An Inconvenient Attachment // Appledash

chapter 8

"Here's some clothes you can change into." AJ said, handing Rainbow some neatly folded pajamas. "You should shower, the warm water should help." Applejack continued. Rainbow couldn't quite identify the tone in her voice, whether she was mad, tired or just normal, But she took the clothes and nodded her head, not wanting to say anything that could make AJ angry. Just before she walked into the guest bathroom Applejack spoke to her.

"So you didn't mean anything you said?"

"What...?"

"At the cafe."

Rainbow froze and turned on her heel, walking back into the room and putting the clothes down on the bed. Applejack was faced away from her, awaiting a response.

Rainbow knew Applejack. She was giving her a chance to explain herself, and if her first response wasn't good enough, there were no chances after that. She paused to think for a second. It had to be perfect...

"Of course I didn't AJ. I'm really sorry you heard that. I was scared that if I didn't agree with them, they'd drop me out of the group. But that's now excuse and I realise I should've defended you guys. You're my real friends and always have been. It was just a little hard to see the past few years."

Silence.

"So...you don't agree with anything they said...about me?"

Rainbow knew she had to choose her next words carefully, but she didn't feel they'd come across as truthful as they could be unless she could see her properly. She decided to test the boundaries a bit. Dash placed a hand on Applejacks shoulder and slowly walked around the teenager to look her in the eyes. Applejack raised her head and green met magenta.

"Applejack. I would never ever EVER, think you're pathetic. You're awesome..." Dash said, her voice slightly fading in volume as the sentence grew longer. 'WHAT WAS THAT DASH, now THAT was pathetic.' She yelled at herself.

"I didn't really mean that part..." Applejack responded softly.

Rainbows face turned to confusion. What else did they say about her? She started to replay their words in her head, trying to remember whatever she could.

'Applejacks grandmother...cafeteria...pathetic...barely afford here...never good enough for you...'

Wait...'She was never good enough for you anyways...'

Is that what AJ was talking about? Maybe she should ask.

"I don't understand which part you mean AJ..." Rainbow asked carefully, not wanting to get it wrong.

Applejack shrugged Dash's hand off her and walked back over to her bed, picking up the clothes Rainbow left there.

"Go have a shower, you'll feel better after." She said passing the clothes to her.

"But-"

"Go on...I'll be here."

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Rainbow peaked her head out of the door with wet hair, wearing Applejacks clothes. Surprisingly they fit well given that AJ is taller than her. Dash walked back into the room and saw Applejack brushing her wet hair on the bed, looking out the window at the still pouring rain.

"Thanks for the clothes AJ..." Rainbow said in appreciation, announcing her presence in the room.

Applejack turned around and looked at Rainbow who was walking over to a set of drawers and placed her old damp clothes on top. AJ grimaced at the sight of the wet clothes on wood and walked over to the pile and picked them up.

"Here, i'll hang them up so you can wear them tomorrow." She said, walking to her closet and grabbing a few hangers to dangle the clothes off of. Dash watched Applejack hang the clothes up, reaching up to the top of her doorframe to hook the hanger onto it. As she lifted her arms up her shirt lifted a little bit, exposing skin. Rainbow quickly looked away as if seeing Applejacks stomach was wrong. She realised how strange it was that she did that so she turned back around to see AJ finishing hanging the last item of clothing.

"Thanks."

Dash could start to feel a yawn coming, so she turned around and let it out, hoping Applejack wouldn't see her face all distorted. She just needed sleep. Rainbow looked at the bed and realised what she should have long ago, there was only one.

Applejack slowly lifted the blanket and got into her side of the bed in a sitting position. AJ eyed Rainbow as she could see her struggling to decide where she was going to sleep. It was kind of cute seeing her all flustered like that. She smiled a little bit but then instantly dismissed it remembering she's holding a grudge.

"Come on Rainbow, I ain't making you sleep on the floor, and there's plenty of space for the both of us here."

Dash made her way over to the bed and climbed in cautiously. Applejack then turned off the light switch next to her bed, leaving them in darkness with only the glow of the moon creating dancing shadows in the room.

'I should say goodnight right,' Applejack thought to herself. It was already kind of awkward as the last time they shared a bed was on very different conditions. Before AJ opened her mouth to speak, Rainbow cut in with a question that was burning in her mind while she was showering.

"Did you mean...when they said you were never good enough for me?"

Applejack stiffened, she didn't know why she even asked that question. She was most definitely not ready to hear the answer, good or bad.

Without AJ responding Rainbow assumed she got it right and continued.

"Applejack, you were never not good enough for me, you deserved way more than what I gave to you. You deserve better. I was the one that wasn't good enough."

Not a sound came out of Applejack, the rain was all that could be heard as it lightly tapped on the window.

"...AJ?" Dash squeaked, trying to get a response.

"Rainbow, you were always good enough for me. Or just...you were always good for me..." Applejack finally said. When she said that, it was like a flame lit inside Rainbow, it was hope. She wanted to press her statement further. Try figure out what she was really trying to say.

"What do you mean by tha-"

"It's late Dash. We should sleep, there's school tomorrow." Applejack interrupted her coaxing.

"But-"

"Goodnight Rainbow." She continued, shutting down anymore questions.

...

"...Night AJ."