Nightmares | Appledash

Chapter Twelve

You're the warm home when it's freezing cold outside.
You're like my safety, the only place where I can hide.

I'm the broken words, the ones with letters mixed.
You're the quill and ink, my flaw can now be fixed.

You're the main character missing in this plot.
You mean more to the story than I would've ever thought.

. . .

Rainbow Dash wakes up under a sheen of sweat. She shoots up and presses a hand to her chest, unable to breathe as she nearly screams in pain. It feels like her heart is being torn out; like someone is slicing her straight in half and withdrawing every part of her insides. She brings her knees up to her chest and weeps so loudly, she's certain she'll be losing her voice for days.

There's no soft call of her name in the dark. There are no tender hands reaching out for her; no sturdy arms around her trembling frame. There's no kiss on her forehead and no hand wiping away her tears; no affectionate and loving words being whispered in her ears. She turns to scan the spot next to her in the darkness, and there's no mistaking it.

Applejack isn't there anymore.

Rainbow Dash tries crying out for her, but no matter how many times she does it, the only reply she hears is her own voice as it echoes through the empty house. She falls back against the bed, burying her face deep into the pillow in an attempt to quiet down her weeping. She rolls up into the blanket, tries to replace the warmth of Applejack's embrace, and she screams.

She screams as she realizes that each and every day from now on, she'll have to relearn how to survive as she wakes up to a cold and empty bed. She screams as she's forced to accept that she will love Applejack for the rest of her life, and the girl won't be there for any of it.

She screams and cries as she understands that whenever morning comes around and her bright magenta eyes open, Applejack's beautiful emeralds don't.

. . .

A name is the very first thought on Rainbow Dash's mind when she wakes up in the morning.

Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep despite the excruciating pain she suffered throughout the night. Her head hurts terribly and her entire body feels thick and heavy. Her eyes are so swollen, she can hardly open them enough to see. The early morning sun shines through the window blinds and almost burns her skin off.

She turns over. The spot beside her is empty. She brushes her hand over the silk sheets. She realizes that there is nowhere she wants to be now that Applejack is gone. Every fiber in her body screams as the painful truth sinks in – she will truly never see Applejack's beautiful eyes, touch her soft and perfect skin, or hear that god damn gorgeous laugh of hers ever again.

Dash lets out a weak sob, almost choking on it in the process. She drapes an arm over her face and lets her eyes fall shut again. And then she cries once more. She feels every part of herself falling apart and hitting the floor, and it's killing her.

Rainbow Dash makes a promise to always keep Applejack as her favorite incomplete wish.