No Two Flakes

By Mist

Chapter V

Rainbow and Rarity sat in almost silence for the majority of the bus ride back to Canterlot City. Rarity was still trying to figure out the best way to approach what she wanted to say about the situation to her friend, but realized if she waited for the correct words, she’d be waiting for a while. It really was a matter that just had to be addressed directly. She kept her tone down so that other passengers wouldn’t get too nosey. In a hushed voice she finally broke the silence that the two had been sharing.

“Rainbow, you can’t honestly be considering this…”

Rainbow’s eyes stayed forward as she kept a determined expression. “This isn’t about you, Rarity. Maybe it’s best if you stay home from now on…”

Rarity shook her head. “And let you get in this kind of trouble? Absolutely not. I’m staying with you from now on to make sure you don’t do something incredibly stupid that winds you up in prison or even dead.”

“You don’t understand, Rarity. I need to do this.”

“Why? What reason could you possibly have?” Rarity protested.

Rainbow grew very quiet, her voice cracking a bit as she choked on words. “He killed my brother, Rarity… Ice is the whole reason why I have no family left. He ordered a hit on our place that killed him and I need to know why. I have to know why he killed Light, after that… I’ll do whatever needs to be done from there…”

Rarity was shocked to hear this all to say the least. She had only dealt with the death of a loved one when it was an old relative that she had not known too well. She could only imagine what it must have been like to know someone so close to you had been murdered. “Rainbow… I’m sorry… I didn’t know…” She placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll find him, and I’ll help you. Just promise me you won’t do anything irrational?”

“I can’t promise anything. When I see him, I may just completely lose it…” Rainbow admitted.

“Then I’ll be with you to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’ll figure this out together.” Rarity reassured.

Rainbow turned to Rarity and examined her. “Every day, Rarity… I’ve had to live with this. Light was all I had after my mom got arrested; he took care of me and looked out for me. I remember Light tucking me into bed even… He was basically like my dad on top of being my brother…”

Rarity never realized what a broken home that Rainbow came from. Truth be told the two rarely spoke before this, only really at occasions that their mutual friends set up for them. She took note of the fact that Rainbow was not crying though. It was clear that Rainbow was too hardened now to express her weakness to someone like Rarity. It must have been difficult to even consider making herself vulnerable.

“I know I probably don’t understand, but I want to try to…” Rarity said.

Rainbow nodded and turned back to face the front of the bus.

“Maybe you will someday. For now though, just knowing I have your help is enough for me.” Rainbow smiled.

The water hadn’t frozen over yet, so AJ used this chance to spend some time down by the lake where she would often throw rocks or rent a boat to go out onto the water and do some thinking. During the Summer she’d often go fishing as it was probably the only place in the city where she could do so. While the catches were always small, she found satisfaction in the activity.

She had just rented a boat, realizing it may be her last chance to actually get out on the water before the temperature remained low enough for the lake to freeze. They had gotten some snowfall over the past week, but it was only enough to put a light sheet of white flakes over the top of the grass. December was still a day or two away and usually by then the weather picked up and made it feel like a winter wonderland pretty instantly.

Untying the rope, she heard a familiar voice speak to her. “Ahoy mate. Alright if I come on board, captain?”

She didn’t even need to look up, as she saw the end of a walking stick. “What do y’all want, Cloud?”

“You know some people might be offended by your accusatory nature, you should really work on that, babe.” She replied rather snarkily.

“Don’t ya’ got someone else to bother?”

“Nope, just you. I cleared my schedule of people to bother all for you, hun.” She was growing a smirk on her face.

Applejack rolled her eyes and finished untying her boat.

“So can I come with or not?” Cloudchaser asked.

“’Ah ain’t interested…” Applejack responded very curtly.

“I asked to get in the boat with you, not to take your pants off, damn.” Cloudchaser frowned a bit, possibly even legitimately offended.

AJ felt a little bad, as her request actually didn’t sound like it had any kind of ulterior motives this time, though she was good at hiding them. “Yeah, sure. Take my hand.” Applejack extending a hand to her and offered to help her into the boat. Cloudchaser took it carefully and AJ guided her feet into the boat. “Careful… Last thing ‘Ah want is for ya’ to fall in and freeze to death…”

“I’m sure you could warm me up pretty fast.” Cloudchaser commented as she took a seat in the boat.

Applejack just scoffed as she sat down herself and shoved the boat away from the shore, taking the oars in hand. After a dozen strokes, the two were peacefully floating in the middle of the vacant lake. Cloudchaser decided to break the silence.

“So, has Applebloom finally hooked up with that friend of hers?”

Applejack shrugged. Truth be told, Applebloom and her didn’t talk about that kind of subject. While Applebloom was open and willing to give information, AJ wasn’t exactly comfortable with that kind of discussion when it came to her little sister.

