Letting Go | Appledash

Chapter Eighteen: Out of Reach

Chapter Eighteen: Out of Reach

As Applejack entered the classroom, she noticed how two of her friends, whose voices she had heard loud and clear right before rounding the corner, immediately went completely silent. She quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Hey, Applejack," Twilight greeted, smiling stiffly. Rarity, who was sitting next to her, did the same.

"...Hello," AJ said slowly. Her eyes darted between the two girls. "Keepin' secrets?" she questioned.

Rarity waved a dismissive hand at her. "Secrets? Why on earth would we do that?" she asked.

"That's exactly my question," AJ mumbled, unconvinced.

The fashionista attempted to laugh it off. "You're overthinking it," she said, shaking her head.

The blonde's frown deepened. "Well, alright then..." she replied lowly.

She was about to pass the desks to get to her own when a familiar voice suddenly echoed the school corridors. Applejack could've sworn she caught Rarity and Twilight exchanging anxious glances before Rainbow Dash entered through the door with Fluttershy by her side. The two girls came to a halt. The pink-haired smiled and let out a soft greeting, while bold magenta eyes appeared conflicted as they flickered between Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack.

Then, as if a spell was cast on her, any sign of discomfort or trouble on Rainbow's face was gone with the wind. "Hey, guys," she greeted with a grin. When a reaction wasn't immediate, she teased, "What's with your faces? Are you three having a private conversation or something?"

"That's what I said," Applejack heard herself answer, catching herself off guard.

Rainbow, however, seemed completely unphased. "And I'm guessing they denied it?" she asked, playfully rolling her eyes.

"They sure did," AJ said, and she couldn't help but smile at her... Friend.

Rarity and Twilight gawked at them.

"Woah, listen, I know I look awesome, but no need to look that surprised," Rainbow Dash said.

"No, sorry, we were just caught off guard. Hi you two," Twilight managed, dismissing Dash's taunt.

"Hi," Fluttershy greeted once again. Applejack nodded and smiled at her.

"So can we talk about the fact that I'm, like, super on time today?" Rainbow declared suddenly.

Applejack glanced at the time. It's true. Class wasn't staring until another fifteen minutes. Rainbow Dash really was super on time today.

"Huh, would ya look at that," AJ muttered, surprised with the discovery.

Rainbow Dash grinned proudly. Then the girls settled into small chatter, soon joined by the remainder of their friend group, before the first class of the day started.

It all happened so fast; Applejack barely had time to grasp what was going on. But one thing was certain. Rainbow Dash really was sticking to her word of forgetting and moving past.

AJ knew that she should feel relieved. The other acting normal made the job easier on her part. Not only that, but it also meant that they could recover, which was honestly all that Applejack wanted right now. She didn't want to risk losing Rainbow Dash completely, and if that meant remaining best friends forever, then so be it.

But despite thinking that, she was hurting. She used to think that she would be satisfied with getting to share just one intimate moment with the other, but she hadn't been ready to face the consequences; the grief of experiencing something so magnificent, only to have it stolen for the rest of her life. To have it right in front of her, yet so out of reach. However, above anything else, she hadn't been prepared for Rainbow Dash to show so evidently how little that kiss had meant to her, because to Applejack, it had meant the world.

Applejack wanted to believe that everything happened for a reason; that sometimes, good things had to fall apart for better things to fall into place. But she couldn't help but feel an unbearable pain caused by the yearning of a delicate softness against her lips, just one more time.

The whole lesson was spent with several subtle glances at the polychromatic girl, followed by an aching heart when the girl appeared to act completely normal.

Like nothing ever happened between them at all.

—

"You're handling this surprisingly well," Twilight told Rainbow Dash.

The school day had passed just like any other, and except for the fact that Dash and AJ hadn't spent nearly as much time together as they usually would, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. In fact, nothing remotely exhilarating had happened at all. It had been a painfully dull Monday. Now the two friends were walking home side by side, something they normally never did, but Twilight had been the one to suggest it to check in on her friend.

"Told ya I was sure about this," Rainbow answered with a smirk.

"I know what you told me," Twilight replied with a slight roll of her eyes. "I was just not expecting you to execute it so accordingly."

"You were doubting me?" Rainbow asked in disbelief.

"A little," the purple-haired admitted. She shrugged. "But you can't blame me. Anyone would have a hard time after something like that. I didn't think you'd move on so fast."

Rainbow frowned. She hadn't moved on, she was just forcing herself to act normal. But when she thought about it, that act in itself had been easier than anticipated.

"Maybe I just didn't like her as much as we thought," she suggested.

"Maybe..." the other agreed lowly.

The two walked silently for a minute, both occupied with their own thoughts before Rainbow suddenly declared, "I might ask her if she wants to hang out this weekend."

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, already?"

Rainbow nodded. "You know me, Twi. I'm all about speed," she said confidently.

"Well, as long as it feels right. Would hate to accidentally ruin all the effort by rushing."

"I'm not rushing. It's a good opportunity," Dash said. She had been unsure of inviting AJ at first, but now that they seemed to be doing well around one another, she felt more confident in her choice.

"Okay," Twilight answered simply, and that was enough approval needed for Rainbow to carry out her plan.