Luck

A/N: so sorry about the long wait! I want to thank all of my loyal readers for being so supportive and patient with me. couldn't be doing this without you<3

Chapter Twenty-One: Luck

Rainbow Dash blinked at him. She turned to stare at Applejack, who looked just as surprised.

Soarin seemed to sense the tension and quickly reassured, "But you really don't have to join. It's only your first time here, after all."

"Right," Rainbow answered plainly. She scratched at the back of her head, unsure of what to say next.

"You're not chickening out now, are you?" Lightning Dust suddenly asked from across the room. Of course the damn girl had been eavesdropping. And of course she had to raise her voice loud enough to catch the attention of all the other guests in the room. She totally wasn't doing it on purpose.

Rainbow's mouth acted on its own before her thoughts could catch up and she immediately blurted, "Of course not," with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, I thought so," Lightning Dust answered with a snicker. Rainbow wanted to stick her tongue out at her a second time that evening.

"Imma sit this one out," AJ cut in nervously. Dash veered her head around to stare at her.

"What?"

"Ya heard me," Applejack responded. She shrugged at her friend. "Not really my thing," she said simply.

"That's okay," Soarin answered with a reassuring smile, and Applejack quickly repaid with one of her own.

Rainbow Dash had to object. She scooted closer, leaning in a little too close for comfort. "But you don't have to do anything, you know?" she told the blonde in a strained whisper. "You could just stand in there and wait for the time to run out."

"Then what's the point?" AJ questioned.

Damn. She was right.

Applejack had been left off the hook easily, but there was no way Rainbow Dash could back down now. At least not with Lightning Dust's endless taints and Soarin's expectant expression. She shook her head.

"You okay with just sitting here on your own?" she asked Applejack.

"I'm not a kid, Rainbow. No need for babysittin," the other replied easily. She gave the girl a small yet strained smile. "You just go ahead and have fun with your friends."

Rainbow Dash tried to hide the evident frown on her face, but she was definitely failing. She eyed AJ for a long moment before nodding with a sigh.

"Okay."

—

"So here's the deal," Soarin said, plopping down on a vacant spot in the circle they'd created around an empty bottle on the floor. He pointed right at it. "We're going to spin this bottle to select two people who have to go in there for seven minutes," he explained, nodding towards an open door leading to a small and dark enclosed space under the staircase.

Rainbow Dash grimaced. She really didn't feel like playing Harry Potter right now.

She threw a quick glance at Applejack, who was seated on an armchair in the corner of the room, observing silently. The girl was impatiently tapping a finger on the armrest, her right leg shaking slightly. Her whole body seemed to be screaming with unease. God knows why; she wasn't the one playing.

"In those seven minutes, the selected people can do anything they want in there," Soarin continued, earning Rainbow's attention again. "And I mean anything," he emphasized.