“Dunno, probably not though. Those two are an odd bunch as it is…” AJ commented.

Cloudchaser laughed, “True. Still though, your sister has the right amount of spunk to keep him in line though.”

“Ain’t that the truth…” Applejack admitted.

Her sister was a bit more crude than her. While Applejack definitely wasn’t a saint or a prude, she wasn’t as open to things as her younger sister. She figured that her time here in the city had a very strong effect on her. She only wondered what her older brother would say if he saw how she talked now.

“Last week or so, she got the bright idea to try and sell his… Well… She found out ya’ can get $50 from donatin’ at the sperm bank let’s jus’ say…” Applejack laughed sheepishly.

“No fuckin’ way! Oh man that is so choice! Fuck, I wish I had a dick now, I’m just handing out my orgasms for free. Totally lame…” Cloudchaser frowned a bit, but quickly returned to a smile as she laughed at her own joke.

“Ain’t no one’s fault but your own that you go so many times in one session.” AJ smirked.

“True, true. What can I say? I’m a giver, you know that.”

“No kiddin’.”

Cloudchaser chuckled and leaned back a bit, enjoying the cool air brushing through her wild hair. She had her usual style which Applejack imagined took a lot of teasing to make last.

“So ‘Ah take it y’all have met Clover?” Applejack rose a brow wondering when the subject of her new boyfriend would come up.

“Yeah, he sounds like a tool.”

“Well… ‘Ah guess sometimes he can be…” Applejack had a hard time denying that one. His politeness sometimes drove her insane, which was an accomplishment.

“I can’t see him, but he probably looks like one too.” Cloudchaser made that comment so easily, so simply as if she just read it off of a pamphlet.

“’Ah often find myself questionin’ what ‘Ah seen in you…” Applejack commented.

“My brutal honesty. I’m just like you really, but with less tact and more direct.” Cloudchaser explained.

She had a point there. Cloudchaser wasn’t afraid to call anything like it was, no matter what the outcome for her might be. It was because of this that she was often viewed as rude by their fellow classmates.

Applejack found herself watching the gentle ripples in the water, calming herself, clearing her mind. Was it even a wise idea to be out here with Cloudchaser? After all she was partially the source of her stress in the first place. She ignored these thoughts though, as somehow it was nice to have her company.

“’Ah always miss hangin’ out with y’all though…” Applejack finally said out loud.

“Ditto, but you always know where to find me.”

“It’s complicated…” Applejack turned away in shame.

“Not really. Every time things get serious, you chicken out afraid that your family might disown you for liking pussy. Even though, I’m pretty sure your sister probably already knows…” Cloudchaser said.

There definitely was a distinct possibility that Applebloom knew, but if she did, she was good at hiding it.

“It’s not that simple.” AJ defended.

“Of course not, however as always I’ll just wait around for you to get over it and realize you want to be together again until we restart the whole process and stay locked in this dance until you get some sense in your head.” Cloudchaser had a very monotone voice when saying all of that. It sounded like she had gone over it in her head many times and accepted this all long ago.

“Why do ya’ keep takin’ me back?” Applejack asked.

“Dunno, but I do know that I’ll be ready to do it again when things with you and Clover eventually go south.”

“It’s different this time…” AJ insisted.

“We’ll see.” Cloudchaser responded.

Sometimes Applejack despised her arrogance, but this time it didn’t feel arrogant. It felt like she knew something that Applejack didn’t, like she had some kind of connection that gave her answers that not even Applejack could see. Often time Cloudchaser joked about how being blind gave her otherworldly powers in the form of a sixth sense, and while it was just a joke, there were many times where she truly did seem to have some other sense that told her what she needed to know.

“You uh… Look cute today…” Applejack tried to break the awkwardness with a compliment.

“I was going for sexy, but thanks. I suppose cute will suffice since it’s not like I can check myself.” She was rather abrupt with her responses, almost as if she was annoyed.

“Thanks for comin’ out with me… ‘Ah think ‘Ah really needed your company today.” Applejack smiled.

“Always a pleasure.”

“I can’t believe how far back that douchebag’s car set me…” Spike complained to his friend.

The two were sitting in the rather empty living room of his apartment on the hand-me-down sofa he owned. His living room consisted of that sofa, a TV stand, an HDTV he had gotten from Twilight for Christmas with an Xbox hooked up to it, a coffee table that didn’t match any of it, and a weight set in the corner. The rest of his home was very similar in that regard.

Spike didn’t make a lot, so he seldom had spending money after his bills were paid. Being in high school made it difficult, but he was insistent on coming here with Twilight so they could be together. His parents didn’t like the idea of him working, but they were willing to co-sign for his apartment if Twilight would be close by to help him.

“Well, y’all could just abandon your plan for Rarity and resort to plan B.” Applebloom replied.

“Which is?” Spike almost didn’t want to hear her input.

“Just settle for us goin’ to pound town. I mean I ain’t got any experience, but I’m cool with the idea.” Applebloom suggested with a smirk.

Spike rolled his eyes.

“Ah, that’s right. You’re all sex and love and whatnot… I mean love is cool and all, but I guess I just don’t see sex that way like y’all do.” Applebloom shrugged.

“Guess it’d be pretty weird if we did it though huh?” She added.

“Very. You’re like a sister to me.” Spike replied as he walked over to the kitchen. Looking back at her over the counter he added, “You don’t even register as female to me.”

“I assure y’all I am very much female.” Applebloom rolled her eyes.

“Could have fooled me with all the burping and cursing.” Spike teased.

Applebloom grew a devious smirk. “I could prove it if you like…”

“Gross.” Spike faked a gag.

“I don’t know what I’d ever do without you there to bust my chops…” Applebloom giggled.

Spike grew a serious expression as he retrieved a water bottle from the fridge. Clutching it in his hand tightly, he sighed. “What am I going to do about Rarity’s gift though?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“I hope so…”

Rainbow and Twilight had been deep within another tutoring session, and Rainbow as usual wasn’t taking the matter too seriously. Twilight attempted to regain her cooperation. “Rainbow, if you don’t focus you’re never going to pass the test.”

Rainbow shrugged. “This stuff is stupid anyways. I don’t get how I’m going to need calculus for even a second after I leave this place…”

Twilight sighed and placed her fingers upon her temples as she massaged them to deal with the stress of the situation. Getting Rainbow to stay focused was always her biggest challenge in these sessions. Whether it was her complaining, or wasting time making sexual innuendos, Rainbow was a master at wasting Twilight’s time.

“Why can’t any of these questions be about shit I know about?” Rainbow groaned.

“Damn it, Rainbow, come on. Take this seriously.” Twilight commanded.

“Alright, alright…” She sighed and laid her head on the desk as she stared at the textbook with Twilight.

“Now, from what you learned before, tell me how you would solve this problem?” Twilight placed her finger upon a problem within the book.

Leaning in to get a better look at it, Rainbow made a face implying she was thinking, but then quickly gave up and shrugged. “Hire a mathematician?”

“Holy hell, Rainbow… You are never going to get anywhere with that attitude! It’s amazing you even got into college.” Twilight commented.

Rainbow didn’t exactly appreciate that comment though. “Hey, take that back!” She growled as she stood up, pushing her chair out. Despite being short, she could definitely make a fierce stance when angered.

“Face it, the only reason you’re even here is because you know how to kick a ball. The fact that academics allows such a person to get into higher education institutes is part of what is wrong with this country.” Twilight stated very matter-of-a-fact-like.

Rainbow leaned in viciously. “You take that back.”

Twilight stood up to show she wasn’t intimidated. She looked down to Rainbow’s height with sneering eyes. “No. Furthermore, you should just go back home if you’re not going to take this seriously. You don’t care enough to succeed. It’s a shame that the school will let you slip through the cracks to keep their precious sports team together.”

Rainbow could feel fire burning in her, a flame igniting that she had not felt in a long time. The same kind of fire that normally led to fist fights with her. “You don’t know anything about me, Twilight Sparkle.” She hissed.

“What’s there to know? You’re pretty one-dimensional anyways. All you care about is sports and sex apparently.” Twilight commented, adjusting her glasses.

“Fuck you…” Rainbow uttered under her breath, containing her rage. “You don’t have a clue what I’ve been through to get here. Fuck you, Twilight, you have no fucking clue what I had to endure.”

Rainbow didn’t even give her a chance to respond before grabbing her bag and storming out the door. She made sure to slam the door extra loud on her way out.

Twilight blinked and was a bit shocked how quickly that escalated. She didn’t intend to insult Rainbow, but her frustration got the better of her. This certainly wasn’t the outcome she was hoping for. “Damn it…” She scolded herself.

Adjusting her sweater, Fluttershy took a deep inhale and exhale and began to adjust her hair which she had adorned today with a pink butterfly hairclip. She normally didn’t wear makeup, but she had gotten help from Rarity and had some mascara on to enhance her normally thin lashes. She got a small laugh when she was getting it done because she noticed some fake eyelashes in Rarity’s bathroom which confirmed a suspicion that she had for some time that Rarity’s luscious lashes were fake. It appeared as though even the fashion queen had flaws.

She could feel her hands sweating, her heart ready to jump out of her chest, her entire body trembling as she lifted her arm to knock on the door. She felt like she had a frog lodged in her throat, she couldn’t be anymore unstable at this moment. With a gentle tap, she made her presence known to the inhabitant of the apartment.

Only a few seconds after knocking, blue hair and a surprised expression greeted her as Soarin answered.

“Fluttershy.” He blinked.

He eyed her up and down and took note of the slight changes to her usual appearance. He could definitely smell a hint of perfume, possibly very expensive by the smell it emitted.

“H-hey…” She tilted her head down a bit and kept her eyes upright focused on him.

The soccer star smiled and offered to allow her in, “I’m glad you showed up.”

She followed him in feeling her heart speed up even more. She observed the ridiculous amount of sports memorabilia within his apartment. It looked like he wasn’t just a man of one sport, as despite her limited sports knowledge she recognized quite a few sports teams that were not from the same games decorating the place.

“I see you really like sports…” She commented, stating the obvious.

He grinned as he led her to the couch. She sat down very carefully, a bit nervous to actually sit on his furniture, but she overcame.

Extending a hand with a glass, he offered her a drink. “It’s not alcohol, I promise.” He said.

She took the glass and nodded. After a sip, it was easy to determine it was Pepsi. “Thank you.” She replied.

Soarin sat down next to her, keeping a small distance between the two of them. “I’m surprised you showed up.” He admitted.

Fluttershy blushed and found herself gripping her cup tightly as she spoke. “Why’s that?”

“I never really saw you as someone who hung out with people aside from Rainbow. You don’t talk to a lot of people at school from what I’ve seen.” He said.

She nodded, “Yeah, I’m not exactly a very social person…”

He gave her that award winning smile that drove her insane. “Well, I’m glad you chose to break the trend for me.”

“I didn’t even think you’d say yes…” She squeaked.

His brow rose, “Really, why?”

“Well…” She shuffled about in her seat awkwardly. This was it, it was either now or never. “I’ve just… I’ve always liked you and I figured you wouldn’t even be interested in me because I know next to nothing about sports…”

He found his own cheeks heating up a bit at her reveal. She certainly was making this easier than he had anticipated, first by asking to come over and now by revealing she had feelings for him. “I… Uh…” He rubbed his neck nervously. “I’ve kind of always liked you too.”

She could feel a huge relief washing over her. It was as if a giant weight she had been carrying for months was finally removed from her shoulders and she could be at ease finally. Though, the truth was things were about to get more complex rather than less.

Fluttershy inched a bit closer to him and felt her body gravitating towards him. “R-really?”

“Y-yeah…” He took note of her advance.

Trying to impress him, she decided it was time to go bold and bring herself only inches from his face. She could feel his breath on her lips before they closed in and met. His expression was one of surprise, but he quickly closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss rather than question it. Placing his arms around her, she allowed herself to get pulled closer by him.

The both of them had been waiting for this moment for some time and dreamed about it.

Seconds after the kiss broke; Fluttershy allowed Rainbow’s advice and lessons to take over, and control her actions. Completely out of character for herself, she pushed back her nerves and told her shy nature to shut up for a moment; she pulled off her sweater and tossed it onto the back of the couch. In only her undershirt and bra she crawled up to him.

His entire face was in shock and completely red. “W-what’re you doing?”

She blushed; she was hoping he wouldn’t talk; it only made it harder for her to ignore everything in her mind screaming for her to stop. She wanted him to like her though.

“I-I… I’m not just some shy girl… I can be whatever you need to be…” She smiled sheepishly.

He placed a hand upon her shoulder and sighed. “Look… I don’t know what you’ve been told by Spitfire or Rainbow, but that whole macho guy thing… That’s just an act. The team expects it of me, I’m the captain, they expect me to be this stud and lady magnet. I’m not like that though…” He blushed and tried to look away from her out of respect. “You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to do… I like you for you…”

She couldn’t believe it. Rainbow was wrong, and she had just made a complete fool of herself. “You mean… You… Don’t want to?”

“Not like this… Not if you’re doing it just to impress me. I want you to want to because you want to, not to impress me…” He admitted.

She couldn’t believe how sweet he actually was in person. From afar she always imagined he was probably a bit of a sex hound up close and she always figured she would find a way to adjust to that.

With a smile, she leaned in and placed her lips back upon his. Parting slowly, she grinned, “You’re sweet…”

With her hand she gestured for him to come closer.

He blinked, not quite sure his eyes were correct. “Really?”

She nodded. “I’m sure. I want my first time to be with you, Soarin… Especially now.”

He smiled lightly and placed his hand on her cheek. “I want my first time to be with you as well, Fluttershy.”

Author's Note

Applebloom was one of the few characters who was inspired by a real person. Her sense of humor and some of her personality are based upon my wife who did the artwork for the story. Many of the jokes Applebloom makes are a mixture of original and anecdotes between her and myself.